Maryam Abdullah
Maryam Abdullah earned an undergraduate bachelor's degree in public policy and administration from Kabul University. She is interested in international development, women's education and policies that are affecting their lives. Maryam has held leadership positions with an NGO and served in the provision of education for girls deprived of knowledge in remote areas and in identifying and developing talented girls among them, women who are compassionate, confident and capable of leading Afghanistan into the future. She speaks four languages and after coming to Canada worked as an interpreter for NGOs, a settlement facilitator for newcomers and as an assistant at the Manitoba Legislature.
Edel Barrera
Edel Barrera has a degree in Social Work from UM. Edel has experience working with the child welfare, justice, education and health systems as well as with the federal government’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada department and different community organizations.
Tabitha Clavecillas
Tabitha Clavecillas graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Political Studies from the University of Manitoba and continued her path to a deeper understanding of government by pursuing the Joint Masters of Public Administration at the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg. Tabitha currently works in the climate change field with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, advancing her passion for supporting marginalized communities. She is keenly interested in digital innovation within the public service and in supporting equity-seeking communities across Canada. Throughout her career, Tabitha has had the privilege of working with federal departments such as CIRNAC, Prairies Economic Development Canada, Economic and Social Development Canada, and the Privy Council Office.
Delaney Coelho
Delaney Coelho graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political studies from UM in 2011. Following graduation, she had the privilege of working and volunteering with several organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Elizabeth Fry Society, MacDonald Youth Services, Equal Voice Manitoba and Girl Guides. In 2016, she was a delegate at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women at UN Headquarters, and hosted a panel titled: "Working Women: Barriers, Experiences, and Solutions from Canada". She is the current Director of Intake and Mediation at the Manitoba Human Rights Commission. Due to those experiences and opportunities, Delaney developed an interest in service delivery and developing policy with the end user or recipient in mind. These experiences and beliefs led her to pursue a MPA in 2019 with the hope of adding more ‘tools to her toolkit.’ Her areas of interest lay in exploring how policy that is mindful of the end user can be used to address systemic inequity. She believes public policy is a powerful opportunity to tackle society’s most wicked problems through collaboration.
Roman Eliis
Roman Ellis, an ardent scholar of Arctic security and NORAD policy, holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Political Studies from UM, having contributed to "NORAD in Perpetuity and Beyond" (Andrea Charron and James Ferguson, 2023. McGill-Queens’ University Press). Roman envisions a future as a skilled policy analyst contributing to Canada’s NORAD and Arctic defense policies
Alina Hart
Alina Hart completed her BA in political science at the University of Winnipeg. From 2022-2023 she participated in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly Internship Program. She is a recipient of the 2023 SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master’s (CGS M) Award.
Beth Ladyka
Beth Ladyka has completed a Bachelor of Arts with a major in political science from the University of Winnipeg. Her areas of interest include the impacts of public policy on the military and the use of artificial intelligence in government policy analysis and implementation. She works with the Cadets Canada program in her free time and loves giving back to a program that shaped her into the person she has become today.
Kirandeep Pandher
Kirandeep Pandher holds a Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) degree with a major in political studies and a minor in business management. Presently, she works for the Province of Manitoba with the Department of Municipal Relations in the Community Development branch. She has a keen interest in intergovernmental and international relations.
Sandra Tombo
Sandra Tombo is an MPA international student originally from Zimbabwe. Sandra’s academic and professional background includes a bachelor of laws (LL.B) and a wide range of experience in human rights law, women, children and vulnerable people’s rights, advocacy and program implementation in a non-profit setting. Prior to joining the MPA program, Sandra has worked in various projects for Co-development Zimbabwe which addresses such issues as child marriages, period poverty and sexual abuse in young teenage girls growing up in rural Zimbabwe.
Inge Zeldenrust
Inge Zeldenrust (she/her) is a healthcare professional with a background in nursing and 15+ years of experience in program management, policy and service development in healthcare. Her leadership roles have spanned the child and adolescent and mental health realms in a variety of settings. She works with Shared Health and completed the MPA in a part time capacity.