Akolisa Ufodike
School of Administrative Studies
Associate Professor
Email: ufo@yorku.ca
Primary website: Ufodike.com
Secondary website: Google Scholar
Media Requests Welcome
Accepting New Graduate Students
Dr. Akolisa Ufodike is an associate professor in the School of Administrative Studies where he teaches auditing. He is also appointed to the graduate program in public policy, administration and law and teaches public sector finance at the graduate level. His research interests include accountability, actor networks, common pool resources, public sector finance and public-private partnerships. He is an ad hoc reviewer for the Journal of Business Ethics, Accounting Perspectives, Chinese Management Journal and Sustainability journal. His research has been presented at various conferences including the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA), American Accounting Association and Canadian Accounting Academic Association and he has reviewed articles for the conferences of all three organizations. He is a CPA case examiner and brand ambassador. Dr. Ufodike is a licensed public practitioner by the CPA. Prior to Academia, he spent 25 years as a finance executive with professional experience spanning telecoms, banking, oil and gas, utilities, and consumer packaged goods with organizations including Bell Canada and Molson Coors. He was co-founder and CFO for Jaguar Wireless, a participant in the 2007 Canadian wireless spectrum auction. His last role in industry was as CFO and COO of Corridor Communications Inc (CCI Wireless) one of Canada’s largest wireless ISP’s. A graduate of Haskayne’s PhD and Cornell’s MBA program, Dr. Ufodike is a Canadian FCPA, a US CPA, a UK FCCA and a Certified Fraud Examiner. He's also a Certified Director ICD.D by the Institute of Corporate Directors. Dr. Ufodike sits on the Provincial Audit Committee for Alberta, the board of the Canada Nigerian Chamber of Commerce and the Senate of the University of Calgary. He previously sat on the board of the Loyalist Group, a TSX Listed Company where he was also Chair of the Audit Committee. He has served on the board of several charities including, Peel Literacy Guild where he was treasurer and the Black Business and Professional Association. Dr. Ufodike has also previously served as treasurer for Scouts Canada (Chinook Council) and thereafter as the Chairman.
Degrees
PhD, University of CalgaryMBA, Cornell University
BCom, Laurentian University
FCPA CPA (OR, USA) FCCA,
ICD.D,
Appointments
Faculty of Graduate StudiesProfessional Leadership
Senator, University of Calgary
Member, Provincial Audit Committee
Community Contributions
Founder, John Ware Institute
Research Interests
- FCPA, Fellow Chartered Professional AccountantFCPA - 2014
- Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal - 2022
- Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) Established Leader Award - 2024
- King Charles III Coronation Medal - 2025
Current Research Projects
-
Summary:
I'm conducting a knowledge synthesis study of accounting research that investigate questions related to discrimination and marginalization. This project is targeting a a special issue call from Accounting Perspectives. I successfully leveraged $5000 of LAPS funding for this critical project which advances important and timely conversations about anti-black racism within the accounting discipline (and business more broadly). The project also helps advance conversations on discrimination against Indigenous peoples and other marginalized people.
Funders:
LAPS Black Scholar Research Fund
Design/methodology - We conducted a field-based case study in a complex institutional and organizational setting in Alberta, Canada. We employed an institutional entrepreneurship perspective to identify and analyze the activities of two allied actors motivated to transform the institutional environment for public infrastructure delivery.
Findings - Our empirical study suggests that the implementation of institutional change is both individualistic and collaborative. Moreover, it is grounded in everyday organizational practices and activities and involves a coalition of allies invested in enacting lasting change in organizational practice(s), even when maintaining the status quo seems advantageous.
Originality/value - We critique the structural explanations that dominate the literature on public–private partnership implementation, which downplays the role of agency and minimizes its interplay with institutional logics in effecting institutional change. Rather, we demonstrate that, given the observed impact of social actors, public–private partnership adoption and implementation can be theorized as a social phenomenon
Design/Methodology: Drawing on actor network theory, this study explores the role of accountability in the formation and sustenance of a healthcare network, using the case study of a First Nations healthcare organization in Canada.
Findings: The study provides insights into how accountability helps to sustain a network of actors with divergent interests and a plurality of strategies. It finds that network accountability is the central mechanism that motivates the principal actors in the network to reconstitute themselves and converge around the purpose of strengthening governance. This study also finds evidence of accountability as a multidimensional construct that facilitates the sustenance of the federal government as the controlling actor in the network.
Practical Application: This study provides fresh empirical insights gained from a flesh-and-blood actual network that acknowledges the context of a marginalized group—namely, First Nations peoples. Furthermore, this study extends and presents a viable accountability model that can be adopted as the federal government enters into self-governance agreements with First Nations Peoples.
Originality: In contrast to the dominant literature on accountability, this study adopts the unique context of a marginalized group in a market-based developed economy—specifically, Canada.
