Akolisa Ufodike
School of Administrative Studies
Associate Professor
Email: ufo@yorku.ca
Primary website: Ufodike.com
Secondary website: Google Scholar
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Accepting New Graduate Students
Dr. Akolisa Ufodike is an Associate Professor in the School of Administrative Studies, where he teaches auditing. He also holds an appointment in the graduate program in Public Policy, Administration, and Law, where he 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 serves as an ad hoc reviewer for several academic journals, including the Journal of Business Ethics, Accounting Perspectives, Chinese Management Journal, and Sustainability. His research has been presented at prominent conferences such as the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA), the American Accounting Association (AAA), and the Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA), where he has also served as a reviewer.
Dr. Ufodike is a CPA case examiner and brand ambassador. Before entering academia, he spent 25 years as a finance executive, with professional experience across industries including telecommunications, banking, oil and gas, utilities, and consumer packaged goods. He held leadership roles at organizations such as Bell Canada and Molson Coors. Notably, he was the co-founder and CFO of Jaguar Wireless, a participant in the 2007 Canadian wireless spectrum auction, and later served as CFO and COO of Corridor Communications Inc. (CCI Wireless), one of Canada’s largest wireless ISPs.
A graduate of the Haskayne School of Business PhD program and Cornell University’s MBA program, Dr. Ufodike is a Canadian FCPA, a U.S. CPA, a UK FCCA, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Director (ICD.D) through the Institute of Corporate Directors.
He is the founder of the John Ware Institute—an organization that has placed more Black Canadians on paid boards than any other in the country. His public service includes roles on the Provincial Audit Committee for Alberta, the Board of the Canada-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, and the Senate of the University of Calgary. He also served on the board of the TSX-listed Loyalist Group, where he chaired the Audit Committee, and on the boards of several charities, including the Peel Literacy Guild (as Treasurer) and the Black Business and Professional Association. Additionally, he served as Treasurer and later Chairman of Scouts Canada’s Chinook Council.
In 2022, Dr. Ufodike made history as the first Black Canadian appointed as a Deputy Minister in the history of Alberta. During his tenure, he led two ministries: Trade, followed by Immigration and Multiculturalism. In recognition of his public service and scholarly contributions, he has received several prestigious honors, including the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) Established Leader Award, and the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
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 Accountant FCPA - 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.
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2025 | GS/PPAL6130 3.0 | A | Equity, Policy, Law and Planning | SEMR |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | AP/ADMS4515 3.0 | A | Internal Audit | LECT |
Dr. Akolisa Ufodike is an Associate Professor in the School of Administrative Studies, where he teaches auditing. He also holds an appointment in the graduate program in Public Policy, Administration, and Law, where he 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 serves as an ad hoc reviewer for several academic journals, including the Journal of Business Ethics, Accounting Perspectives, Chinese Management Journal, and Sustainability. His research has been presented at prominent conferences such as the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA), the American Accounting Association (AAA), and the Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA), where he has also served as a reviewer.
Dr. Ufodike is a CPA case examiner and brand ambassador. Before entering academia, he spent 25 years as a finance executive, with professional experience across industries including telecommunications, banking, oil and gas, utilities, and consumer packaged goods. He held leadership roles at organizations such as Bell Canada and Molson Coors. Notably, he was the co-founder and CFO of Jaguar Wireless, a participant in the 2007 Canadian wireless spectrum auction, and later served as CFO and COO of Corridor Communications Inc. (CCI Wireless), one of Canada’s largest wireless ISPs.
A graduate of the Haskayne School of Business PhD program and Cornell University’s MBA program, Dr. Ufodike is a Canadian FCPA, a U.S. CPA, a UK FCCA, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Director (ICD.D) through the Institute of Corporate Directors.
He is the founder of the John Ware Institute—an organization that has placed more Black Canadians on paid boards than any other in the country. His public service includes roles on the Provincial Audit Committee for Alberta, the Board of the Canada-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, and the Senate of the University of Calgary. He also served on the board of the TSX-listed Loyalist Group, where he chaired the Audit Committee, and on the boards of several charities, including the Peel Literacy Guild (as Treasurer) and the Black Business and Professional Association. Additionally, he served as Treasurer and later Chairman of Scouts Canada’s Chinook Council.
In 2022, Dr. Ufodike made history as the first Black Canadian appointed as a Deputy Minister in the history of Alberta. During his tenure, he led two ministries: Trade, followed by Immigration and Multiculturalism. In recognition of his public service and scholarly contributions, he has received several prestigious honors, including the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) Established Leader Award, and the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
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 Accountant FCPA - 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.
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2025 | GS/PPAL6130 3.0 | A | Equity, Policy, Law and Planning | SEMR |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | AP/ADMS4515 3.0 | A | Internal Audit | LECT |
