Contacts

Paul Knafelc is an Assistant Director with the Economic Development Program and is an economic researcher as well as founder and President of Community Benchmarks Inc. He has established a reputation for innovative data products and for rigorous research approaches which have been used by private and public sector organizations to direct strategic initiatives and make evidence-based decisions. A distinct advantage of Paul’s practice is his deep knowledge of, and expertise with, Statistics Canada data sources, methodologies and custom data tabulation procedures. Paul also teaches a graduate course, ERS 619 Regional Economic Analysis, with the Economic Development program at the University of Waterloo.

Kelsey Leonard is an Assistant Director with the Economic Development Program and an Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Waters, Climate and Sustainability. In addition to the SSHRC Tier 2 funding of her CRC, she was also awarded CFI funds through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund. Dr. Leonard's research focuses on Indigenous water justice and its climatic, territorial, and governance underpinnings. Leonard seeks to establish Indigenous traditions of water conservation as the foundation for international water policymaking.

Leonard has been instrumental in safeguarding the interests of Indigenous Nations for environmental planning and builds Indigenous science and knowledge into new solutions for water governance and sustainable oceans. In collaboration with a global team of water law scholars Leonard has published in Lewis and Clark Law Review on Indigenous Water Justice and the defining international legal principle of self-determination under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Her recent scholarship explores legal personhood for water and you can watch her TEDTalk here: "Why lakes and rivers should have the same rights as humans"

Dr. Jeffrey Wilson is an Assistant Director of the Economic Development Program. He works at the interface of economic and environmental research and policy. Dr. Wilson’s research specializes in low-carbon pathways, corporate social responsibility, sustainability strategy, natural capital accounting, and ecosystem goods and services valuation. Dr. Wilson is committed to advancing sustainability innovation, corporate sustainability, and the net zero transition. He is an assistant director of the University of Waterloo Economic Development Program, a member of the University of Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy, a member of the University of Waterloo Climate Institute, and an Affiliate of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing. Before joining the University of Waterloo in 2019, Dr. Wilson ran a boutique consulting firm for over 18 years working with industry and all levels of government specializing in sustainability measurement and strategy to advance low-carbon pathways.