Kris Erickson, PhD, is BHER's Senior Research Associate, bringing over 10 years of experience as an applied social researcher and educational leader in postsecondary education, youth employment policy, and cross-sector partnership building in community and cultural development. He has provided research, strategic planning, and evaluation expertise to partners including ArtWorksTO (the Neighbourhood Arts Network / Toronto Arts Foundation), POV Film, the City of Toronto (Youth Development Unit, Social Development, Finance and Administration), D&D Inclusion Consulting, and WorkInCulture. He is a Metcalf Foundation Toronto Sector Skills and Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Fellow (2018–2019), a former Research Associate for the Ontario Centre for Workforce Innovation (OCWI-COIE), and a sessional lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he has taught courses on qualitative research design, academic writing, and career and professional development.