Knowledge Mobilization Panel

Where Public Engagement Meets Knowledge Mobilization 

Wednesday, May 28th, 1:15-2:15pm

Michael Johnny is Manager of Knowledge Mobilization at York University, operating in this capacity since 2006.  Michael operates as a university-based service professional connecting researchers, students, policy professionals, community organizations, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to collaborate; maximizing the social, economic and environmental impacts research for public good. 

Michael and his team have been recognized by York University for their commitment to service with the Harriet Lewis Award for Service Excellence.  When Michael is not mobilizing knowledge he enjoys time golfing, baking or walking his dog.

Krista Jensen is a Senior Knowledge Mobilization Specialist at York University. She holds a Master of Information Studies degree from the University of Toronto and has over 15 years of experience working in knowledge mobilization. Her work focuses mainly on knowledge mobilization training and the use of technology and social media tools in research collaborations.

In 2024, Krista was the recipient of the Peter Levesque Award for Knowledge Mobilization Leadership as well as the Directors' Award for Inter-institutional Collaboration from the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA) in recognition of her work on developing an 8 week knowledge mobilization course called MobilizeU, offered through the Research Impact Canada network.

When she is not busy mobilizing knowledge, Krista can often be found reading mystery novels, knitting, or talking to her guinea pigs.

Rochelle Baker has been the Manager of Communications, Partnerships and Research & Knowledge Exchange at the NL Centre for Applied Health Research in the Faculty of Medicine for the past fourteen years. Bringing experience in strategic communications from both private and public sectors to her work at NLCAHR, Rochelle has built relationships with people across sectors.

 Under her leadership, the Research and Knowledge Exchange Program at NLCAHR has expanded from 6 to 22 groups with a membership exceeding 1800 participants from university, health, and community settings. Rochelle has been a strong advocate for the role of lived and living experience to inform both health research and policy making. As a strategic communicator, she strives to create accessible and effective research reports for the Contextualized Health Research Synthesis Program and to shape knowledge translation products and collaborative opportunities by connecting the diverse perspectives that are required to tackle complex issues.

Sarah Worthman (she/they) is  the founder and executive director of the NL Queer Research Initiative, a grassroots organization that was established to develop and collect 2slgbtq+ centered research in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Additionally, they have been nationally recognized for co-founding the advocacy campaign #nospaceforhate which addresses the growing rise in anti-2slgbtq+ hate across the country. Above all else, everything Sarah does is driven by a deep passion to improve the lives of 2slgbtq+ people across Canada.

Sevtap Savas, PhD. Sevtap is an advocate, cancer scientist, and professor at Memorial University. Her main goal is to improve the social and medical outcomes of cancer patients through research, advocacy, leadership, service, community outreach, and public engagement.

Keynote and Panel

What does a university owe the public?

Wednesday, May 28th, 7:00 – 8:30pm

Ted Hewitt was appointed president of SSHRC in March 2015. He served as the inaugural chair of the  from 2017 to 2019 and was the first to serve a second term as chair in 2023. Ted was vice-president, research and international relations, at Western University in London, Ontario, from 2004 to 2011, where he had been a professor of sociology since 1989. He was also a public policy scholar at the Brazil Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. A leading authority on Brazil, Ted has published in monographs, edited works and a range of academic journals. In 2018, Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Relations named him Grand Officer of the Order of Rio Branco—one of the highest levels of merit—for the many years he has fostered bilateral business and research partnerships between Brazil and Canada.

Ted’s current research focuses on national and international innovation systems, with emphasis on the roles of universities, industry and government in promoting economic prosperity in Latin America and beyond. He is co-chair of the Canada-Brazil Joint Committee for Cooperation on Science, Technology and Innovation, and a member of the board of the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce.

Ted holds a PhD in sociology from McMaster University.

Barbara Neis is a John Lewis Paton Distinguished University Professor, Professor Emerita and Honorary Research Professor, in Memorial University’s Department of Sociology. Current President of the Royal Society of Canada's Academy of Social Sciences, she received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Toronto in 1988. She is also a former Fellow of the Trudeau Foundation and the recipient of honorary doctorates from York University and the University of Tromso in Norway.

Her research has focused mainly on interactions between work, environment, health and communities in marine and coastal contexts. Since the 1980s, she has carried out, supervised and supported collaborative research initiatives on the Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries including in the areas of fishermen’s knowledge, science and management; maritime occupational health and safety; rebuilding collapsed fisheries; and gender and fisheries. Between 2012 and 2023, she directed the SSHRC-funded On the Move Partnership, www.onthemovepartnership.ca, a large, multidisciplinary research program exploring the dynamics of extended/complex employment-related geographical mobility in the Canadian context and its impact on workers and their families, employers and communities. 

Chief Mi’sel Joe was born in Miawpukek on June 4, 1947, into a strong Mi’kmaq family, and has been educated in all the Mi’kmaq ways and traditions.  Since 1974, he has been involved in First Nation Politics, and in 1983, he inherited the lifelong roles of Traditional Saqamaw (Chief) and the Newfoundland District Chief for the Mi’kmaq Grand Council.

In 1988, he was elected as Administrative Chief for Miawpukek First Nation, a position he held for 35 years.

Chief Mi’sel Joe has gained recognition provincially, nationally, and internationally.  In 2012, he was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in recognition of making Canada better for communities. In May 2004, Chief Mi’sel Joe was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador, in 2018, he was awarded the Order of Canada in recognition of his outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation, and in

In October 2024, Chief Mi’sel Joe was invested into the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador in recognition of his impactful leadership and helping to foster a better understanding of Mi’kmaq people and their culture in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In January 2024, Chief Mi’sel Joe joined World Energy GH2 as Strategic Advisor.

In February 2025, Chief Joe was awarded the King Charles Coronation Medal, in recognition of his valuable contribution to the country.

Chief Mi’sel Joe resides in Miawpukek First Nation with his wife, Colletta. He has a daughter Leona; granddaughter Ansale'wit (Angel); and two great grandchildren, Ethan, and Amaya.