Speakers

John Fink

John Fink is a Senior Research Associate at the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College, Columbia University.  

John is an expert on improving community college transfer outcomes in the US, and during his tenure at CCRC has built partnerships with college leaders and state agencies to produce high-impact research on reforms to increase transfer student success. His research on transfer includes multiple statewide studies examining credit transferability and STEM transfer pathways. John’s research has been published in the American Education Research Journal, Community College Review, Journal of Higher Education, and Research in Higher Education.  

John is an author of the Transfer Playbook detailing the practices of high-performing transfer partnerships, and his research was recognized by the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students with the Transfer Champion-Catalyst award in 2019.

Prior to joining CCRC, John administered a program supporting transfer students at the University of Maryland.  

Jason La Rochelle

Jason La Rochelle is from the Haida Nation, his traditional name is Skeweqsalalexw which means "of the Raven" in Halq'emeylem. He is the Director for the Office of Indigenization at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC). Jason has worked in the field of Indigenous Education for over 20 years serving in a variety of roles from an instructor to a dean. He is the current Chair of BCCAT’s Indigenous Articulation Committee. Jason continues the work of Indigenization across the post-secondary landscape as he serves on the Indigenous Advisory Councils of Vancouver Community College, Douglas College, and Colleges & Institutes Canada. 

Jennifer Anaquod

Jennifer Anaquod is Nehiyaw and Anishnaabe from Muscowpetung First Nation in Treaty 4 territory and has grown up and lived most of her life a a guest on Coast Salish territory. Jennifer is a curriculum consultant, researcher, and educator whose life work has focused on creating safe spaces in education for Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. Jennifer grounds all her work in the 4 R’s of respect, reciprocity, relevance, and responsibility. Jennifer graduated from UBC with a B.Ed with a specialization in Indigenous curriculum and transitioned into an M.Ed in Curriculum and Leadership. Jennifer currently is a Ph.D Candidate and her research focuses on displaced place-based education. Jennifer’s most recent research project Pathway Partnerships with Indigenous Post-Secondary Institutions explored current practices that help support and enhance Indigenous students’ experiences in pathways between different post-secondary institutions.