Bio
Jonathan Ely Cass resides in the province of Ontario, Canada. Cass’s current objective is to bring his knowledge of social psychology and his experience working in the justice system together through socially conscious photography and writing. His photographs have been published by The Toronto Star, CBC, Exclaim!, NOW, View, and many others. His photo essay, entitled Yukon Gone, was published in the Dalhousie Review, one of the oldest continuous literary journals in Canada, which has published the work of E.J. Pratt, Hugh MacLennan, and Margaret Atwood. In 2021, Cass was bestowed the honour of having Yukon Gone added to the Yukon Council of Archives collection. In addition to his photography and literary publications, between 2020 and 2023, through his justice work operating as advocate, Cass recovered over $600,000.00 in funds that were either stolen or misappropriated, and has assisted police in gathering evidence leading to criminal fraud charges and a conviction for the accused.
Partial C.V.
EDUCATION
B.A. Honours Psychology (w/ distinction), University of Guelph (2015)
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Research assistant (2014 – 2015)
Centre for Cross-cultural Research, University of Guelph
Subjective Meaning of the Islamic Veil (SMIV) Scale Development (undergraduate thesis)
Assisted with the early phases of developing a questionnaire to measure what the veil means to Canadian Muslim women
Developed questionnaire items based on confidential transcripts of interviews with Muslim women
Worked with community leaders to recruit participants
Reduced items based on preliminary content and statistical analyses
Summarized and reported findings for community leaders
Research assistant (2013 – 2014)
Centre for Cross-cultural Research, University of Guelph
Gathered data on national and international post-secondary course offerings on cross-cultural competency
Provided reports of findings
PRESENTATIONS
Safdar, S., Cass, J., & Kamal, Z. (2015). To Veil or not to Veil: The Meanings of Islamic Veil in Canada. In S. Safdar (Moderator), Minorities in Canada and beyond. Symposium conducted at the 76th Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association. Ottawa, Canada (June 4-6).
CERTIFICATIONS
RELEVANT VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Snapping Turtle Nest Locator (2017 – present)
Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington
Communications Coordinator (2013 – 2016)
”Queers & Cronies” (LGBTQ2S+ and “Allyship” community group), Hamilton
Holocaust Survivor Speaker Coordinator (Fall 2013)
“The Holocaust and World War II in German Literature and Film” (HUMN 3470), University of Guelph
Artist/Performer (2010 – Present)
Various benefit concerts such as Light of Day Hamilton, I Heart Hamilton Tour, Japan Quake Relief, and others