About
About the centre
We support students, faculty, and community members in working across disciplines to foster a world that is more equitable, connected, and joyful.
Rooted in Royal Roads University’s vision of inspiring people with the courage to transform the world, we connect changemakers to each other, bolster their capacity, and amplify their work.
We embrace effectuation, which means we let strategy emerge from the relationships and possibilities right in front of us: the expertise of our faculty and community, the aspirations of our students, and the needs of our community partners.
Principles of effectuation, elaborated here, guide us and include:
- Leverage the talents, knowledge, and networks already present in our community
- Let those who show up as engaged and committed partners shape our strategy
- Welcome surprises as sources of innovation
- Co-create the future rather than trying to forecast it
Our work also is grounded in the Social Change Creativity framework.
The Centre honours the legacy of Eric C. Douglass whose story of defying limiting expectations inspires the Centre’s mission.
Our Leadership
Dr. Catherine Etmanski, Co-Director
I am a passionate educator, inspired by moments that reveal the fundamental beauty of humanity—kindness, cooperation, reconciliation, humour, and reckless abandon. I strive to replicate that beauty in spaces for growth and transformation: spaces that balance deep critical reflection with the joy of learning, that are inclusive and accessible, and that inspire hope for a more compassionate world.
As a Professor in Royal Roads University’s School of Leadership Studies, I promote conscious, collective approaches to leadership and weave creative elements through my research, teaching, and administration. I served as Director of the School of Leadership Studies from 2016 to 2022 and now oversee RRU’s MA-Leadership program. My interdisciplinary scholarship has been published and presented internationally. I have edited books and journal issues spanning food leadership, the arts, collaborative leadership, and community-based research.
Further profile: https://www.royalroads.ca/catherine-etmanski
Dr. Amy Zidulka, Co-DIRECTOR
As an Associate Professor in Royal Roads University’s School of Business, I bring together creativity/innovation and strategic management. I see creative changemaking as something that occurs in multiple spheres, from the arts to business/organizational strategy to broader societal transformation. I hold particular respect for creative changemakers who are embedded in bureaucratic structures and work patiently over the long term to overcome the many obstacles their contexts present. My research explores how collaboration and transformation happen in large organizations, with a growing focus on anti-polarization work at the societal level.
I was honoured to receive the 2025 Royal Roads Courageous Changemaker Award for pedagogical innovation and anti-polarization work. The creativity I value isn’t about a perpetual pursuit of novelty, but about discerning when to reimagine and when to honour and maintain what’s already in place. On a personal level, creative exploration has been a defining feature of my life. My path has been circuitous, and has included degrees in Architecture and Creative Writing and a decade working as a commissioned artist, specializing in Alaskan commercial fishing boats.
Further profile: https://www.royalroads.ca/people/dr-amy-zidulka
ZiNNIa CLARK, Events and Engagement Manager
I am a queer, disabled changemaker with 15 years of experience in community engagement and design. I use storytelling and deep listening to inspire meaningful change. As a teen in downtown Montréal, I first learned how stories rooted in lived experience can drive community action. Since then, I have led community engagement, planning, mapping, and storytelling efforts, consistently prioritizing equity, accessibility, and alignment.
As part of my M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, I explored equity-driven changemaking through the stories of designers. I am excited to bring my hands-on experience and collaborative approach to the Events and Engagement Manager role at Royal Roads University.
When I am not supporting the Centre, you can find me here: https://www.co-relate.ca/