Dean Peachey

BA, MA, PhD

It’s not uncommon for Dr. Dean Peachey’s former students to reference him as a mentor, leader, and influential professor. Passionate about transitional justice, peace building, and reconciliation, Peachey is a successful educator known for his consistent effort to develop innovative, creative, and adaptive teaching methods and approaches to reach all students.

Peachey is the former executive director of UWinnipeg’s Global College, and served as coordinator of the Human Rights Program, and as a member of the committee administering the Joint Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies delivered by UWinnipeg and the University of Manitoba. 

A proponent of experiential learning, he led Global College students on field courses within Manitoba and as far away as South Africa, Israel, and Palestine, and assisted colleagues in developing field courses.

One former student recalled how, during a trip to Pretoria, South Africa, Peachey created an on-the-fly teaching moment after a thrown rock broke a window on their bus. “Rather than get angry, show fear or concern, and stress about what this would mean for the trip, he initiated a thoughtful discussion about the fact that Freedom Park was surrounded by impoverished townships — a byproduct of Apartheid — and about the tensions between post-conflict monuments and present realities, and our role as visitors to this monument in relation to peoples’ homes.”

Prior to joining the Global College, Peachey provided administrative leadership for Menno Simons College and taught conflict resolution studies. Before moving to Winnipeg, Peachey worked in Kitchener for 20 years, where he was active in developing the theory and practice of conflict resolution in Canada. He founded the Conflict Resolution Network of Canada, taught peace and conflict studies at Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo, served as the president of the Fund for Dispute Resolution, and was a member of the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services.

For his lasting impact on undergraduate and graduate students, who are transformed by his commitment to scholarly teaching, The University of Winnipeg is proud to present Dr. Dean Peachey with the Clifford J. Robson Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence.