Roy Pogorzelski (He/Him/His)

Roy Pogorzelski is Metis/Cree from Saskatchewan and his family comes from the communities of Green Lake, Meadow Lake and Flying Dust First Nation in the north. Roy has received several awards for his work in Inclusion, Equity, Diversity and Accessibility (IDEA) having 17 years of experience working in not for profit, Municipal governments, academia and in business. Roy has also facilitated/held meetings in Human Rights/Indigenous Rights sessions overseas in Belgium, Austria, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Kenya and Mexico. Roy co-chaired and was instrumental in creating an implementation plan on the City of Lethbridge's response to the TRC Calls to Action in 2017. This still holds up as one of very few full implementation plans for Municipalities across the country. Roy has keynoted conferences, facilitated dialogues across the country and has worked with organizations to educate and move to a place of action in regard to the 2015 94 TRC Calls to Action. Roy facilitates important IDEA dialogues as an Associate with the Canadian Centre of Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), through his work as an Allyship, Anti-oppression and Mentor through One Voice One Team as well as through his role as Senior Indigenous Engagement Specialist with Harbour West Consulting. Through his own company RWP Consulting, Roy has facilitated dialogues across the country, spoken at events and conferences and continues to bring a strong message through his lived experience and professional experience of making strategic and directional change. Educationally, Roy has undergraduate degrees in Indigenous Studies and Human Justice at the University of Regina, a Masters in Science in Cultures and Development Studies from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium and is currently working towards his PHD in Philosophy with a focus on Culture, Social and political Thought at the University of Lethbridge (U of L). Roy also works as a sessional instructor for the U of L in the Faculty of Indigenous Studies, instructs Indigenous Studies at Selkirk College and mentors in a micro-credentialing course through George Brown College.