Emily McNair

My work connects leadership, learning, and the experiences that shape who gets to lead. Through teaching, research, and academic leadership, I’m interested in helping people develop their capabilities and understanding the conditions that allow them to put those capabilities into practice.

I am the Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Regina, a Doctor of Business Administration student at the University of Calgary, and co-founder of Prairie Leadership Studio.

My career has brought together higher education, marketing, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Across these settings, I have been drawn to work that connects ideas with action: creating learning opportunities, developing programs, building relationships, and helping people see what they can contribute.

At the University of Regina, I have held academic leadership roles including Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, Acting Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, and Acting Dean within the Hill Levene School of Business. I became Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning in July 2026. Teaching has been a central part of that journey. I have more than eight years of post-secondary teaching experience, working with undergraduate and graduate students in marketing, organizational behaviour, project management, and case analysis. My approach emphasizes experiential learning through client projects, case competitions, and opportunities to apply knowledge to practical challenges.

Before and alongside my academic work, I held roles in business consulting, marketing, communications, and digital user experience. Those experiences continue to inform the questions I ask as a researcher and the connections I make between education and professional practice.

My doctoral research explores gendered ageism and women’s leadership in Canadian business schools.

My dissertation, The Legitimacy Trap: Gendered Ageism and Women Academic Leaders in Canadian Business Schools, examines the intersection of gender, age, and leadership legitimacy. I am interested in how these expectations shape women’s experiences of academic leadership.

My broader research interests include women’s leadership decisions, credibility, and the ways people navigate expectations in professional and organizational settings. I also collaborate on teaching cases that bring organizational challenges into the classroom.

Publications and research in progress intersect, examines the intersection of gender, age, and leadership legitimacy intersect. I am interested in how these expectations shape women’s experiences of academic leadership.

Doctor of Business Administration — in progress
Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary
Expected completion: 2027

Master of Administration — Leadership
University of Regina, 2017

Bachelor of Business Administration — Entrepreneurship and Marketing
University of Regina, 2011