IIS Advisory Committee
Institute of Island Studies | Advisory Committee
The Institute of Island Studies is fortunate to have a strong Advisory Committee made up of distinguished individuals from Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Iceland, and the Shetland Islands. They have a passion and a commitment to the study of island issues and topics and their skill sets are directly relevant to enhance the operational effectiveness and long-term vision of the Institute. Members of the IIS Advisory Committee are appointed by the IIS Executive Committee.
MEMBERS OF THE IIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE INCLUDE:
Sheila Downer
Sheila has worked in Labrador for 28 years and is a strong advocate for the development of rural communities. She is a former recreation director for communities in the Labrador Straits and has served as the managing director of Smart Labrador Inc. She has worked for the development of information technology in Labrador and has led the planning and management of several major IT projects. Ms. Downer has been recognized as one of Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 CEOs; has served as a member of the Hemispheric Advisory Board for the Institute of Connecting the Americas (International Development Research Centre), and is currently the chair of Memorial University’s Harris Centre Advisory Board. Sheila has been involved in several North Atlantic Forums (NAF) over the years and oversees the NAF Secretariat in her role as Public Engagement Co-ordinator at the Harris Centre.
Dr. Ryan Gibson
Ryan is the President of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, past-president of the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation, and Libro Professor of Regional Economic Development at the University of Guelph. He was Program Committee Chair for the NAF 2015 Steering Committee. Ryan serves as the Chair of the Institute’s Advisory Committee.
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Guðrun Þóra Gunnarsdóttir
Guðrun is director of the Icelandic Tourism Research Centre located in Akureyri, Iceland. With degrees from the University of Iceland, Oregon, and Guelph, she holds an MBA in Tourism and Hospitality from Guelph. Guðrún Þóra led the development of the Department of Rural Tourism at Holar University College that was established 1996. She was the head of the department from its inception until 2009 and an associate professor until 2016. She has served on numerous hospitality and tourism industry boards in Iceland and has been an integral part of writing tourism strategies in and around Iceland. She served on the steering committee for NAF 2013, which was held in Hólar, Iceland, in June 2013.
Dr. Andrew Jennings
Andrew is a lecturer and researcher with the Centre for Nordic Studies in the University of Highlands and Islands. He is based in Scalloway in the Shetland Islands. He has a wide range of academic interests and his teaching responsibilities include module leaderships in the UHI MLitt programmes – Orkney and Shetland Studies, Viking Studies, and Highlands and Islands Culture. He is the programme leader for the UHI MLitt in Island Studies, which explores issues of islandness, peripherality, resilience, identity, and governance. His current research includes the Vikings and the history, culture, and governance of Shetland, both past and present. Learn more
Andrew Lush
Andrew is a director of the PEI Watershed Alliance as well as Hunter-Clyde Watershed Group, which he helped found in 1999. He recently retired as Executive Director of Trout River Environmental Committee and is active in several other PEI environmental organizations working in the sphere of water and forest protection. He chaired the Community Tours/Field Trips Committee for the Building Community Resilience conference held in Summerside in September 2015. He is a past-member of the Institute of Island Studies Advisory Council.