Leanne Taylor believes deeply that advancing equity is an educational enterprise — one that requires collaboration each step of the way.

“It’s about listening, it’s about learning, it’s about leading and showing up for people,” the Brock University Associate Professor of Educational Studies said.

Taylor is driven to build up future educators, equipping them with the skills to carry equity work forward in their lives, careers and into the world. Just as she impacts her students, they impact her as well.

She was moved by a recent conversation with a former teacher candidate whose teaching practice was transformed by conversations in a Brock class about the value of students’ lived experiences.

“It reminded me that equity work isn’t abstract — it’s alive,” she said. “It’s in the quiet moments where someone feels seen, maybe for the first time.”

Taylor’s efforts have not gone unnoticed.

In addition to teaching and research at Brock, Associate Professor Leanne Taylor (centre) co-chairs the Faculty of Education’s Equity and Social Justice Committee alongside Assistant Professor Kaschka Watson (left) and Associate Professor Dane Marco Di Cesare (right). Together, the group leads equity-driven initiatives and events that foster an inclusive institutional culture while bringing diversity and social justice to life within Brock and beyond.

In addition to receiving the 2025 3M National Teaching Fellow and Chancellor’s Chair for Teaching Excellence, she was honoured with the Senior Leader Diversity Champion award at the Greater Golden Horseshoe Diversity Awards on Wednesday, Oct. 29 in Hamilton.

The awards ceremony honoured the impactful work of leaders and changemakers advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in community though education and advocacy in the Greater Golden Horseshoe area.

Taylor said being recognized by the wider community while surrounded by Brock colleagues was a reminder of the power of education to create connection.

“Seeing the University represented in this way speaks to our community and the commitment of leadership, notably Dean of Education Mary-Louise Vanderlee, to championing diversity and inclusion,” she said. “Institutional support behind equity initiatives is a powerful driver for positive change.”

Taylor, who conducts research on anti-racism practices, policy and programming and has designed and instructed courses on equity, social justice, power and politics across undergraduate, graduate and teacher education programs, said no successful equity work happens in isolation.

“I am honoured to be recognized by the broader community, especially for efforts that are so deeply collective in nature,” she said. “It’s an affirmation of what’s possible when people come together to make change with courage, care and accountability.”

In addition to her teaching and research at Brock, Taylor co-chairs the Faculty of Education’s Equity and Social Justice Committee alongside Associate Professor Dane Marco Di Cesare and Assistant Professor Kaschka Watson.

Together, the group leads equity-driven initiatives and events that foster an inclusive institutional culture while bringing diversity and social justice to life within Brock and beyond.

“I am so grateful for everyone at Brock who walks alongside each other, and me, every day, doing this equity work. None of it happens alone. It’s grounded in collaboration, in listening and in community,” she said.

“Equity isn’t a destination, it’s a continual practice — one that asks us to keep learning, keep showing up and keep holding each other accountable with compassion and courage.”

Taylor will keep close the impactful words of the awards ceremony keynote speaker, the Honourable Jean Augustine — the first Black woman elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1993 — who spoke about allyship and the strength of togetherness.

“Dr. Augustine spoke not only about the power of allies, but of ‘accomplices’ — those who do not just support equity initiatives but pick up the work alongside others and ‘drive the getaway car,’” Taylor said. “In our Brock community, we have many ‘accomplices,’ and together, the work will continue.”