A Passion for Storytelling

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PhD graduate Shelley T. Price has a long-standing relationship with Saint Mary’s University. For the past 28 years, she has been active in the university as a student, instructor, and staff member. A true Santamarian, Price also obtained her Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and her MBA in Human Resources at Saint Mary’s.

“I am a loyal person, and I made Saint Mary’s my home,” explains Price. “I felt like I always had something more to learn, and I am passionate about learning. Somewhere along the way, I saw myself continuing to pursue degrees at Saint Mary’s until I finished a PhD.”

Born in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, and raised in Southwest Nova Scotia (Mi’kma’ki), Price’s inspiration comes from Indigenous peoples’ stories and lived experiences. Her great-grandmother’s work, Woman of Labrador, was a catalyst to explore her peoples’ memories and stories through her PhD in Business Administration.

“I found a world of possibilities in academia that I never knew existed,” says Price. “The multi-paradigmatic approach allowed me to explore my voice and the wisdom of my peoples. I was so grateful to have found a space in business academia, where all of me was welcome: my fears, my anxieties, my hopes, and my dreams toward sustainable, just, and equitable ways of managing and leading organizations.”

Price’s passion for storytelling and her identity as a bi-racial Inuk woman has informed her research. Her dissertation title is Storytelling leadership: Connecting heart, mind, body, and spirit to stories of the old ways and old days of Labrador. The focus is on exploring a plurality of sustainable, just, and equitable practices of being, doing, knowing, and relating in leadership.

“Discrimination, harassment, exploitation, and oppression are still far too common in organizational contexts, and I think it is important to explore trauma-informed and culturally safe and humble approaches to decolonize management and leadership practice and education,” says Price. “I want to continue helping Indigenous peoples through my research. I think it is important to make space in academia for the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples.”

Currently, Price is an Assistant Professor at St. Francis Xavier University in the Department of Management. Over the years, she has worked at Saint Mary’s in various roles, including an instructor in the Management Department, as the Manager of Custodial Administration and Sustainability in Facilities, and in the Continuing Education and Teaching English as a Second Language departments.

“Saint Mary’s was my home. There were far too many wonderful experiences to count, and I am sad to see the adventure come to an end.”

As an advocate of social and environmental justice, Price wishes to extend a call to business leaders to engage in reflecting on how they will respond to #MMIWG2S #IndigenousRights #MeToo #Pride #MentalHealthAwareness #MakeMuskratRight #ClimateAction #BlackLivesMatter.