The Staff Spotlight: Exploring Your UW Support Network
This series shines a light on the support systems that help staff at the University of Waterloo thrive. Through conversations with the staff behind this work, we highlight the services available to staff and opportunities to get involved and grow.
In this Spotlight, we meet Jennisha Wilson, who works at the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism, where she leads the university’s strategic efforts in anti‑racism and anti‑oppression, shaping culture, initiatives and practices that support staff, faculty and students, and strengthen the institution’s capacity to address identity‑based harm. She also provides coaching and advisory support for teams and decision makers, helping them understand the multitude and degrees of inequity, identify areas of concern, and develop strategic plans and initiatives to correct or address the concerns that they're seeing within their teams and around campus. We spoke with her about the initiatives and supports her team provides, the challenges they are working to address, and what progress looks like for staff at Waterloo.
There is something so powerful in witnessing someone transform and being invited into their space to support them.
What is your role at UWaterloo?
I serve as the Director, Anti‑Racism and Anti‑Oppression, where I drive systemic change across the university. My role focuses on transforming culture, shifting institutional practices and leading campus‑wide initiatives that embed anti‑racism and anti‑oppression into the core of how we operate. I work across policies, programs, and decision‑making structures to strengthen the university’s capacity to prevent identity‑based harm; respond effectively when it occurs; and build more equitable, trauma‑informed, and inclusive environments for staff, faculty and students.
How did you find your way into this role?
My career began in non‑profit organizations focused on anti‑violence at the intersections of gender, race, creed, and orientation. Over time, I became a local and national expert witness in anti‑human trafficking, supporting survivors and informing systemic responses to exploitation. Some of my work informed House of Commons Human Rights initiatives and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), shaping national understanding of institutional responsibility and the conditions that enable harm.
These experiences deeply shaped my approach to anti‑racism and anti‑oppression. They taught me how systems create, reinforce, and respond to harm, and the importance of meaningful change. That foundation continues to guide my work today, where I support individuals navigating identity‑based harm and help them identify the resolutions that align with their needs, goals, and wellbeing.
What services or supports does your office provide for staff?
Our office supports staff, faculty, and students who are navigating identity-based harm, while also partnering with leaders and decision makers to build more equitable and inclusive environments across campus. We offer nine distinct services, providing multiple pathways for support. Not everyone seeks a formal process; some prefer coaching, facilitated conversations, restoration planning, or reflective, healing‑focused support.
Our work is grounded in trauma‑informed, relational practices that prioritize choice, care, and empowerment. We help people understand their experiences, explore options, and identify approaches that align with their goals.
We also serve as a strategic resource for managers, supervisors, and academic leaders. I work with them to understand the issues they’re seeing, develop strategic plans, and build the competencies and systems needed to respond effectively and create more equitable workplaces.
What are the nine services?
- self-management techniques
- anti-oppression coaching
- confidential record keeping
- anti-oppression guided facilitated sessions
- ongoing advocacy
- campus collaboration and referrals
- systems navigation and support
- response competency and capacity building program
- restoration planning and facilitation
We support students, we support our colleagues and we support the university; to be so deeply connected to everyone and to witness their full transformations over time is a beautiful gift.
When should staff reach out to you, and what’s the best way to do that?
I have a lot of grace and understanding for staff because we're always so busy. We're trying to manage everything all at once and the work itself takes up a lot of capacity. My honest recommendation to folks is reach out before there's an issue because we're more likely as human beings to think clearly when we don't have something of great pressure in front of us.
I try to encourage folks to meet for coffee chats with me, to have small-scale check-ins with me. A concern doesn't have to be a formal disclosure; it could be simply that they want their team to hold a particular value around being anti-oppressive and being anti-racist in the way we work.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
The most satisfying piece is watching the confidence that people exude after having a conversation with my team or me. It tells us that we are supporting them in the right ways. It helps me feel confident that my peers have the skills and tools they need, and it helps me understand that I'm doing my job in a way that is intentional and has purpose and is helpful.
What should staff know about the process?
Everyone’s pathway is different and we recognize that fear is often tied to sharing experiences of identity-based harm. We provide a safe, confidential, and trauma-informed process that allows you to share only what you feel comfortable sharing. Together, we explore your options, help you process your experience and support the outcome you want. No two situations are the same, and our approach is guided by your needs, goals, and level of comfort.
Are there any new initiatives or programs you’re excited about right now?
I’m excited to launch our Care Corner in collaboration with the UWaterloo Library—an initiative focused on supporting staff who themselves are helpers. Led by our Equity Advisor and Practitioner, Stephanie Steh, this space will offer techniques and resources to support their wellbeing.
I’m also developing the Restoration Lab, a project designed to support leaders navigating complex issues. After an investigation or conflict, teams often need structured restoration work. The Lab will provide a space for teams to repair relationships and move forward in healthier, more sustainable ways.
Just because you don’t see racism, just because you don’t see inequity doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
What do you wish more people understood about your role or department?
Just because you don’t see racism, just because you don’t see inequity, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. The systems around us naturally place us in a position where equity work is an add-on, an added value. If folks understood the importance of shifting this mindset to one of a core value which we operate from at a systems level, we could address a lot of the more reoccurring racism and oppression that would allow us to implement preventative measures rather than responsive work. Involving the Office in the infrastructure and architectural building would shift a lot of the outcomes that we’re seeing come through.
What is a staff role that you think deserves a spotlight?
Oh, there’s so many amazing people across campus! Kylee Smith, Indigenous Recruitment and Partnership Specialist, would be a phenomenal staff member to highlight. In my small glimpses of work with her I’ve seen just how important her work is, and she has so much to offer in the way she perceives and thinks and completes her work. I’d also like to mention Melissa Strachan, Associate Director, Counselling Services, is someone that’s incredible in her work. The way she strategizes through conflict is incredibly refreshing and her work with students is so beautiful and so important. I’d also like to mention that Gail Spencer, Staff Advocacy Officer at UWSA, is someone I highly admire who would be amazing to highlight if we could.
Is there anything else you’d like staff to know?
We support students, we support our colleagues, and we support the university; to be so deeply connected to everyone and to witness their full transformations over time is a beautiful gift. It is such a privilege to be invited into someone’s space, to hear them and to support them. A lot of folks see me as a resource, and they ask how can they support me? This is a common question I receive, and my answer is a coffee chat! I love coffee chats because they allow me to dream in the work that I get to do. Reach out anytime and let’s go for a coffee.
Do you have an idea for a support, service, or team we should spotlight? Tell us! We prioritize suggestions that showcase less visible work, reflect a broad range of roles and lived experiences, and centre voices and roles that are often under-recognized.