Susan Midekiss
Susan is the newly appointed Vice-President, Community Engagement at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV). Prior to beginning her leadership role at UFV in September 2022, Susan served as the Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives in Community Engagement with the Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning (VPTL) portfolio at the University of Calgary (UCalgary). Susan was responsible for leading the Canadian Pilot Cohort (CPC): Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement for UCalgary along with advancing other strategic initiatives in community engagement at UCalgary. Susan continues to serve as an advisor with the CPC and is a founding member of the Canadian Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement (which will launch in 2023).
Before joining the VPTL portfolio in 2019, Susan served as the Senior Director, Community Engagement in the University Relations (UR) division at UCalgary. And prior to joining the UR team in 2011, Susan held a leadership role with a health research initiative in UCalgary’s Cumming School of Medicine.
Susan’s professional background spans more than two decades and includes a number of health charities and public sector organizations both in British Columbia and Alberta. Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Victoria, a graduate certificate from the American University (Washington D.C.) and a Master of Arts degree in Leadership (Health) from Royal Roads University.
Susan is a founding member of Community Campus Engage Canada (CCE Canada) and currently serves as Chair of the Management Committee. An enthusiastic volunteer, Susan served on the Board of Directors Youth Singers of Calgary from 2011 to 2018 and is a strong supporter of United Way, Calgary and Area. Prior to moving back home to the Fraser Valley where she grew up, Susan lived in Calgary for 20 years where she raised her two children.
