Dean, Faculty of Law announces two new appointments to administrative team

As we continue to prepare for the inaugural year of Ryerson’s Faculty of Law this September 2020, I am pleased to announce two new appointees who will contribute considerably to the innovative and progressive legal education we are building for students.  

On June 1, 2020, Tanya ("Toni") De Mello will assume her role as assistant dean, Student Programming, Development and Equity. Toni brings a wealth of professional experience with her, including over 20 years of working in the postsecondary sector in governance, student affairs and admissions, and for the last 10 years, in human rights. She currently serves as the director of Human Rights at Ryerson, in the Office of the Vice President, Equity and Community Inclusion.  

Toni is a human rights lawyer, a member of the Ontario bar, and is currently completing a PhD at the University of Toronto, focusing on access to the legal sector in Toronto and examining recruitment and interview processes by asking questions such as, “Who fits?,” and, “Who doesn't?” She is considered an expert on equity and inclusion in Canada.

Toni has experience creating curricula and advising on curricular reform that embeds equity, diversity and inclusion in courses. She has created innovative and award-winning practical experiential learning programs, and volunteer and work opportunities for students locally and internationally. Toni has years of experience developing programs on issues of recruitment, retention and advancement of underrepresented groups in businesses and organizations across Canada and the US, with an additional focus on  the legal industry in Toronto.  

Effective July 1, 2020, Sari Graben will assume her role as associate professor within the faculty and interim associate dean for Academic, Research & Graduate Studies. As a member of the Law School’s startup team, Sari has played a critical role in building this dynamic program. I am thrilled that she will be joining the law school administration to help build our academic and research program.

Sari is currently associate professor in the Department of Law & Business in the Ted Rogers School of Management - on leave as a Visiting Scholar at the Buchmann Faculty of Law, Tel Aviv University and the Faculty of Law, Hebrew University (2020). Her teaching and research focuses on Indigenous Peoples and development, with a special focus on regulatory institutions, emergent property systems and risk. She is the co-editor of the upcoming book, Creating Indigenous Property: Power Rights, and Relationships (2020) and publishes widely in law journals.  

Sari currently holds three research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for projects pertaining to property and regulation. She has served as an executive member of the Aboriginal Law Section of the Ontario Bar Association as well as a member of the Board of Directors of Interval House (Kingston).

I am grateful for both Sari and Toni’s dedication to the law school and I look forward to welcoming them both in their new roles this spring and summer. 

Donna E. Young
Dean, Faculty of Law