Mohammed Nadhir (Ned) Dean (Honorary Chair), 1937-2020

Born in Sri Lanka, Nadhir Dean left for England his twenties to be with his love, Elaine Dean. Together, Ned and Elaine lived in several countries, including Holland and Canada.  They raised their family and welcomed people from all walks of life into their home . Nadhir Dean has been celebrated as a loving, thoughtful husband, father, brother, grandfather, friend and mentor. He committed to the ideals of compassion and human dignity.  His ideas and guidance have inspired the title, purpose and foundation for this conference.

Although Nadhir lived away from Sri Lanka, he revisited his birthplace, and often said, "Sri Lanka is always in my heart - I visit it every day.”

Mario Gomez

Mario Gomez is the Executive Director at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES), an independent think-tank based in Sri Lanka. He was previously a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Colombo. He has a PhD in law and teaches occasionally in the University of Colombo. He was a one-time member of the Law Commission of Sri Lanka and a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government. His recent publications include 'The Courts Respond to Executive Tyranny in Sri Lanka', 'The Politics of Dealing with the Past in Deeply Divided Sri Lanka', 'Constitutionalizing Economic and Social Rights in Sri Lanka' (Co-author), 'Lifting the Veil of Secrecy: The Right to Information in Emerging and Existing Democracies', 'Keeping Rights Alive: Reform and Reconciliation in Post-War Sri Lanka', and 'Prosecuting Ethno-Religious Violence in Sri Lanka'.

Yasmin Dean

Yasmin Dean is Dean of the School of Education and Social Work at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, Canada.  Previously, she was Chair of the Department of Child Studies and Social Work at Mount Royal University. Her areas of scholarship include international social work, international field schools, Indigenous helping practice and resilience, and mental health.  Grounded in the principles of social justice, human rights, and human dignity, Yasmin has supported her students and community members to recognize, develop, nurture, and express their full potential. 

Hieu Van Ngo

Hieu Van Ngo is Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. He is grounded in life experience, professional practice, and community leadership. He spent three years in a refugee camp in Thailand, and has experienced life as a first-generation Canadian in Canada. Hieu is known as an advocate for diversity and inclusion and as a community builder. Since 2001, Hieu has developed and led more than 13 collaborative projects. His scholarship and practice have focused on youth gang prevention, diversity and inclusion, non-profit management, community leadership, and community-based research.

Sally Haney

Sally Haney is the Chair of Broadcasting and Journalism at Mount Royal University. A former journalist with CBC, Haney transitioned to Mount Royal where she continues to apply her editorial skillset in her work with student journalists. She pursues research and scholarship in a number of areas, including the impacts of local news poverty, field schools as sites for transformative learning, and students-as-partners models in the scholarship of teaching and learning. She is committed to supporting collaborative journalism models that see journalism schools work much more closely with both media- and non-media partners.

Yohani Dodangoda

Yohani Dodangoda is a graduate from the Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya and is also an LLB graduate from the University of London. She is currently studying for her Attorney's at Law Examination at the Sri Lanka Law College.