Centre Scholars
This page is currently under revision as we welcome additional Centre Scholars on board. (September 18, 2012)
Morris Altman
Since 1984, Morris has taught undergraduate and graduate courses and supervised MA and PhD students (the latter while at the University of Ottawa). He has taught in traditional core areas of economics with more emphasis on microeconomic theory. He has also taught and developed courses in labor economics, pay inequality, development economics, behavioral economics (with some emphasis on experimental economics), economic history and the history of economic thought. Most recently, his teaching and supervisory focus has been on behavioral/experimental economics. Morris made the University of Saskatchewan his home base from 1988 until May 2008, supervising over 10 MA theses and served on numerous MA thesis and project committees. In September of 2008, Morris accepted a position as professor of behavioural economics and head of the School of Economics and Finance at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Morris has published a number of books and scholarly papers.
Morris has been a Centre Scholar since 2002.
Chris Axworthy
Chris Axworthy was born in the U.K. After graduating in Law from what is now London Metropolitan University in 1970, he completed his graduate studies in Law at McGill University. From 1972 to 1975 he was Assistant Professor of Law at the University of New Brunswick. From 1975 to 1985 he was Associate Professor and then Professor of Law at Dalhousie University. In 1984 he moved to the University of Saskatchewan to be Professor of Law and the founding Executive Director of the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives.
In 1988 Chris was elected to Parliament as the M.P. for Saskatoon-Clark’s Crossing. He was re-elected twice in 1993 and in 1997. In 1999 Chris was elected as the M.L.A. for Saskatoon-Fairview in a by-election and again later the same year in the General Election when he was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General for the Province of Saskatchewan. In 2001 Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs were added to his responsibilities. Chris was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2000.
In 2003 Chris returned to the University of Saskatchewan as Professor of Law. He also practiced law with Robertson Stromberg Pederson in Regina. From July 2008 to 2010 he has been Professor and Dean of Law at the University of Manitoba. As of May 1, 2010, Chris Axworthy became the Founding Dean of Law at Thompson Rivers University.
Chris has been a Centre Scholar since 2004.
Publications by Chris Axworthy with the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives are:
- A History of Saskatchewan Co-operative Law — 1900 to 1960. Donald Mullord, Christopher Axworthy, and David Liston (66 p., Occasional Papers Series), 1988.
- Worker Co-operatives and Worker Ownership: Issues Affecting the Development of Worker Co-operatives in Canada. Christopher Axworthy and David Perry (100 p., Occasional Papers Series), 1988.
- Co-operatives and Their Employees: Towards a Harmonious Relationship. Christopher Axworthy (82 p., Occasional Papers Series), 1986.
- Worker Co-operatives in Mondragon, the U.K., and France: Some Reflections. Christopher Axworthy (48 p., Occasional Papers Series), 1985.
Mary Beckie
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta
For the past several years Dr. Beckie has worked as an academic, consultant, and activist in the areas of community/regional development and alternative agri-food systems. She completed her doctorate in 2000 through the Division of Extension at the University of Saskatchewan. Using an interdisciplinary perspective, in her dissertation she examined the theory and practice of sustainable development, particularly as it relates to agriculture and rural development. From 2001 to 2003 Dr. Beckie was part of a research team at the University of Wales that coordinated an extensive study, funded by the European Commission, on the role of organic agriculture in sustainable regional development in Europe. She continues to be interested in theoretical and empirical studies of sustainable development and is especially interested in helping to identify and build connections and synergies between rural and urban communities in a regional context.
Mary Beckie became a Centre Scholar in 2012.
Gayle Broad
Louise Clarke
Louise is an associate professor with the Department of Human Resources & Organizational Behaviour, Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan and Co-Director of the Community-University Institute for Social Research (CUISR).
After a decade of alternating travel and consulting on social housing, Loiuse has returned to university to study, first with Professor Eric Trist in Environmental Studies, then with Professor Gareth Morgan in Administrative Studies both at York University in Toronto. Observing labour-management relations in two auto assembly plants for her dissertation gave Louise an appreciation of the enormous task facing management of implementing major technological and organizational changes. At the same time, her observations inclined her to favour critical perspectives regarding the three P’s -partnerships, participation and power.
