This post is part of the Countdown to Conference (C2C) series. We would love to feature a brief blog post from you too! Visit our main Countdown to Conference page for details! For more information about #GEAconf202 visit the conference website. 

C2C: GEACONF2020 Keynote Speaker Kristopher Wells

Dr. Kristopher Wells is a Canadian Research Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Child and Youth Care, Faculty of Health and Community Studies at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta.  Dr. Well’s research specializes in sexual and gender minority youth, education, health, sport and culture.  He serves as the co-editor of the International Journal of LGBT Youth, which is the world’s leading research publication on LGBT youth. He is also the co-author of Growing into resilience: Sexual and gender minority youth in Canada (University of Toronto Press).

Dr. Wells is one of the driving forces behind the creation of many ground-breaking initiatives including Pride Tape and NoHomophobes.com. These initiatives have been featured in more than 50 published articles and have gained national and international attention. Additionally, Dr Wells has served as an expert scientific consultant to the Federal Government of Canada, Canadian Senate, Canadian Teachers’ Federation, RCMP, Public Health Agency of Canada, UNESCO, World Health Organization, and many other provincial and municipal governments across Canada.Dr. Kris Wells’ commitment as an educator, researcher, and advocate for gender equity and equality will certainly provide a highlight spotlight session you will not want to miss. Dr Wells’ work within LGTB communities exemplifies the GC3 theme for this conference. Dr. Wells’ ability in connecting theory to practice in the community through his Pride Tape and No Homophobes initiatives shows how thecomplexities of gender research can be done collaboratively with public and government officials.