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June 6, 2025
For Immediate Release

WATERLOO – ³Ô¹ÏÍø has appointed Michael R. Woodford as dean of its Faculty of Social Work and renewed the appointment of Maria Cantalini-Williams as dean of its Faculty of Education.

“Dr. Woodford and Dr. Cantalini-Williams are innovative and collaborative leaders, scholars and administrators who are well-known and respected at ³Ô¹ÏÍø and beyond,” said Heidi Northwood, ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s provost and vice-president: academic. “I am very happy that, under their leadership, the faculties of Social Work and Education will continue to flourish and make meaningful impacts in our communities and beyond.”

Woodford has been a faculty member in ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work since 2014 and served as associate dean of the Faculty’s doctoral program from 2020 to 2024 and interim dean in July and August of 2021. In 2020, he was promoted to full professor. As associate dean, he led the Faculty’s redevelopment of its doctoral program, creating the country’s first virtual doctoral social work program. Since joining ³Ô¹ÏÍø, he has been actively involved in efforts to address gender-based violence and promote equity and inclusion on campus, especially for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals. Woodford was previously a faculty member in the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan. Before completing his PhD at the University of Toronto in 2006, he worked as a front-line social worker, administrator, and consultant in the non-profit, public and private sectors.

Woodford is a widely published expert on the inclusion, exclusion, and wellbeing of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and communities and on the ways campus climate – including everyday microaggressions and campus policies and resources – affect 2SLGBTQ+ students’ wellbeing and academic success. Since 2017, he has led the research group dedicated to advancing 2SLGBTQ+ students’ inclusion through research and action. He has been a Fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research since 2016. In 2024, he received ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Donald F. Morgenson Award for Teaching Excellence in the Faculty Mentoring category.

"I’m deeply honoured and excited to step into the role of Dean. Ours is a Faculty where excellence and innovation in research and teaching, creative and critical thinking, and reflexive practice is grounded in a deep commitment to decolonization, equity, inclusion, and social justice,” said Woodford. “I look forward to collaborating with students, faculty, staff, and community partners as we continue to advance transformative social work education and scholarship that uplifts diverse and Indigenous knowledges, challenges oppression, and fosters meaningful change.”

Woodford succeeds interim dean Robert Basso. His three-year term begins July 1.

Cantalini-Williams has served as the dean of ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Faculty of Education since 2019. Under her leadership, the Bachelor of Education program expanded to the Brantford campus in 2022 and other innovative education programs have flourished. Prior to her appointment as dean, she was director and assoociate dean of the ³Ô¹ÏÍø-Nipissing Concurrent Education program in Brantford for six years and was a faculty member in the Schulich School of Education at Nipissing University, receiving the designation of professor emerita. She also served as the acting dean of ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Faculty of Social Work in 2022 and 2023.

Cantalini-Williams earned her doctorate in Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Her areas of research include innovation in education, collaborative inquiry, early childhood and work-integrated learning models. The author or co-author of several books, book chapters and articles, including widely-used resources for educators, Cantalini-Williams has also held leadership roles with school boards, provincial committees and national associations and was recognized provincially for her role in the implementation of Ontario’s junior kindergarten program. She began her career as a teacher and worked for 15 years as a program consultant with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board.

“I am humbled and honoured to continue serving the Faculty of Education community for an extended term,” said Cantalini-Williams. “Our mission is to cultivate diverse learners and leaders through Indigenous knowledge, inquiry, inclusion, and innovation. Collectively, our students, staff, faculty, and education partners engage in research to develop transformational teaching pedagogies and programs. It is a privilege to work collaboratively with current and future educators to make positive impacts, locally and globally.”

Cantalini-Williams’s two-year term begins July 1.