Public policy | The Harriet Tubman Institute

Karine Coen-Sanchez

rebsl — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 15:34:34 +0000

Dr. Karine Coen-Sanchez is an independent sociologist and Founder and Executive Director of the Coen-Sanchez Research & Policy Institute (CSRPI), a federally incorporated Canadian not-for-profit research institute advancing interdisciplinary research, public policy, governance, and institutional equity. Her research examines institutional governance, race, migration, identity, and public policy.

She is the developer of Human Systems Mediation, an original interdisciplinary framework examining how governance systems, organizational cultures, and human experience interact to shape policy implementation and institutional outcomes. Her scholarship has also contributed conceptual perspectives such as Polite Racism, advancing research on institutional racism, equity, and organizational change.

Her work bridges sociology, governance, organizational studies, and policy research, with particular attention to Afro-Caribbean communities, institutional trust, and democratic governance. Her current research explores governance innovation, artificial intelligence, and evidence-informed policy to strengthen equitable and responsive institutions.

Through CSRPI, Dr. Coen-Sanchez extends this scholarship into applied research, policy development, and knowledge mobilization, connecting critical sociological research with practical approaches to institutional and public-policy challenges.

Keywords: Institutional Governance; Public Policy; Race and Racism; African Diaspora; Afro-Caribbean Studies; Migration; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI); Human Systems Mediation; Organizational Change; Artificial Intelligence and Governance; Knowledge Mobilization; Social Justice; Institutional Trust; Policy Implementation; Qualitative Research.

Muna-Udbi Ali

rebsl — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:27:39 +0000

Dr. Muna-Udbi A. Ali (she/they) is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Environment and Urban Change (EUC), specializing in Black Studies in Geography and Environment, at 91��ɫ in Toronto, Canada. Before joining the faculty of EUC, Ali worked as an Assistant Professor at California State University San Marcos, and as a Visiting Faculty member at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. Trained as an interdisciplinary scholar, her primary research covers diverse theoretical foci including Black studies, critical refugee and migration studies, critical race studies, Black feminist studies, Black geographies, transnational feminism, environmental justice, popular education, critical Muslim studies, public policy, critical pedagogy, and higher education studies. She has published several book chapters and scholarly articles in journals including The Black Scholar, Darkmatter, Reconsidering Development, and The Conversation, among others. Outside of academia, Ali is a community worker, curriculum and policy consultant, researcher, and anti-oppression educator. She has designed curricula and policies on gender-based violence, Afrocentric education, and anti-racist praxis. She has worked in education and curriculum development in Canada, United States, Kenya, and Somalia.

Keywords: Black Studies, Black geographies, Black feminist theories and methods, critical refugee studies, higher education studies, critical pedagogy, popular education, environmental justice, public policy, and surveillance studies.

James Simeon

rebsl — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 22:45:24 +0000

Dr James C. Simeon is the Head of McLaughlin College and Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA), Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, and a former Director of the SPPA, and a former Acting Director and Deputy Director at the Centre for Refugee Studies at 91��ɫ. Prior to joining the faculty at 91��ɫ, James served as the first Executive Director of the International Association of Refugee Law Judges (IARLJ), now the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges (IARMJ). He is currently an Associate Member of the IARMJ and serves as the Coordinator of its Inter-Conference Working Party Process. He is also one of the founding members of the IARMJ America Chapter. He is the immediate past President of the Canadian Association for Refugees and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS), a member of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC).