Appointments and Renewals
Interim Dean, Faculty of Science
July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027
Dr. Mel Hart has agreed to serve as Interim Dean, Faculty of Science for a one-year term effective July 1, 2026.
Dr. Mel Hart has served as Associate Dean of Science since the fall of 2020, with a focus on student experience and academic programs. They are a member of the Department of Biology, with expertise in the communication ecology of insects. Academically, Dr. Hart has been a leader in re-establishing the George F. Ledingham Herbarium, collaborating extensively across campus and within the community to further Saskatchewan native plant and historical research connected with this facility. Dr. Hart has been instrumental in advancing the Faculty of Science’s work toward Truth and Reconciliation and was the Local Organizing Chair for the 2024 Turtle Island Indigenous Science Conference. Over the last few years, Dr. Hart has worked extensively in the Faculty of Science on areas that include budget, human resource planning, and improvements to internal policies and processes.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hart on this appointment.
Interim Director, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027
Dr. Amy Zarzeczny has agreed to serve as Interim Director, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) at the University of Regina, for a one-year term effective July 1, 2026.
Dr. Zarzeczny holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta; a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a PhD in Law from the University of Saskatchewan. She joined JSGS Regina in 2011, where she helped to build, and then serve as Academic Lead for the JSGS Master of Health Administration program for a total of ten years. She has also served as JSGS Graduate Chair, on Executive Council, and on the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research Faculty Council, among other committees and working groups. Her teaching was recognized with the 2017 University of Regina Teaching Award of Excellence in Flexible Learning.
Examples of Dr. Zarzeczny’s previous contributions to external organizations include service on a Health Canada Working Group on Responsible Innovation in Neuroimaging Technology, on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Stem Cell Oversight Committee, and with the National Judicial Institute’s Science Policy Manual Development Committee. She is currently a member of the board for the Justice Emmett Hall Memorial Foundation and a member of the editorial board for the peer-reviewed journal, the Health Reform Observer.
Dr. Zarzeczny is a health law and policy scholar with an active research agenda that emphasizes collaborative, interdisciplinary work. Her research focuses on regulation and governance of biotechnologies as well as clinical and health systems innovations, with special interests in regenerative medicine and the role of professional regulation. Dr. Zarzeczny’s research has been funded by CIHR, the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, and the Stem Cell Network.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Zarzeczny on this appointment.
Interim Dean, Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies
July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027
Dr. Larena Hoeber has agreed to serve as Interim Dean, Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Dr. Larena Hoeber has been a faculty member in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Health Studies since 2002. She holds a B.S.P.E. (Bachelor of Science in Physical Education) and a M.Sc. in sport management from the University of Saskatchewan and a Ph.D. in sport management from the University of British Columbia. She was promoted to full professor in 2016.
Dr. Hoeber’s research agenda focuses on the use of organizational theory, feminist theories, and contemporary qualitative research approaches to understand and critique the functioning of amateur sport organizations and socio-cultural issues within the sport industry. She is an Associate Editor for Sport Management Review, serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Sport Management, European Sport Management Quarterly, and Leisure/Loisir.
In 2016, she was named a Fellow of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM). In 2020, she was recognized with the Garth Paton Award for her service contributions to NASSM as president, secretary, and conference chair. In 2022, she received the Earle F. Zeigler Lecture Award from NASSM in recognition of her significant contributions to scholarship, research, and leadership in the academic field of sport management.
Within the University of Regina community, Dr. Hoeber served as the chair of the Research Ethics Board from 2012 – 2016, the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies Strategic Planning Committee in 2015, the Interim AVPAR from November 2017 – June 2018, and as the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, Research and Special Projects in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Health Studies since October 2019.
We would also like to recognize the members of the Search Advisory Committee (in alphabetical order): Dr. David Dick, Leanne Dieter, Eric Exner, Alison Fisher, Dr. Rebecca Genoe, Shauna Machnaik, Dr. Cameron Mang, Andi Celine Martin, Lisa Robertson, Madison Sagert, and Dr. Julia Totosy de Zepetnek. Thanks are also accorded to Angela Leader of the Provost’s Office and Monique Hladun of Human Resources, for their administrative support of the search.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hoeber on this appointment.
