Leela MadhavaRau is a noted human rights practitioner who has been working for 30 years to advance human rights, equity and inclusion strategies among colleges, universities, and school boards. 

Leela is known for developing comprehensive EDI strategic plans for large educational institutions and is currently working with two Ontario Catholic district school boards to establish inclusive frameworks related to accessibility and special education, anti-Black racism, Indigenous reconciliation, 2SLGBTTIQ inclusion and respectful workplace/restorative justice modalities.

Leela recently concluded an appointment as the Executive Director of the Human Rights and Equity Office at Brock University, where she served in this high-profile role as a member of the University’s senior management team. Leela was responsible for leading EDI strategies and implementing operational policies on discrimination and harassment, respectful work and learning environment, accessibility and accommodation, anti-racism, employment equity and sexual violence to name a few. In this role, she mobilized a campus-wide climate assessment and equity analysis that focused on a shared commitment to EDI strategies and Indigenization of the academy. She also served as the Advisor to the President and Associate Dean for Campus Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Redlands in southern California, as the Race Relations Officer at Western University and as the Senior Diversity Advisor at Michigan State University. She was also a member of the National Executive of the Canadian Association for the Prevention of Discrimination and Harassment in Higher Education (CAPDHHE).

Within the education sector, Leela was a contributing member of the Multicultural Advisory Committee for the Thames Valley District School Board and while in California, she worked in close collaboration with local high schools around the transition to higher education for students from marginalized communities. She has also served as the Board Chair for an independent Montessori school for six years and as the Board Chair for a public Middle and High School Montessori school for five years. In addition to these official roles, she served as the EDI Advisor within both schools. 

Leela’s expertise in the area of equity, diversity and inclusion has provided her with the opportunity to present at many national and international conferences. She has also developed an expertise in administering and training on sexual harassment and sexual violence policies in university settings, as well as overseeing compliance with accessibility initiatives under the AODA.

With degrees from McGill University and the University of Cambridge, Leela’s academic background is in Social Anthropology, with a specific focus on the transmission of culture as an emancipatory exercise through global citizenship.