Age: 39
Job title: Associate Vice President (Government and Community Relations), University of Alberta
Why she’s a 2019 Top 40 Under 40: She lets her love for advocacy lead the way.
For the past 15 years, Alexis Ksiazkiewicz has worked in Alberta’s post-secondary education sector. In her current role at the University of Alberta, she oversees a number of initiatives that seek to ensure the university is a good neighbour to the communities it serves, while continuing to achieve its academic vision.
“It’s exciting to work on behalf of an organization that has amazing students and faculty, as well as researchers who are making mind-blowing discoveries,” explains Ksiazkiewicz. “Being able to support that is a gift.”
As chair of the university’s Community Engagement Consultation, Ksiazkiewicz leads a team that is working to highlight and improve the University of Alberta’s relationships with both its internal and external partners, reaching more than 1,300 participants since September 2018. She’s also an established Rotarian, and recently stepped into the role of Community Service District Chair, making her responsible for supporting and inspiring the community service initiatives of 60 Rotary clubs across three provinces and two territories.
Ksiazkiewicz is an avid animal lover and served three years on the board for Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS). She holds immense respect for the group, which has made possible more than 10,000 rehomes for vulnerable animals in Edmonton, including Ksiazkiewicz’s own rescue dog, Seymour.
A lifelong Edmontonian, Ksiazkiewicz braves the elements year-round to explore the river valley, but she takes none of it for granted. “The excitement and energy of this city is fantastic,” she says. “It’s important that I contribute where I can.”
This article appears in the November 2019 issue of Avenue Edmonton