Dean, La Cité universitaire francophone
July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2030
Following a national search conducted according to the provisions of University policy on out-of-scope academic appointments, and in consultation with the President, Dr. Sophie Gaudet has been appointed Dean, La Cité universitaire francophone effective July 1, 2025.
Dr. Gaudet has been serving as Interim Dean at La Cité universitaire francophone, University of Regina since September 2024, and Associate Dean since October 2022. She holds a PhD in Experimental (social and quantitative) Psychology from the University of Ottawa; and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology (social) from the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Gaudet’s career spans leadership roles in academia, economic and social ministries in two provincial governments, and business and research consulting. Her leadership style is characterized by her strategic vision, collaborative approach, and commitment to academic excellence and community engagement. As Interim Dean at La Cité, Dr. Gaudet has been focused on innovation and creating opportunities for francophone and francophile students and faculty.
We would also like to recognize the work of the Search Advisory Committee members (in alphabetical order): Dr. Olusegun Afolabi, Dr. Michael Akinpelu, Rebecca Alao, Dr. Stephen Davis, Dr. Shannon Dea, Marie-France Girardin, Jocelyn Heroux, Aurelie Labriere, Alysia Liski-Nixon, and Denis Simard. Thanks are also accorded to Angela Leader of the Provost’s Office and colleagues from the search firm Perrett Laver, for their administrative support of the search.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Gaudet on this appointment.
Executive Director, Strategic Enrolment Management and Registrar
September 8, 2025
Following a national search conducted according to the provisions of University policy on out-of-scope academic appointments, Dr. Anna Hughes has been appointed Executive Director, Strategic Enrolment Management and Registrar.
With over 15 years of progressive leadership experience in strategic enrolment management and registrarial services, Anna Hughes has dedicated her career to fostering student success and building trusted partnerships across Canadian and international institutions. Her student-centric, innovative, and collaborative approach ensures that decisions enhance the student experience while driving institutional sustainability. Anna’s leadership emphasizes collaboration, positioning the Registrar’s Office as a vital bridge between administration, faculties, external stakeholders, and students. Recognizing the Registrar’s Office’s unique role in touching every student’s journey, she is committed to creating seamless, supportive, and transformative interactions that help students to achieve their goals. With functional oversight spanning the entire student lifecycle, from recruitment to graduation, Anna brings a comprehensive understanding of the post-secondary environment. Currently serving as Associate Registrar at the University of Alberta, she previously held the role of Registrar at Red River College Polytechnic in Winnipeg, MB and served as founding Registrar at the University of Central Asia, a university registered with the United Nations.
I would also like to recognize the work of the Search Advisory Committee members (in alphabetical order): Mr. Haroon Chaudhry, Ms. Laura Elsaesser, Ms. Christine McBain, Dr. Harold Riemer, and Dr. Christie Schultz. Thanks are also accorded to Angela Leader of the Provost’s Office and colleagues from the search firm KBRS, for their administrative support of the search.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hughes on this appointment.
Interim Dean, Faculty of Arts
July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027
Dr. Tobias (Toby) Sperlich has agreed to serve as Interim Dean, Faculty of Arts, from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027 until a full-term Dean is in place. Dr. Sperlich (he/him, they/them) is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology since 2005. He previously served as Department Head from 2015 to 2021. Toby was appointed as Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) in the Faculty of Arts in 2021.
Among other accomplishments in the role, he streamlined academic integrity reviews, creating an “Academic Integrity and Equity Team” and supported major curricular revisions and new program developments. These include updating the core requirements for the Bachelor of Arts, developing the new 90-credit Bachelor of Arts and Science, and creating numerous certificates and diplomas.
A first-generation university student and native of Germany, Toby received his post-secondary education in England. He obtained a BA (Honours) in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Oxford, an MA in the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas from the University of East Anglia, and a DPhil in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oxford. He has conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Samoa and held research fellowships in New Zealand and the United States. His research focuses on how Europeans and other outsiders (mis)represent Indigenous Polynesian societies and histories through material culture, art, photography, and text.
Dr. Sperlich has published in highly ranked journals in his field and is an award-winning teacher. He is committed to making academic knowledge accessible to wider audiences, sharing his knowledge in various non-academic settings, such as K-12 classrooms, community-run galleries, Indigenous cultural centres, and cruise ships traversing the South Pacific.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Sperlich on this appointment.
