Monique McKay, LL.M.

University Ombuds and Assistant to the President

Florida Gulf Coast University

Monique McKay is a mediator and the University Ombuds and Assistant to the President at Florida Gulf Coast University. She has expertise in Indigenous advocacy, rights and governance and law and conflict resolution including systems design. Her experience in higher education includes conflict resolution and policy work, being an advocate for fairness, designing conflict management systems, and conducting leadership training. Monique taught mediation and mediation advocacy at William and Mary Law School. She leads the Continuous Improvement Initiative at Florida Gulf Coast University and manages a team of change agents. As Assistant to the President, Ms. McKay reports and offers input into serious cases and address systemic problems that negatively impact individual students, faculty or staff and carry the potential for significant negative consequences for the individual or the institution. Monique is committed to equity across systems including education and has a special interest and background in ensuring Indigenous students have opportunities at the post-secondary level.

Monique co-founded and was the Executive Director of the Master Mediator Institute, an educational institute focused on furthering interdisciplinary understandings about neuroscience, human behavior, conflict resolution and facilitated decision making.

Monique has extensive commercial and community mediation experience. Ms. McKay was a partner in Master Mediators LLC and a consultant with Business Excellence Solutions. She facilitated community hearings under President Obama’s White House Initiative on Alaska Native and American Indian Education.

Monique has worked with Indigenous and Canadian governments and organizations on justice initiatives, education issues, self-government models and policy development related to self-determination.

She was corporate counsel for a pipeline and petrochemical company and worked closely with many Indigenous and community organizations in Calgary, Alberta.

Monique earned an LL.M. in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University, an LL.B, a B.A and a Diploma in Journalism for Native People from Western University.