BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRO-CANADIAN WARRANT OFFICER KEVIN JUNOR OF THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, DIVERSITY ADVISOR : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

     BLACK                     SOCIAL                   HISTORY

Chief Warrant Officer, Military Diversity Advisor, Canadian Forces, Toronto, ON. Born: Birmingham, England.

Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Kevin Junor joined the Canadian Forces in 1980, as an infantry soldier in the Toronto Scottish Regiment. In 1998, he was promoted to the rank of CWO and appointed to the position of Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM). He is the first Black Regimental Sergeant Major for the Toronto Scottish Regiment.

In 2003, he was appointed as a Diversity Advisor for the Canadian Forces Leadership Team. In this role he identifies systemic barriers to under-represented groups and provides advice on policies, directives and actions to eliminate these barriers. In his capacity as Regimental Sergeant Major, Chief Warrant Officer Junor participated in celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday and also attended her funeral in the United Kingdom (UK). Other regimental duties included being the RSM for training and parades in the UK, France, Scotland and the USA.

He was deployed as a Senior Military Advisor to the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces in 2007. While deployed, he developed the first course for Regimental Sergeant Majors in Sierra Leone to increase their professionalism and leadership capacity. In his life as a civilian, he works for the Ontario Public Service as a Program Advisor with the Ministry of Government Services. Previously, he held a number of positions at the Ministry of Transportation including, Strategic Policy Advisor, Learning and Developmental Consultant, and Change Management Consultant.

Community: Associate Minister, North Peel Community Church; National Co-Chair, Defence Visible Minority Advisory Group (2002-2007); Chair, Policing Advisory Council of Caledon; Board member, Provincial Alliance Credit Union; Chair Board of Directors, Alpha Church of Jesus Christ, Chair MTO United Way Campaign.

Honours: Including Order of Military Merit; Sierra Leone Service Medal; Seneca Distinguished Alumni Award; Prism Award; Order of the Hodden Grey; Merit Award, Black Society of Nova Scotia; Mathieu da Costa Award; Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal; Canadian Forces Decoration; Ontario Premiere Award Nominee; inclusion in Who’s Who in Black Canada (1st & 2nd editions; 2002, 2006).

Reviewed in: For My Country; We’ll Never Forget; Heroes in Uniform; Share News; Toronto Star; Jamaica Gleaner; Caledon Enterprise; Caledon Citizen; Canadian Monarchist News; Scottish Regimental Journals; military publications & newsletters.

Education: Bachelor of Theology, IUBS (1991); Civil Engineering Technician, Seneca College (1984); Adult Learning and Development Certificate, OISE/University of Toronto.

Motto: Challenges and obstacles are only opportunities for growth.