Profile

Caitlin Downie (she/her) lives and works on Treaty 8 Territory in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo (ᓂᐢᑕᐋᐧᔮᐤ | Nistawâyâw | Ełídlį Kuę́). Caitlin holds a PhD in Education and Social Justice from the Department of Education and Research at Lancaster University. She is a social anthropologist specializing in public pedagogy and social justice with local governments and communities in Alberta. Caitlin’s research interests include 2SLGBTQ+ activism, social movements, critical race theory, and critical consciousness. Her work considers the role of local policy in advancing social justice and how activists, communities and local government work towards collective liberation. Caitlin is a policy consultant with the Alberta Human Rights Commission and serves as the Chair of the Canadian Commission of UNESCO’s Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities while remaining an active queer social justice activist. She comes to the Commission having worked in local government for almost a decade, most recently as a Manager with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo where she was the lead on the Equity and Inclusion Office. She has been recognized for her work with awards from the StopHate Alberta and the Alberta Diversity Awards, was named to the Top 50 under 50 YMM and a Woman of Inspiration by Girls Inc., and most recently was recognized internationally for her work by INvolve making the Top 100 international list of LGBTQ OUTstanding Role Models – Future Leaders in the 10^th spot.