Louise spent three years at Western, then came to the College of Commerce in 1991 to teach labour relations and organizational behaviour. Over the last few years her research interests have shifted from labour relations back to community economic development, the subject of her Master’s work, but still using the lenses of the three P’s.
Louise has participated in the 898 seminars, serves on the supervisory committees of several Masters and PhD students in the Co-op Theme of Inter-Disciplinary Studies, and participates in the Social Economy Project being led by the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives.
Louise has been a Centre Scholar since 2001.
Cris de Clercy
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Western Ontario
Biographical blurb is in process.
Chris became a Centre Scholar in 2012.
Mitch Diamantopoulos
Isobel Findlay
Isobel is an associate professor, Management and Marketing, Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan and teaches and publishes widely on business communications, co-operative studies, Aboriginal entrepreneurship, and law and culture. She has special research interests in communications, cultures, and communities; diversity in the workplace; Aboriginal and associative organizations; partnerships and governance; and corporate social responsibility, performance indicators, and reporting standards.
As Co-Director of social economy research at CUISR (Community-University Institute for Social Research), she is currently working on a SSHRC-funded project, Linking, Learning, Leveraging: Social Enterprises, Knowledgeable Economies, and Sustainable Communities. Isobel works closely with community groups, non-profits, and the public and private sectors designing and conducting research to promote and support economic development, community entrepreneurship, and environmental sustainability.
She has served on and chaired boards, run her own business, and facilitated workshops for a variety of businesses and organizations. A proud recipient of a University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union Teaching Excellence Award, she is also co-winner of the Saskatchewan Book Awards Scholarly Writing Award, 2000.
Isobel has been a Centre Scholar since 2001.
Publications by Isobel Findlay with the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives are:
- Exploring Key Informants’ Experiences with Self-Directed Funding. Nicola S. Chopin and Isobel M. Findlay (122 p., Research Report), 2010.
- Self-Determination in Action: The Entrepreneurship of the Northern Saskatchewan Trappers Association Co-operative. Dwayne Pattison and Isobel M. Findlay (64 p., Research Report), 2010.
- South Bay Park Rangers Employment Project for Persons Living with a Disability: A Case Study in Individual Empowerment and Community Interdependence. Isobel M. Findlay, Julia Bidonde, Maria Basualdo, and Alyssa McMurtry (46 p., Research Report), 2009.
- Evaluation of Saskatoon Urban Aboriginal Strategy. Cara Spence and Isobel Findlay (44 p., Research Report), 2008.
- Urban Aboriginal Strategy Funding Database. Karen Lynch, Cara Spence, and Isobel Findlay (22 p., Research Report), 2008.
Len Findlay
Len is a professor with the Department of English at the University of Saskatchewan and is the director of the Humanities Research Unit.
Len did his graduate work and most of his early publication on Victorian aesthetic theory and practice. From this strongly interdisciplinary base, he then expanded his interests historically and philosophically, before turning to the social functions of the literary, the figure of the public intellectual, the role of institutions and disciplines in determining what counts as knowledge and culture, and the division of academic labor in the contemporary university. He is currently endeavoring to establish in a number of different settings how critical theory, combined with critical pedagogy and collaborative research, can help decolonize Canadian universities while repoliticizing them in ways more receptive to the needs and knowledge of different communities.
Len has been a Centre Scholar since 2001.
Ellen Goddard
Ellen holds the Cooperative Chair in Agricultural Marketing and Business at the University of Alberta. She came to Alberta from a position as National Australia Bank Professor of Agribusiness and Associate Dean, Coursework, at the Institute of Land and Food Resources, University of Melbourne. Prior to that Australian appointment Ellen worked in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Guelph.
Over the past 20 years Professor Goddard’s research has been focused on economic modeling of domestic and international commodity sectors for policy analysis purposes, including assessment of the effectiveness of investment in advertising. Current research includes various aspects of food marketing including consumer response to food safety incidents, consumer interest in labels, demand for credence attributes and certification. She also currently leads a national policy research network for Agriculture and Agri-food Canada in Consumer and Market Demand for Food and a major socio-economic research program examining the impact of BSE on Canada.
