Adjunct Professor and Pedagogical Lead
University of British Columbia – Rural and Remote Teacher Education Program

Learning Partner & Coach
BC Compassionate Systems Leadership Provincial Team

Canada: British Columbia Hub | NORTH AMERICA

Terry Taylor is grateful to live and learn on the traditional unceded territory of the Sinixt Peoples. She is a former Superintendent of Schools and Lead Learner in an innovative rural school district in southeastern British Columbia (BC). Leading learning and systems change through relational, inclusive, and decolonizing pedagogy and leadership are her educational passions—a strong fit with Compassionate Systems Leadership. Terry’s doctoral dissertation (Ed.D., Western University, 2022) focused on creating coherence and systemness including the Compassionate Systems tools and framework to nurture decolonization, equity, and well-being. These continue to be her research and practice interests.

For decades, Terry has co-led teacher professional learning, and coached and mentored teachers, school leaders, and teacher candidates. She has a background in Counselling Psychology (M.Ed., University of Toronto) and English Literature and Performing Arts (B.A., Simon Fraser University). Passionate about learning from and working in partnership with Indigenous Elders and collaborating in community, her work leverages the enabling constraints of rurality and nurtures connection to Land and place for equity, deep learning, and flourishing for all learners. 

As a Master Practitioner, Terry embeds Compassionate Systems Leadership with pre-service teachers and school and district leaders. She co-leads the University of BC’s Rural and Remote Teacher Education (RRED) program and teaches inquiry, assessment, place-conscious learning, and education system change for RRED and the West Kootenay Teacher Education program. Similarly, Terry supports school districts in Compassionate Systems Leadership across BC’s 60 school districts on the BC Ministry of Education Provincial Team Compassionate System Leadership team. 

Terry is grateful to continue to learn, unlearn, and relearn alongside Peter Senge, Mette Boell, the Center for Systems Awareness team, and the vibrant Compassionate Systems Leadership global community of practice. She is a member of the 2023-2024 Center for Systems Awareness How to Hold Space program and committed to deepening decolonizing and compassionate leadership approaches for system change. 

Living on the shore of Slocan Lake in the West Kootenay region of BC, Terry finds joy in family, friends, and community. She loves to walk, hike, swim, kayak, cook, garden, and practice yoga amidst reading, writing, and researching.