EDUCATION

Queen's University, Kingston, ON

MA in Cultural Theory, First Class Honours, 2025

Thesis Focus: Sikh cosmologies, Indigenous relationality, decolonial placemaking, and repatriation of displaced citizens

University of Toronto, Toronto, ON

Bachelor of Arts, 2009

Program: Communication, Culture, Information and Technology

Sheridan College, Trafalgar, ON

Digital Communication Certificate, 2009

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Presenter, Cultural Studies Graduate Symposium, Queen's College, 2025
• Panel, Massey Arts Symposium, Massey College, 2024
• Ontario Arts Council Literary Publishing Grant, 2024
• Keynote Speaker, Women In Engineering Science and Technology, University of Victoria, 2024
• Senior Fellowship, Massey College, University of Toronto, 2021–Present
• Massey College Applied Research Grant, 2023
• Canada Council for the Arts Research Creation, 2023
• Canada Council for the Arts Concept to Realization, 2023
• Ontario Arts Council Literary Publishing Grant, 2023
• Faculty of Arts & Science Dean's Award for Creativity and Community, Queen's, 2022
• Guest Lecturer, Design Thinking (Toronto Metropolitan University, 2021–2023)
• Guest Lecturer, Philanthropy in Arts and Culture (Carleton University, 2023)
• Canada Council for the Arts Research Creation, 2022
• Canada Council for the Arts Concept to Realization, 2022
• Moderator, Power of Image Series, OCAD, 2021
• Lecturer and Panel, Power of Image Series, Aga Khan Museum, 2021

Founder and Editor, Newest Magazine

Toronto & Kelowna, May 2020 – Present

• Raised over $300,000 to support the publication's mandate to pay equity-seeking contributors and grow cultural infrastructure.
• Designed a coalition-based publishing model supported by digital, in-person, and community organizing platforms.
• Curated quarterly issues on cultural sovereignty, futurism, and polyvocality; developed national partnerships.
• Organized roundtables and research engagements with 50+ Canadian cultural leaders to define mission and values.

President, Willendorf Cultural Planning

Toronto, 2015 – Present

• Developed strategic plans and decolonial visioning for institutions including TIFF, Peacebuilders, 5X Festival, Business / Arts, Canadian Arts Summit, and National Theatre School of Canada.
• Raised $250,000 through consulting, research, and cross-sectoral fundraising.
• Developed proprietary research rooted in matriarchal design thinking and Indigenous-informed cultural planning.
• Led executive workshops on relevancy, positionality, and stakeholder analysis in cultural institutions.

Senior Fellow, Massey College, University of Toronto

Toronto, 2021 – Present

• Designed participatory symposiums addressing unmarked settler colonialisms in Canadian arts.
• Facilitated dialogues between IBPOC artists, scholars, and institutions to reimagine accountability in cultural governance.

Curator, City of Toronto

Toronto, 2020–2022

• Curated chashm e bulbul, a landmark exhibition on Sikh phulkari textiles, oral traditions, and spiritual aesthetics.
• Programmed artist talks, Sangeet e Darbar, and interdisciplinary tours; highest digital engagement for a municipal exhibition in 2021.

Creative Director, Business / Arts

Nationwide, 2016–2019

• Directed a national rebrand, research initiatives (Culture Track Canada), and strategic programs linking the arts to the private sector.
• Co-founded the ABX Exchange and expanded national reach from 3 to 11 cities.

Director of Exhibitions & Programming, The Spoke Club

Toronto, 2012–2016

• Oversaw curatorial partnerships with TIFF, OCAD, CFC, and international artists.
• Led a high-volume programming calendar integrating wellness, culture, and critique.

Cultural Commentary & Essays:

Research in Progress:

• "Homelandness and the Aesthetic Refusal of the Archive: Sikh and Indigenous World-Building" (manuscript)
• "Matriarchal Design Thinking in Cultural Strategy: Toward a Feminist Planning Praxis" (report)

• Magnetic Fields Festival (India, 2024): Curator and researcher for festival's community programming on Indigenous futurism
• Peacebuilders Canada (2024): Designed stakeholder empathy workshops and strategic service planning
• Newest Magazine @ Koerner Hall (2025): Artistic lead on flagship event for equity-deserving artists and storytelling through music

• Board Director, Canadian Art Foundation
• Board Director, Canada's National Ballet School
• Board Director, Baaz News Org
• Freelance Writer, The Globe and Mail
• Past: Chair, Digital Innovation Council of Canada | Special Advisor, Culture Track | Committee Member, AGO & CMHA