May 6-8, 2026

The Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada (SWAAC) organization was founded in 1987 to provide a forum and a collective voice for women in senior administrative ranks in Canadian universities, colleges and technical institutes.

SWAAC welcomes members who are in any level of academic or administrative leadership in higher education in Canada, and those who aspire to be leaders in this sector.

Cape Breton University will host the next SWAAC Conference from May 6-8, 2026.

Registration is open here!

If you’d like to become a member of SWAAC, please visit the SWAAC website.

Accommodations

We can’t wait for you to join us in Cape Breton for SWAAC in May 2026.

There are limited flights in and out of some provinces, so we recommend that you book your flights as soon as possible. If you are unable to find a flight into Sydney (YQY) that suits your schedule, Halifax (YHZ) has many possibilities if you don’t mind renting a car. The drive is an easy and scenic one, but a little lengthy (about 4 hours).

Hotel blocks are available at discounted conference rates. Partner hotels are below. To reserve your room, please follow the links below or call the hotel directly indicating SWAAC conference.

We have arranged buses for airport transportation and between hotels and campus at the beginning and end of each day and, should you choose to book at one of the two waterfront hotels, you will be within an easy walk to the Thursday evening gala location.

  • Holiday Inn Sydney – Waterfront, 300 Esplanade, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 1A7
  • Contact – t: 902-562-7500.  Rates are $174 CAD per night.
  • Hampton Inn by Hilton, 60 Maillard Street, Sydney, NS B1S 3W3
  • Contact – t: 902.564.6555. Rates are $216 CAD per night.
  • The Simon Hotel Sydney, 380 Esplanade, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada B1P 1B1
  • Contact – t: (902) 562-6500. Rates are $189 CAD per night.

Agenda

Date Time Session Location
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 6:30pm – 8:30pm Registration & Welcome Reception The Great Hall
THURSDAY, MAY 7 7:30am – 8:15am Registration & Hot Breakfast (Vendor Market) The Pit Lounge/Great Hall
8:20am – 8:35am Welcome & Opening Remarks CE-258 – RBC Lecture Theatre
8:35am – 8:45am Welcome to Unama’ki CE-258 – RBC Lecture Theatre
8:45am – 10:00am Plenary Panel: From Survival to Solidarity: Rewilding Academic Leadership as an Ecology of Care
 Alysha Farrell, Candy Jones, Sherry Baker (Brandon University), & Dawn Wallin (University of Saskatchewan)Moderator: Lisa Starr (University of Lethbridge)		 CE-258 – RBC Lecture Theatre
10:00am – 10:30am Networking and Break Yvonne LeVert Suite/Great Hall
10:30am – 11:45am Concurrent Sessions

CE-311:
Bioenergetics of Conflict: Understanding the impact of conflict on the body
Katerina Standish (University of Northern British Columbia)

Presented by: Griffith Group

CE-325:
Leading through Transition and Uncertainty: Lessons from the Trenches
Brenda Brouwer(Queen’sUniversity)
Tammy Eger (Laurentian University)
Sheila Embleton (Algoma University)

Moderator: Shanthi Johnson (University of Windsor)

CE-318:
Science-Backed Secretsfor Setting and Keeping Boundaries
 Dayna Lee-Baggley (Saint Mary’s University)

 CE-311 / CE-318 / CE-325
11:45am – 1:00pm Lunch & SWAAC AGM The Pit Lounge
1:00pm – 2:15pm Recruitment Panel with Boyden, Griffith Group, and KBRS

Moderator: Megha Ajmani

 CE-258 – RBC Lecture Theatre
2:15pm – 2:45pm Networking and Break Yvonne LeVert Suite/Great Hall
2:45pm – 4:00pm Concurrent Sessions

CE-311:
Taking a Coach Approach
Anna Stuart

Presented by KBRS (Jennie Massey)

CE-318:
Cultivating Collegiality: Transforming Academic Search & Review for Leadership
Tracy Whalen (University of Winnipeg)
Dena McMartin (University of Lethbridge)
Kathleen Matheos (University of Manitoba)
Yabome Gilpin-Jackson (Simon Fraser University)

Presented by Boyden (Kathy Rahme)

CE-325:
The AI Revolution in Education: Insights from Students, Faculty, and Administrators
Allison Boutilier & Tanya Brann-Barrett (Cape Breton University)

Presented by Academica (Bonnie Crocker)

 CE-311 / CE-318 / CE-325
4:30pm Buses leave campus for conference hotels Off-site
6:00pm – 9:00pm Gala & Awards Dinner Flavor on the Water – Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club
FRIDAY, MAY 8 8:00am – 9:00am Hot Breakfast The Pit Lounge
9:00am – 9:15am Welcoming Remarks CE-258 – RBC Lecture Theatre
9:15am – 10:15am Keynote: Laura Lee Langley

Moderator: Ellyn Lyle

 CE-258 – RBC Lecture Theatre
10:15am – 10:45am Networking and Break Yvonne LeVert Suite
10:45am – 12:00pm President’s Panel:

Susan Tighe (McMaster University)
Joël Dickinson (Mount Saint Vincent University)
Sheila Embleton (Algoma University)
Janis Goldie (Alberta University of the Arts)
Sandra Efu (Canadore College)

Moderator: Donna Kotsopolous

 CE-258 – RBC Lecture Theatre
12:00pm – 1:00pm Closing Remarks & Lunch The Pit Lounge

Shuttle Schedule

Date Time Route Notes
May 6 12:00am Pick up from airport to hotels Exact time to be determined
12:00pm Pick up from airport to hotels Exact time to be determined
6:00pm Pick up from hotels to CBU
8:30pm Pick up from CBU to hotels
May 7 7:00am Pick up from hotels to CBU
4:30pm Pick up from CBU to hotels
May 8 7:00am Pick up from hotels to CBU
1:00pm Pick up from CBU to hotels
Quicklinks

Quick Links