Kristopher Wells

Wells has earned three degrees from the University of Alberta: a Bachelor of Education, a Master of Education, and a Doctor of Philosophy.{{cite web |title=Dr. Kristopher Wells |url=https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/backgrounders/2024/08/31/dr-kristopher-wells |website=Prime Minister of Canada |date=August 30, 2024 |publisher=Prime Minister's Office |access-date=September 1, 2024}}{{Cite news |last=Murray |first=Nick |date=Aug 31, 2024 |title=Prime minister unveils 2 Senate appointments for Alberta, including prominent Liberal donor |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/alberta-senate-appointments-1.7310592 |work=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation}}

Wells was a public school teacher in St. Albert, Alberta. He then worked as a diversity consultant for Edmonton Public Schools, where he helped develop the first sexual and gender identity school board policy in Western Canada.

From 2012 to 2018, he worked at the University of Alberta as an assistant professor and as the faculty director of the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services. In 2018, he was appointed MacEwan University's first Canada Research Chair and was the founding director of the MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity.{{Cite web |title=Profile |url=https://www.macewan.ca/academics/academic-departments/child-youth-care/our-people/profile/?profileid=wellsk25 |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=MacEwan University |language=en}} Wells has served on various committees in Alberta, including the Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities, REACH Edmonton, the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee, the Edmonton Police Chief's Community Advisory Council, and the LGBTQ2+ National Monument Committee.{{cite news |last1=Melgar |first1=Alejandro |title=Smith accuses Trudeau of naming 'left-wing partisan' Albertans to Canadian Senate |url=https://calgary.citynews.ca/2024/08/31/alberta-canada-senate-appointments/ |access-date=September 1, 2024 |work=CityNews |date=August 31, 2024}} He has been a critic of the Alberta government's plan to require parental consent before children under 16 can change their names or preferred gender pronouns in schools.

Wells is the co-creator of pride tape, a campaign that encouraged NHL hockey players to use rainbow-patterned hockey tape on their sticks as a way of showing support for LGBT rights.{{cite news |title=Smith accuses Ottawa of ignoring Alberta's interests with Albertan senate picks |url=https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/smith-accuses-ottawa-of-ignoring-alberta-s-interests-with-albertan-senate-picks-1.7021521 |access-date=September 1, 2024 |work=CTV News |date=August 31, 2024}}

{{As of|2024}}, Wells is an associate professor in the Department of Child and Youth Care, part of the Faculty of Health and Community Studies at MacEwan University. He holds the Canada Research Chair (Tier II) for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth and serves as the founding director for the MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity.{{cite web|title=Dr. Kristopher Wells|url=https://www.macewan.ca/academics/academic-departments/child-youth-care/our-people/profile/?profileid=wellsk25|access-date=September 25, 2024|website=MacEwan University}}{{cite news |title=St. Albert's Kristopher Wells named to Senate |url=https://www.stalbertgazette.com/local-news/st-alberts-kristopher-wells-named-to-senate-9461210 |access-date=September 1, 2024 |work=St. Albert Gazette |date=August 31, 2024}} His academic work specializes in sexual- and gender-minority youth, education, and culture. He is the editor-in-chief of the international Journal of LGBT Youth.{{Cite web |title=Editorial Board - Journal of LGBT Youth |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/wjly20/about-this-journal#editorial-board |access-date=September 23, 2024}}

Wells was appointed to the Senate of Canada on August 31, 2024. He was recommended by the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments and appointed by Governor General of Canada Mary Simon on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The appointments of Wells and Daryl Fridhandler as senators from Alberta were criticized by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for ignoring the results of the province's unofficial Senate nominee election.

Wells is a recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal, the Alberta Award for Study of Canadian Human Rights and Multiculturalism, the Alberta Teachers' Association's Public Education Award, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.{{Cite web |title=Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta) Recipients 2022 |url=https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/acsw-queens-platinum-jubilee-medal-recipients.pdf |access-date=September 23, 2024}} In 2015, Wells received the University of Alberta Alumni Horizon Award.{{Cite web |title=Alumni Recognition Awards {{!}} Faculty of Education |url=https://www.ualberta.ca/en/education/alumni-and-giving/alumni-recognition-awards.html |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=www.ualberta.ca}}{{Cite web |title=University of Alberta Alumni Awards Announcement |url=https://www.casae-aceea.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2015_AlumniHorizonAward-_Alumni-Announcement_Wells-Kris.pdf |access-date=September 23, 2024}}

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Category:Living people

Category:Canadian senators from Alberta

Category:Independent Canadian senators

Category:Academic staff of MacEwan University

Category:Canadian LGBTQ rights activists

Category:Canadian LGBTQ writers

Category:People from St. Albert, Alberta

Category:Canadian LGBTQ senators

Category:21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people

Category:University of Alberta alumni

Category:21st-century members of the Senate of Canada

Category:1971 births

Category:21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers

Category:21st-century Canadian male writers

Category:Canadian male non-fiction writers