After 25 years of service, Irène Bujara, University Advisor on Equity and Human Rights, will be retiring from her position as of January 31, 2018.

Ms. Bujara came to Queen’s in 1992 as the inaugural Director of the Human Rights Office. The Equity portfolio was added to her responsibilities in 2005 and she has held the position of University Advisor on Equity and Human Rights since that time. Throughout her tenure, she has guided the evolution of the university’s employment equity and educational, accessibility, anti-racism, and inclusion programs and mobilized countless initiatives to support the advancement of a welcoming and respectful campus community.

“Queen’s has greatly benefitted from Ms. Bujara’s passion and leadership over the past 25 years, and we will continue build on her work towards a fully welcoming and inclusive campus,” says Benoit-Antoine Bacon, Provost and VP (Academic).  “We are in all debt to Ms. Bujara and it is fitting that she was recently awarded a Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her work for the Queen’s community.”

In addition to working to prevent and address issues relating to harassment and discrimination, Ms. Bujara also established a forward-looking vision for the Human Rights Office and Equity Office, developing long-term strategic plans, policies, and proactive planning tools to support measurable progress. Ms. Bujara and her team’s work recently received an Employment Equity Achievement Award from the federal government in recognition of Queen’s Accessibility Framework, Employment Equity Framework, and their innovative evaluation tool, the Diversity and Equity Assessment and Planning (DEAP) application. 

During her time as the University Advisor on Equity and Human Rights, Ms. Bujara has also focused on supporting and engaging members of the Queen’s community, including overseeing the establishment of a number of resource groups and professional development programming such as the “From Diversity to Inclusion” certificate, as well as engagement initiatives like the “Woman Recreated Mosaic Project.”

“The accomplishment I am most proud of is to have built a team in both the Human Rights and Equity sections of the Office that is so responsive to the needs of the community,” says Ms. Bujara.

A further announcement about Ms. Bujara’s replacement will be made prior to her departure. In lieu of a celebration, she has requested the university make a donation to the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health in honor of Leo Yerxa, an Ojibwe artist who gave generously of his time and talent to Queen’s and the Office’s many projects for over 25 years, and who passed away in September 2017. Colleagues who wish to do so are also invited to drop in to the Equity and Human Rights Office on January 31 to wish her well.