Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership
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As VIU’s Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership, Dr. Michael MacKenzie is working with four other Jarislowsky Chairs at universities across Canada to create a program in democratic leadership for future politicians, community leaders and civil servants.
MacKenzie has spent the past 20 years studying and writing about democracy. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of British Columbia, a master’s in political science and social statistics from McGill University and a bachelor of arts in politics from the University of Winnipeg.
He worked as a policy analyst and facilitator with the Ontario Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. He was also a Democracy Fellow and post-doctoral researcher at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School. Before coming to VIU, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh.