Governance Structure of POLIS

The core ecological philosophy and democratic values underlying the POLIS vision and mission are manifested in our unique governance structure. At the hub of our organization is a Roundtable of Research Associates, talented individuals with proven track records who develop and head individual research projects and initiatives, supervise students and research assistants, and make consensus-based decisions on behalf of the organization.
 
Equal members of the Roundtable are the POLIS Director, Associate Director and Principal. The Director (Dr Kelly Bannister) and Associate Director (Oliver Brandes) have responsbilities to facilitate, catalyze and implement the work and decisions of the Roundtable. The Eco-Research Chair (Dr Michael M’Gonigle), provides POLIS’ tenured faculty link with the University through the Faculty of Law and School of Environmental Studies, and has a key liaison role with the higher administration of the University in his capacity as Founder and Principle of POLIS.
 
A growing number of Faculty mentors (from UVic and other institutions) serve in advisory and collaborative capacities to individual Research Associates and the Roundtable as a whole. Two core staff positions at POLIS include Office Manager (Ann Zurbrigg) and Communications Officer (Ellen Reynolds) who provide the organization with administrative, management, communications and other on-going support. A number of visiting researchers have established synergistic relationships with POLIS over the years and POLIS endeavours to create welcoming and productive spaces for those seeking to contribute to and benefit from being part of the POLIS community.