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Mount Allison welcomes Doug Murphy and Kim TallBear as part of President’s Speakers Series

15 Feb 2024
Presentations will focus on storytelling in media and Indigenous genomics

SACKVILLE, NB — Mount Allison University’s annual President’s Speakers Series (PSS) will begin in March with presentations by President and Chief Executive Officer of Corus Entertainment Inc., Doug Murphy, and Indigenous academic and public intellectual Kim TallBear.

“We’re excited to welcome Mr. Doug Murphy and Dr. Kim TallBear to campus as part of this year’s President’s Speakers Series,” says Interim President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert MacKinnon. “This series provides a unique opportunity to hear from distinguished speakers on the most pressing issues of our time and I’m sure students and community members alike will gain valuable insights from both presentations.”

Doug Murphy

Doug Murphy’s talk, How storytelling shapes culture to deliver success and happiness, will be offered on Thursday, March 7 at 7 p.m. in the Windsor Grand Room, 145 Main St, on campus.

Murphy has over 30 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry. He joined Corus in 2003 and held numerous senior management roles before assuming the position of President and CEO. Corus, a leading Canadian-based media and content company, now boasts a diverse portfolio including 33 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, digital assets, animation studios like Nelvana, and Kids Can Press. Before joining Corus, Murphy spent ten years with the Walt Disney Company. He attended Mount Allison and holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School; an HBA from the Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario; and is a member of the Business Council of Canada.

Kim TallBear

Kim TallBear will deliver the second talk, Restoring Indigenous Land and Life via Critical Indigenous Genomics, on Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. in the Windsor Grand Room, 145 Main St. The presentation will take place both in-person and online.

TallBear, a professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment, is a citizen of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate in present-day South Dakota, USA. Her research explores the colonization of Indigenous peoples by science and technology, with a focus on Indigenous governance in the face of technoscientific advancements, as well as colonial disruptions to Indigenous sexual and kin relations. She is the author of Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science (2013). Beyond academia, TallBear co-founded the Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics (SING) Canada and Tipi Confessions, an Edmonton-based storytelling and cabaret show. As a respected public intellectual, she contributes to global discussions on Indigenous affairs, cultural politics, and decolonization through platforms like her Substack newsletter, Unsettle, and appearances on the Media Indigena podcast, advocating for meaningful change.

For full details on this year’s President’s Speakers Series, visit mta.ca/pss.

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