Dr. Julian Norris has been associated with IICRD for more than 16 years and currently teaches leadership at the University of Calgary and the Banff Centre. He co-founded the Ghost River Rediscovery program, was the Associate Director for Outward Bound Canada and has been honoured to support and train culturally-based outdoor youth programs and practitioners in many communities across British Columbia and beyond. Dr. Norris teaches topics in leadership and directed study in management studies (Indigenous Peoples and Sustainable Development) at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business. Originally hailing from the British Isles, Julian is based in the Canadian Rockies. A well-regarded facilitator and mentor, his work has explored depth-based leadership, the application of living systems theory, working across cultures, strategic planning, nature and place-based learning, and mindfulness practices. A seasoned guide of adventurous journeys through the mysteries of nature and psyche, Julian has worked with at-risk youth and existentially-challenged adults, with senior leaders from the government, corporate and non-profit sectors, with numerous Aboriginal communities and in various international development contexts. Building on his PhD research around personal transformation and systems change, much of his work centers on supporting leaders to discover and develop their own deeper capacities and working with complex systems to address thorny challenges. He has a particular solidarity with those who find themselves living, working, and asking themselves profound questions in the space where these two domains overlap.
