Since 1998, TC has been an International Coach Federation (ICF) coach and leadership trainer working predominantly in government, healthcare, and education. She completed her doctoral degree in 2020 through the University of Calgary studying leadership, policy, & governance and received her master’s degree in leadership and training in 2005 through Royal Roads University.
As a result of her late autism diagnosis at 48-years-old, TC’s career evolved to include research and work that centres around autism. She focused her doctoral research on how higher education leaders, faculty members, and professional staff can enhance services and outcomes for Autistic students in higher education. Along with Dr. Kristen Gillespie-Lynch, TC co-led a cross-institutional collaborative study on autism & Universal Design (UD) for faculty around the world. She also developed a series of online asynchronous micro-trainings including one on autism and UD for leaders, faculty, and staff of higher education institutions.
TC is a keynote speaker, commencement speaker, leadership coach, and subject-matter-expert who also consults on policies and practices that affect minoritized, disabled, and LGBTQ+ communities to determine where innovations can be made to remove barriers and improve outcomes for individuals and the organization. Dr. Waisman utilizes her lived-experience to assists universities, all levels of government, and organizations to use evidence-based best practice to improve equity, diversity, and inclusivity within their culture.
Since her diagnosis in 2017, TC co-founded the Autistic Researchers Committee (ARC) at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR); spoke on autism related topics worldwide; published academic literature on autism; was appointed an editorial board of the scientific journal Autism in Adulthood; became a member of the Autistic Researcher Review Board of the Autism Intervention Research network for physical health (AIR-P) tasked with ensuring research conducted by AIR-P includes Autistic voices and aims to improve their health and well being throughout their lives. She served on the advisory board for the University of British Columbia’s free online course Autism & Neurodiversity in Dentistry and Autism & Neurodiversity in Childcare. TC also served on the advisory team for the Sinneave Family Foundation designing the online Autism College Prep Program for Autistic individuals transitioning from high school to post-secondary education.
TC is an Indigenous Oceania, South/Asian and non-binary woman born in Fiji and living in Canada.
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