Ellen has been a Centre Scholar since 2001.
Jessica Gordon Nembhard
Hayley Hesseln
Associate Professor, Department of Bioresource Policy, Business and Economics, University of Saskatchewan
Waiting for biographical info.
Hayley became a Centre Scholar in 2012.
Jill Hobbs
Jill is a Professor and Head of the Department of Bioresource Policy, Business and Economics (formerly the Department of Agricultural Economics) at the University of Saskatchewan, a position which she has held since 2006. Prior to joining the University of Saskatchewan in 1999 as an Assistant Professor, Dr. Hobbs held academic appointments in the UK and at Mount Royal College (Calgary). Professor Hobbs holds a PhD in agricultural economics from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
Jill’s recent research focuses on supply chain and food economics, including: analyses of supply chain relationships in the agri-food sector, the economics of food safety, quality assurance and traceability, consumer attitudes toward food quality attributes, and assessments of the regulatory and business environment for functional foods.
Jill also participates in research networks focused on Consumer and Market Demand Analysis, Innovation, and the Structure and Performance of Supply Chains, and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles on these subjects.
Jill has been a Centre Scholar since 2001.
Publications by Jill Hobbs with the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives are:
- Against All Odds: Explaining the Exporting Success of the Danish Pork Co-operatives. Jill Hobbs (40 p.), 2001.
Dan Ish
Dan joined the Faculty of Law at the University of Saskatchewan in 1975, served as Dean of the College from 1982 to 1988, and Acting Dean in 1996-1997, and Acting Dean again between 2002-04. He was previously Assistant Professor at McGill University (1972-75), and was Visiting Professor at Auckland, New Zealand (1980-81, 1989), Bond University, Queensland (1991), and a Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University in 1995-96. He is a Member of the Law Societies of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Professor Ish was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1991.
As of July 1, 2010, Dan is a Professor Emeritus with the College of Law. His teaching fell in the areas of tax law and alternative dispute resolution (co-operative problem solving). His legal research was focused on the issues of harassment and privacy in the workplace. As a former director of the Centre, Dan’s research activities have had much in common with Centre faculty for some time. He is interested in international co-operative development; co-operative law, including theoretical background and commentary on issues that may emerge; labour relations issues relevant to co-ops; and also the possibilities for developing graduate studies in co-operatives. Dan’s current appointment is as the Chief Adjudicator of the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat.
Dan has been a Centre Scholar since 2001.
Publications by Dan Ish with the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives are:
- International Seminar on Legislation for Farmer Co-operatives in China: A Canadian Perspective. Daniel Ish, Bill Turner, and Murray Fulton (22 p.), 2006.
- The SANASA Model: Co-operative Development through Micro-Finance. Ingrid Fischer, Lloyd Hardy, Daniel Ish, and Ian MacPherson (80 p.), 1999.
- Legal Responsibilities of Directors and Officers in Canadian Co-operatives. Daniel Ish and Kathleen Ring (148 p.), 1996.
- Co-operatives in Principle and Practice. Anne McGillivray and Daniel Ish (144 p., Occasional Paper Series), 1992.
JoAnn Jaffe
Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Studies, University of Regina
JoAnn’s research interests include: sociology of development and underdevelopment; sociology of the environment; sustainable/alternative development; gender; farming systems research; rural household studies; social ecology; peasant economics; agrarian social structure; Haiti; Caribbean; Costa Rica; Chile; rural Saskatchewan.
JoAnn became a Centre Scholar in 2012.
Catherine Leviten-Reid
Ian MacPherson
Ian is a Professor Emeritus in History and the founding director of the British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studies at the University of Victoria in Canada. He is the author/editor of 19 books and numerous articles on co-operatives and other subjects and has delivered more than 350 papers/presentations on co-operative subjects in many countries around the world.
Ian served on co-operative boards locally, nationally and internationally for nearly thirty years. He led the process and wrote the documents whereby the International Co-operative Alliance created an identity page in order to better address the issues of the twenty -first century. It was adopted at the ICA’s Manchester Congress in 1995. Currently, he is also co-director of the National Hub of a $12,000,000 research programme on the possibilities of the Social Economy in Canada.
