Founder, Lead Researcher & Consultant, RP Research & Consulting

Rosheeka (Ro) Parahoo is an interdisciplinary researcher, strategist, and equity consultant with a track record of driving change across some of Canada’s most complex systems including finance, philanthropy, education, arts and culture, and gender-based violence prevention. With experience spanning grassroots nonprofits to C-suite boardrooms, Ro is known for her ability to translate bold equity visions into clear, actionable strategies.

Ro’s PhD research examines how equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is executed in corporate Canada, with a focus on cultural sectors like the Canadian music industry. They developed a new framework to understand how EDI operates across industries, exploring how these practices shape identity, cultural narratives, and policy. Her research sheds light on why EDI efforts often fall short in cultural institutions and calls for an approach rooted in the fundamental value of the arts to Canadian identity and future. Her academic background, combined with deep applied experience gives her a unique lens: one that is rigorously analytical, socially attuned, and unafraid to ask difficult questions.

Ro brings expertise in mixed-methods research, gender-based analysis (GBA+), strategic planning, and communications. She has led nationally funded research projects, advised foundations on grantmaking practices, supported corporate leaders navigating DEI backlash, and authored industry reports, op-eds, and toolkits that have shaped national conversations. Her clients include financial institutions, women’s organizations, national non-profits, and public agencies.

What sets Ro apart is her ability to hold complexity, bridging data and storytelling, policy and practice, urgency and care. They launched RP Research & Consulting to offer that balance to organizations seeking to move beyond checkbox equity work and toward meaningful, measurable change.