Dr. Shelly Khushal is a scholar and human rights practitioner whose work advances human rights, racial equity, and anti-discrimination within Ontario’s K–12 public education system. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy, with research that critically examines and seeks to dismantle systemic barriers that disproportionately impact marginalized students, families, and communities.
She currently serves as a Human Rights Officer within the second-largest public-school board in Ontario. In this role, she conducts human rights investigations, early resolution processes, and designs human-rights-centred professional learning for employees across the system, contributing to institutional accountability and culture change.
Dr. Khushal is also the founder of the University of Toronto’s first Human Rights & Equity Symposium, now entering its fourth year. The symposium has become a significant interdisciplinary platform, convening faculty, scholars, and community leaders to engage in critical dialogue on justice-oriented leadership, institutional reform, and human rights accountability.
Over the past three years, she has published extensively in leading peer-reviewed journals, presented at 16 national and international academic conferences, and received numerous research and excellence awards, notably the Ludwik & Estelle Jus Memorial Human Rights Prize and the Humanitarian and Social Justice Award, in recognition of her contributions to human rights, equity, diversity, and positive social change.