Lerato Chondoma

Lerato Chondoma

Lerato is a global leader in equity and systems transformation, originally from the Batuang Clan of ba ha Moletsane in Lesotho. She currently lives as an uninvited guest on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq people. With over 16 years of experience, Lerato has led initiatives in racial and employment equity, decolonization, and systems change across complex institutions. A passionate advocate for justice, Lerato uses the power of storytelling to build bridges, ignite hope, and foster meaningful allyship rooted in solidarity.

Speaker Topics include:

• Decolonizing the academy: moving beyond inclusion

• Anti-Racism in action: building equitable systems in higher education

• Black leadership and systemic change in public institutions

• Mutual flourishing: bridging community and university relationships for transformation 

• Intersectional equity in practice: leading institutional transformation

• The future of employment equity: global Lessons and local actions

• Challenging dominant knowledge systems: what counts as 'knowledge'?

• Strategic EDI Leadership: from compliance to courage

Lerato is the inaugural Associate Vice-President of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism at Acadia University, where she provides strategic leadership on institutional EDI, anti-racism, and accessibility initiatives. Her work explores how systems, policies, and institutional structures can advance justice, equity, and meaningful community-university collaborations. Grounded in decolonial and intersectional frameworks, Lerato’s praxis centres anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism and the recognition of diverse knowledge systems within public institutions.

An Employment Equity lawyer by training, Lerato previously practiced in Lesotho and South Africa. She holds a B.Com and LL.B from Rhodes University and an MBA from Simon Fraser University. She has served in national and municipal leadership roles, including with the Canadian Black Policy Network and Vancouver’s Racial and Ethno-Cultural Equity Advisory Committee. While at UBC, she led key components of the university’s anti-racism strategy and was instrumental in advancing the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian higher education.

Links:

Personal Website: https://www.leratochondoma.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lerato-chondoma