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July 22, 2025

Laurel Sakaluk joins the Vanier Institute team as Director of Programs

The Vanier Institute of the Family is thrilled to announce that Laurel Sakaluk has joined our team as Director of Programs!

With a diverse background in social and family policy and family studies, Laurel now manages the Vanier Institute’s suite of programs and projects focused on creating, transforming, and mobilizing knowledge of diversity and wellbeing of families in Canada. She works closely with researchers, educators, policymakers, and other organizations with an interest in families toward a goal of building a Canada in which every family is recognized and supported.

A former board member of the Vanier Institute and chair of the Program Committee, Laurel has also worked for over a decade in academic positions in family studies, performing research and teaching about the diversities, complexities, and realities of families. She is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta, where she graduated with a PhD in family studies in 2017. Her research has focused on the complex interplay between family dynamics and on institutional policies and practices that shape family life.

In addition to her academic work, she has held senior roles within municipal and provincial governments, developing policy and programs aimed at supporting individual and family wellbeing. Her work has granted her numerous opportunities to work at the intersections of academia, government, and not-for-profit organizations to mobilize knowledge about families across their boundaries with the goal of creating contexts in which all families can thrive.

Welcome to the team, Laurel!