Bio: Ruth Koleszar-Green

Ruth Koleszar-Green is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at York University. Ruth uses She/her pronouns. She is the co-chair of the Indigenous Council at York University and the Special Advisor to the President on Indigenous Initiatives. She is an activist turned accidental academic. Koleszar-Green identifies as an urban Indigenous person, and is a citizen of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. She is from the Mohawk Nation and is a member of the Turtle Clan. She was born a Canadian but was 1/2 disenfranchised when she was 10 years old. By the time she was 34.5 years old she was completely disenfranchised. She acknowledges the privileges she gets in a world of identity politics to be governed by legislation that is 100 years older than she is! She also acknowledges her paternal Celtic heritage. Koleszar-Green likes to think about Indigenous education and social issues that impact Indigenous communities. She has a PhD from OISE in Adult Education and Community Development, an MSW and a BSW from Ryerson.