Meet Our Students (2026)
Read the biographies of our Doctor of Business Administration students below.
Brent Janke
Doctoral Student
Brent Janke is a senior executive with extensive experience leading transformational change that empowers people to achieve significant improvements in business results. Respected for focus on people, safety, culture, and operational excellence with over 30 years of experience that includes work with Suncor Energy, ExxonMobil, and Imperial Oil.
Carlos Gorraez Meraz
Doctoral Student
Carlos Gorraez Meraz is a research-driven sustainability and energy transition professional specializing in the adoption and acceptance of geothermal energy.
Carlos’ doctoral research explores the market acceptance of geothermal systems in North America, building on prior research on social acceptance in Western Canada and the United States.
Chizoba Obidigbo-Egbo
Doctoral Student
Chizoba Obidigbo-Egbo is a strategic partnerships professional and entrepreneur who mentors women business owners while serving on boards including UCB Microfinance Bank and Halton Black Voices.
Chizoba’s doctoral research investigates how recognition of gendered knowledge—women’s distinct leadership approaches including emotional labor and relational intelligence—impacts career advancement in Canadian organizations. This research aims to develop frameworks that transform invisible leadership contributions into recognized competencies, improving both women’s advancement and organizational effectiveness.
Damon Dyer
Doctoral Student
Damon Dyer leads the Canadian defence business for a global project management professional services company.
Damon’s doctoral research will focus on the how Canadian defence procurement leader can improve the likelihood of success on complex capability acquisition projects. He will focus his research into contract types used on defence projects, supporting the Canadian government’s generational investment in defence acquisition.
Desire Omogbehin
Doctoral Student
Desire Omogbehin is a healthcare management professional and educator with expertise in digital transformation, health information management, and leadership development.
Desire’s doctoral research focuses on artificial intelligence, algorithmic management, and responsible governance practices in Canadian healthcare organizations.
Firas Zayter
Doctoral Student
Firas Zayter is a Consortium Coordinator for Oxfam in Lebanon, where he leads large-scale initiatives focused on economic development and systemic market change.
Firas’s doctoral research is a critical investigation into the role of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) “Social Business Models” as a pathway to the support and recovery of MSMEs in Lebanon
Hala Dehais
Doctoral Student
Hala Dehais is the Associate Dean for SAIT’s School of Hospitality & Tourism. She is a collaborative leader dedicated to advancing hospitality and tourism education through innovative, industry-aligned programs.
Hala’s doctoral research will investigate how inclusive storytelling frameworks and community-led partnerships can design engaging experiences across tourism and education.
Jeff Gao
Doctoral Student
Jeff Gao is a seasoned finance executive with extensive experience in strategic financial management, governance, and organizational leadership across nonprofit, corporate, and international sectors.
Jeff’s doctoral research interests center on Indigenous housing solutions and sustainable financial models for community development, aligning with his professional mission to create lasting social impact.
June Lulua
Doctoral Student
June Lulua is an Indigenous health governance professional who works with First Nations, regional health bodies, and government partners to strengthen Indigenous-led health planning and decision-making.
June’s doctoral research will investigate how structured planning frameworks can strengthen Indigenous health governance and improve alignment between First Nations and regional health authorities.
Mark Ofori
Doctoral Student
Mark Ofori is an experienced risk management and financial sector governance professional with more than fourteen (14) years of leadership experience in central banking, regulatory supervision, and enterprise‑wide risk strategy. As a Chief Manager and Bank Examiner at the Bank of Ghana, he leads risk‑based supervision, policy analysis, and regulatory initiatives that enhance financial stability and strengthen institutional resilience across the banking sector.
Mo Silpachai
Doctoral Student
Sukanda Silpachai (Mo) is a healthcare leader with over a decade of experience in senior living operations, human resources, compliance, and organizational leadership and is a CPHR member through University Canada West.
Mo’s doctoral research focuses on developing evidence-based business models that strengthen workforce sustainability and operational excellence in British Columbia’s long-term care sector, with the goal of improving retention, leadership capacity, and care quality outcomes.
Mustafa Berrashed
Doctoral Student
Mustafa Berrashed is a senior human resources professional with over ten years of experience in public sector organizations and executive-level HR leadership.
Mustafa’s doctoral research focuses on Strategic Talent Management for the Development of Ambidextrous Teams in Public Sector Organizations, exploring how HR practices can simultaneously support operational efficiency and innovation in complex public sector environments.
Nkasi Nwoko
Doctoral Student
Nkasi Nwoko is an accomplished finance business partner and budding entrepreneur with a passion to drive real value in developing economies. He is also currently building a real estate startup that finances housing developments, facilitates mortgage access, and operates a multi-sided digital marketplace so that real households can discover and purchase dream homes with ease.
Nkasi’s doctoral research interest will explore alternative housing financing models for emerging markets where there are huge housing deficits, low home ownership rates, and ultra-low mortgage access rate.
Peter Williamson
Doctoral Student
Peter Williamson is a policy analyst with over 25 years of experience working on Indigenous policies, programs, intergovernmental relations, land claims, and self-government issues.
Peter’s doctoral research will examine treaty, domestic, and international law obligations; review academic research and practices respecting values-based governance, inter alia; current practices by the parties of the Nunavut Agreement to incorporate Inuit Societal Values (ISVs) into public government administration, and how they reflect in human resources and program management, and; develop a new governance model that will incorporate ISVs into federal, territorial, and municipal government decision-making structures in Nunavut.
Sola Osundiya
Doctoral Student
Sola Osundiya is an operations and asset management leader with over 17 years of experience spanning the mining and oil & gas industries. His research at Royal Roads explores how artificial intelligence can be integrated into operational readiness and asset management frameworks in mining, focusing on greenfield projects, brownfield projects, and legacy mining operations.
Sola’s doctoral research examines how project operational readiness can be repositioned to enable the adoption of artificial intelligence in greenfield, brownfield, and legacy mining operations.
Vincent Nguyen
Doctoral Student
Vincent “Vinnie” Nguyen is a maritime governance practitioner and founder of The Nguyen Solutions, with over two decades of experience across military service, international partnerships, and environmental governance.
Vincent’s doctoral research focuses on how public–private partnerships can enable responsible AI and data adoption to strengthen maritime security and environmental governance in the Indo-Pacific.