Ian has been a Centre Scholar since 2001.
Publications by Ian MacPherson with the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives are:
- A Report on Aboriginal Co-operatives in Canada: Current Situation and Potential for Growth. L. Hammond Ketilson and I. MacPherson (400 p.), 2002.
- Canadian Co-operatives in the Year 2000: Memory, Mutual Aid, and the Millennium. Brett Fairbairn, Ian MacPherson, and Nora Russell, eds. (356 p.), 2000.
- The SANASA Model: Co-operative Development through Micro-Finance. Ingrid Fischer, Lloyd Hardy, Daniel Ish, and Ian MacPherson (80 p.), 1999.
Greg McKee
Sheryl Mills
Sheryl teaches a class in Educational Foundations titled the Rationale, Theory, and Practice of Co-operative Learning. Much of her work revolves around reflections on the practice of co-op education, in the publications, seminars, workshops, and consulting she does for post secondary, secondary, and elementary instructors, as well as adult educators, conference designers, and co-operatives. Other interests she shares with the Centre include leadership issues and the dynamics of group process.
Sheryl has been a Centre Scholar since 2001.
Brian Oleson
Brian is a professor in the Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics as well as Agribusiness Chair in Co-operatives and Marketing at the University of Manitoba.
He received his PhD (Agricultural and Applied Economics) from the University of Minnesota and MA (Economics) from the University of Manitoba. His fields of study include co-operatives and group marketing, grain marketing, agricultural outlook and governance.
Brian is involved in grain marketing teaching and research as well as with teaching and research in the area of co-operatives and extension work involving co-operatives, credit unions and group marketing organizations.
Brian has been a Centre Scholar since 2006.
Rose Olfert
Rose Olfert is a professor in the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (65%) and in the Department of Bioresource, Policy, Business and Economics in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources (35%). Rose teaches, organizes and participates in the statistics portion of the writing class, serves on the Internship Committee, is the faculty lead at the University of Saskatchewan campus for the student case competition and is on the Editorial Board for the Western Policy Analyst.
Rose’s research and teaching interests are in regional economics, rural development and the role of public policy in regional/rural restructuring and growth. Although most of her rural development work focuses on North America she is also working with international collaborators in Chile, Peru and the Netherlands. Her research and publications focus on the spatial location and re-location of economic activity, including the determinants and impacts. She has published on topics including co-ops and credit unions, off-farm employment, occupational segregation, urbanization trends and rural community evolution, cities as engines of growth, location choices of professionals, State Trading Enterprise impacts on International trade, the changing role of distance, migration patterns, equalization payments and commuting patterns and their determinants. Rose’s current research is focused on the distinction between people-based and place-based public policy and the conditions under which place-based policy may be appropriate.
Rose has been a Centre Scholar since 2012.
Jorge Sousa
Jorge is an Assistant Professor and Specialization Coordinator of Adult Education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
Jorge completed his PhD at The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. His primary inspiration for working in the realm of community development was based on his experience of converting public housing to co-operative housing and as president of the Graduate Students’ Union at the University of Toronto. His primary research approach is community based, which results in research outcomes that have significant social value. He often works with community-based non-profit organizations to conduct research as well as participates in planning processes relevant to capacity building and development.
Jorge’s areas of research expertise all fall within the context of the intersection of community development and adult education. He is primarily engaged in policy and applied research aimed at understanding and strengthening Canada’s Social Economy. He is currently working with stakeholders interested in converting public housing into some form of tenant managed arrangement, including the different forms of co-operatives. The objective of this work is to develop appropriate learning strategies and to institute a process that can account for the economic and social needs of citizens as they take control of their housing community.
Jorge has been a Centre Scholar since 2008.
Publications by Jorge Sousa with the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives are:
- A Co-operative Dilemma: Converting Organizational Form. Edited by Jorge Sousa and Roger Herman (324 p., Book), 2011.
Curtis Stofferahn
Howard Woodhouse
Print 
PDF