KATHERINE ATHOL HAMILTON GRAHAM

(1947-2025) One of Canada's foremost public policy scholars passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on December 14, 2025, at the age of 78. She lived a life of accomplishment and integrity. Katherine is survived by her cousin, Elizabeth "Liz" Denyar, and her children, Susan, Kathleen and James; her cousin-in-law, Ann MacMillan, and her children, John, Andrew, Colin and Sarah; and extended families. She is also survived by her best friend of 50 years, Anne McAllister. Born in Winnipeg, Katherine spent happy childhood summers with her extended family in Muskoka. She was a member of the first graduating class of Glendon College, where she met her husband of 52 years, Andrew Bryan Graham (1947 - 2022) and graduated with a BA (Hon) in Political Science. She went on to earn an MA in Political Studies at Queen's University. Katherine and Andy raised their daughter Katherine on their farm in Mitchellville (Lansdowne) Ontario, situated between Ottawa and Kingston and near their beloved Charleston Lake retreat. Dedicated dog lovers, the Grahams always maintained three spirited large dogs on the property. Katherine was a straight talker and sophisticated analyst with a fine sense of humour who celebrated the joy in life. Katherine was one of Canada's foremost public-policy scholars and university leaders. Early in her career, she served as Director of the Institute of Local Government at Queen's University, taking her on stimulating assignments to Canada's north. In 1984, she was appointed Assistant Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University, where over a stellar 30-year career, she rose steadily through the ranks to Associate and then Full Professor, retiring in 2014 as Professor Emerita. She taught courses on urban and local government, organizational development, Indigenous and northern policy, and program implementation and evaluation. Her many books, articles and chapters influenced senior decision-makers in the public sector. Her students went on to hold key positions at every level of government and in non-profits and firms across the country and abroad. Katherine also built an outstanding track record as a university executive, serving as Director of the School of Public Policy and Administration and as Associate Dean (Research) and then Dean of the Faculty of Public Affairs, a sprawling organization of 7,000 students, 300 professors, 11 departments and schools and 20 research centres. Her world-class skills in strategic planning, organizational analysis, and meeting facilitation were much sought after by the University at large and external academic and policy organizations, as she expertly chaired an array of committees, networks and projects. Local governance was at the centre of her work. From the cities of Toronto and Ottawa to northern hamlets and First Nations, and to municipalities in Ghana and Vietnam, Katherine taught and inspired excellence and innovation in many cohorts of political and administrative leaders. She maintained a special relationship with the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus serving rural communities, including her own. She was also a recognized champion of community-based research and community university partnerships, chairing the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation, Community-Based Research Canada and other initiatives that have strengthened community engagement by universities in Canada and overseas. A prominent scholar on Indigenous governance, Katherine also served as a policy advisor to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. In 2011, she facilitated Carleton's first institution-wide Indigenous strategy. In 2014, she was appointed to the Aboriginal Advisory Circle of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, later engaging community leaders in youth mental health research in Northwestern Ontario and teaching a course on leadership and management in Indigenous organizations. Katherine's commitment to advancing Indigenous rights, governance and knowledge was recognized through Carleton University's establishment of the annual Katherine A. H. Graham Lecture on Indigenous Policy. In retirement, Katherine devoted herself to the demanding craft of wooden boat restoration, converting their barn into a fully equipped carpentry workshop. She built both a canoe and a skiff and was in the process of restoring a Duke Playmate, the relic of a boat she bought in Port Carling. As well, Katherine was demonstrating boat restoration on a historical skiff at the Thousand Islands Boat Museum. She was very involved as a volunteer in her community serving on the Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands Committee of Adjustment, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Addiction and Mental Health Board, and the Leeds County Ontario Provincial Police Detachment Board. Katherine will be missed by many. The family would like to thank Ted Jackson and Andrew Atkins for their help at this difficult time. If you wish to honour Katherine, consider donating to the Katherine A. H. Graham Lecture on Indigenous Policy at Carleton University Advancement, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6 (futurefunder.carleton.ca/giving-fund/katherine-graham-lecture-in-aboriginal-policy-endowment/), or to the St. Lawrence District Medical Centre, Box 39, Lansdowne, ON K0E 1L0. A celebration of Katherine's life will be held in the spring. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Liz Denyar, Box 367, Port Carling, ON P0B 1J0. Arrangements entrusted to Barclay Funeral Home, 1033 Prince St., Lansdowne, ON. Messages of condolence may be sent online at www.barclayfuneralhome.com.