Kiaras Gharabaghi appointed as John C. Eaton Chair in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Kiaras Gharabaghi as John C. Eaton Chair in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Community Services (FCS). Gharabaghi’s appointment will begin on July 1, 2020 for a three-year term.
After 25 years of working directly with youth and holding leadership positions in the child welfare, child & youth mental health and youth homelessness sectors, Gharabaghi joined the School of Child and Youth Care (CYC) at Ryerson in 2006. He served as director of the CYC from 2014 to 2020, and has fulfilled various roles with respect to the social innovation initiatives of the FCS and of Ryerson University since 2012.
Usually working with Melanie Panitch, executive director of Ryerson’s Office of Social Innovation, Gharabaghi was instrumental in developing and delivering the Minor in Social Innovation, the Community Transformation Cafes at FCS, various extracurricular learning series for students from across FCS, as well as major projects such as the Social Innovation 4 Social Justice Project and the Trinidad Exchange Project, both of which involve students from across FCS and other faculties at Ryerson. Gharabaghi maintains a strong commitment to recognizing the work of diverse communities as core elements of creating a better world. From his perspective, social change for the better involves many different approaches, including social justice work, arts and music, aesthetic design, cultural explorations, land-based practices, and more than anything else, honouring the ways in which individuals and collectives mobilize, organize and fight for justice, dignity and rights.
I would also like to thank the search committee members for their commitment to the recruitment process. The members of the search committee included:
Beverly-Jean Daniel, Child and Youth Care
Judy Finlay, Child and Youth Care
Esther Ignagni, Disability Studies
Ken Moffatt, Social Work
Zhixi Zhuang, Urban and Regional Planning
On behalf of the FCS, please welcome Kiaras Gharabaghi into this role.