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2025 | GS/PPAL6130 3.0 | A | Equity, Policy, Law and Planning | SEMR |
Dr. Akolisa Ufodike is an associate professor in the School of Administrative Studies where he teaches auditing. He is also appointed to the graduate program in public policy, administration and law and teaches public sector finance at the graduate level. His research interests include accountability, actor networks, common pool resources, public sector finance and public-private partnerships. He is an ad hoc reviewer for the Journal of Business Ethics, Accounting Perspectives, Chinese Management Journal and Sustainability journal. His research has been presented at various conferences including the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA), American Accounting Association and Canadian Accounting Academic Association and he has reviewed articles for the conferences of all three organizations. He is a CPA case examiner and brand ambassador. Dr. Ufodike is a licensed public practitioner by the CPA. Prior to Academia, he spent 25 years as a finance executive with professional experience spanning telecoms, banking, oil and gas, utilities, and consumer packaged goods with organizations including Bell Canada and Molson Coors. He was co-founder and CFO for Jaguar Wireless, a participant in the 2007 Canadian wireless spectrum auction. His last role in industry was as CFO and COO of Corridor Communications Inc (CCI Wireless) one of Canada’s largest wireless ISP’s. A graduate of Haskayne’s PhD and Cornell’s MBA program, Dr. Ufodike is a Canadian FCPA, a US CPA, a UK FCCA and a Certified Fraud Examiner. He's also a Certified Director ICD.D by the Institute of Corporate Directors. Dr. Ufodike sits on the Provincial Audit Committee for Alberta, the board of the Canada Nigerian Chamber of Commerce and the Senate of the University of Calgary. He previously sat on the board of the Loyalist Group, a TSX Listed Company where he was also Chair of the Audit Committee. He has served on the board of several charities including, Peel Literacy Guild where he was treasurer and the Black Business and Professional Association. Dr. Ufodike has also previously served as treasurer for Scouts Canada (Chinook Council) and thereafter as the Chairman.
Degrees
PhD, University of CalgaryMBA, Cornell University
BCom, Laurentian University
FCPA CPA (OR, USA) FCCA,
ICD.D,
Appointments
Faculty of Graduate StudiesProfessional Leadership
Senator, University of Calgary
Member, Provincial Audit Committee
Community Contributions
Founder, John Ware Institute
Research Interests
Awards
- FCPA, Fellow Chartered Professional AccountantFCPA - 2014
- Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal - 2022
- Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) Established Leader Award - 2024
- King Charles III Coronation Medal - 2025
Current Research Projects
-
Summary:
I'm conducting a knowledge synthesis study of accounting research that investigate questions related to discrimination and marginalization. This project is targeting a a special issue call from Accounting Perspectives. I successfully leveraged $5000 of LAPS funding for this critical project which advances important and timely conversations about anti-black racism within the accounting discipline (and business more broadly). The project also helps advance conversations on discrimination against Indigenous peoples and other marginalized people.
Role: Principal InvestigatorFunders:
LAPS Black Scholar Research Fund
All Publications
Design/methodology - We conducted a field-based case study in a complex institutional and organizational setting in Alberta, Canada. We employed an institutional entrepreneurship perspective to identify and analyze the activities of two allied actors motivated to transform the institutional environment for public infrastructure delivery.
Findings - Our empirical study suggests that the implementation of institutional change is both individualistic and collaborative. Moreover, it is grounded in everyday organizational practices and activities and involves a coalition of allies invested in enacting lasting change in organizational practice(s), even when maintaining the status quo seems advantageous.
Originality/value - We critique the structural explanations that dominate the literature on public–private partnership implementation, which downplays the role of agency and minimizes its interplay with institutional logics in effecting institutional change. Rather, we demonstrate that, given the observed impact of social actors, public–private partnership adoption and implementation can be theorized as a social phenomenon
Design/Methodology: Drawing on actor network theory, this study explores the role of accountability in the formation and sustenance of a healthcare network, using the case study of a First Nations healthcare organization in Canada.
Findings: The study provides insights into how accountability helps to sustain a network of actors with divergent interests and a plurality of strategies. It finds that network accountability is the central mechanism that motivates the principal actors in the network to reconstitute themselves and converge around the purpose of strengthening governance. This study also finds evidence of accountability as a multidimensional construct that facilitates the sustenance of the federal government as the controlling actor in the network.
Practical Application: This study provides fresh empirical insights gained from a flesh-and-blood actual network that acknowledges the context of a marginalized group—namely, First Nations peoples. Furthermore, this study extends and presents a viable accountability model that can be adopted as the federal government enters into self-governance agreements with First Nations Peoples.
Originality: In contrast to the dominant literature on accountability, this study adopts the unique context of a marginalized group in a market-based developed economy—specifically, Canada.
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2025 | GS/PPAL6130 3.0 | A | Equity, Policy, Law and Planning | SEMR |
