Celebrating 30 Years of Leadership
On May 2, 2026, the School of Leadership Studies was delighted to celebrate 30 years of leadership by hosting a World Cafe as part of RRU’s Alumni weekend.
The original Master of Arts in Leadership and Training (MALT) program first launched in 1996. The “training” part of the name was eventually changed, but the essence of the program has lived on. Some people say it has good bones, developed through the early years of MALT through the dedication of students, faculty, and staff alike. We were delighted to see an alumna from the inaugural MALT cohort at the celebration, along with alumni from various cohorts over the years. Lifetime friends from the 2006 cohort even gathered at the Alumni weekend to celebrate their 20 year anniversary.
The MA Leadership program has undergone various iterations over the years, including the introduction of a fully online multisectoral offering during the pandemic. We were so surprised by its popularity that we have maintained this online offering in an effort to continue making education accessible for working adults in this post-pandemic era. The first fully online cohort will cross the stage at convocation this coming June. In addition, the Health specialization of MA Leadership was introduced in 2001, then a brand new Global Leadership program launched in 2015. We now have an Executive Leadership specialization as well. In fact, leadership competencies show up in many of the programs across campus.
At the Alumni event, after an inspiring keynote by Nobel Peace Nominee, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, faculty in the School of Leadership Studies invited participants to join them in conversation.
The title of the world café was: “Who We Are is How We Lead: Engaged Leadership in An Era of Polycrisis.”
There are three parts to this title:
The first part, “who we are is how we lead,” is really about the inner state from which we operate. This is about how we show up and what our presence signals to the people around us. This is what Otto Scharmer calls, the quality of attention and intention a leader brings to any situation.
The second part, “engaged leadership,” is a core pillar of all our school’s programming. Although attending to our inner state is essential, leadership is not a solo activity. It is about engaging others in an intentional way that endeavours to share power. Engagement isn’t a one and done survey, as many of us experience; it’s meaningfully building relationships to work toward shared goals.
The third part of this title introduces the word, “polycrisis.” Our colleagues in the Cascade Institute define it as multiple, entangled, interacting crises that, together, are more harmful than each one independently. So when leaders are working on complex issues today, they feel the pressures and uncertainties of polycrisis. We start by addressing health care, or mental health, or language and culture revitalization, or housing, or loneliness, or food security, and we eventually come to realize that these are all interconnected.
As part of celebrating 30 years, we would like to recognize some of our incredible alumni.
Two winners of RRU’s Alumni Changemaker Achievement Awards are graduates of the MA Leadership Health specialization
- Bonnie Blakely: https://www.royalroads.ca/news/bonnie-blakley-recognized-transforming-youth-mental-health-care
- And Dr. Huma Ali: https://www.royalroads.ca/news/alumni-changemaker-dr-huma-ali-transforming-health-care-culture
Other notable alumni are featured here:
Leading Beyond Perfection - Siobhan Calderbank
To read more, go here 👉 https://tinyurl.com/yc53b5yd
Stepping into Power - Marcia Turner
To read more, go here 👉 https://tinyurl.com/5xam6rpk
The Right Time to Lead - Sharon Floyd
To read more, go here 👉 https://tinyurl.com/54cpb4uj
From Systems Thinking to Safe Housing - Alison Silgardo
To read more, go here 👉 https://tinyurl.com/ywmp4ezf
Leading with Heart -- Faith Chipawe
To read more, go here 👉 https://tinyurl.com/5n7pvy57
For more information on our Leadership programs at RRU, please contact learn.more@royalroads.ca
Faculty contacts are:
Dr. Kathy Bishop, Program Head for the MA Leadership Executive Leadership specialization and the Graduate Certificate in Values Based Leadership.
Dr. Wanda Krause, Program Head for a whole suite of programs related to Global Leadership, including online and blended Master’s degrees, Diplomas, and Certificates.
Dr. Catherine Etmanski, Program Head for the MA Leadership online multisectoral program including the Health specialization and Graduate Certificate in Leadership.
Dr. Cheryl Heykoop, Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar and Academic Lead for the Anew Research Collaborative.
Dr. Marnie Jull is an Associate Professor in the School of Leadership Studies and Thesis Coordinator for the MA Leadership program.