Faculty

Prior to joining academia, Dr. Pearl spent almost twenty years in the private sector working for national and multinational firms in corporate planning, finance and marketing. Catherine also spent considerable time in the not-for-profit sector as a volunteer, consultant and President and CEO of a registered charity, which operated as a social enterprise. Active in the Mount Royal community, Dr. Pearl served as a member of several professional development, research, contract and full-time search committees.

Dr. Pearl was a founding board member of the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (CCVO) and served as a Board Governor for several community organizations including Propellus, YWCA Calgary, Lycée Louis Pasteur, Developmental Disabilities Resource Centre, and Lunchbox Theatre. She is currently Board Chair for the Association of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research (ANSER) Association de recherche sur les organismes sans but lucratif et de l'économie sociale (ARES); .

Dr. Pearl has served as a peer reviewer for several journals including the Social Enterprise Journal, the Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and the Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research. She has conducted grant reviews for MITACS and the Calgary Foundation and has served as an external reviewer and examiner for Carleton’s Sprott School of Business, Royal Roads University, Employment and Social Development Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Currently, she is an Associate Editor, Journal of Social Innovation Inquiry and Insight and Guest Editor, Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research’s Special Issue on AI and its Impact on the Social Economy.

RESEARCH and SCHOLARLY WORK

Research interests include social innovation, social enterprise & entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, philanthropic engagement, stigma and helping professions.

Current Projects
 - Rozsa Foundation: Empowering Leadership in the Arts Case Study- in progress.
 - Calgary Meals on Wheels: Addressing Food Security Case Study- underway.
 - Lotto 649 Case Study- underway.

Select Peer Reviewed Publications:

Tian, J.M., Watson, J. Tran, A, et.al. (2026). Internalized psychological factors and social support buffer the negative impact of stigma on self-rated health for people living with HIV: A moderated mediation analysis. Stigma and Health.

Tran, A., Watson, J.R., Tian, J.M., et al. (2025). Awareness, acceptance, and impact of undetectable equals un transmittable (U=U) among people living with HIV across Canada. Aids Care. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41025545/

Tian, J.M., Watson, J. Tran, A, et.al. (2025). The moderating effect of healthcare empowerment on the relationship between stigma and self-rated health in people living with HIV in Canada. HIV Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1111/hiv.70108

Pearl, C.M.L., Jay, L., Magennis, S., & Brown, C. (2024). Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations-Empowering Nonprofits Case Study. Richard Ivey School of Business. London, Ontario: Ivey Publishing. Case and Teaching Note #W33542 https://www.iveypublishing.ca/s/product/calgary-chamber-of-voluntary-organizations-empowering-onprofits/01tOF000002WninYAC  Student Spreadsheet #W36948 https://www.iveypublishing.ca/s/product/calgary-chamber-of-voluntary-organizations-empowering-nonprofits-student-spreadsheet/01tOF000002gSGTYA2

Asraf, D. Chowdhury, R., Pearl, C.M.L. & Yazici, A. (2024). Catalyzing Social Entrepreneurship through Islamic Finance: A sustainable pathway for social-economic impact. Islamic Development Bank Institute.https://isdbinstitute.org/product/catalyzing-social-entrepreneurship-through-islamic-finance/

Oliver, B., Pearl, C.M.L., Felix – John, E. S., Norris, D., Elizabeth Olaniyan, F. J., Samson, K., de la Cruz, A., Aseselin, G., Berezowski, K., Hayward, C., Vam Tassel, B., & Visser, F. (2023). Understanding Lived Experiences of Stigma for People Living with HIV: A Community Based Participatory Research Study. The Qualitative Report, 28(2), 623-643 https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol28/iss2/16/

Pearl, C.M.L., Chowdhury, R., Hussain, T, & Symmes, L. (2022). Philanthropy of Newcomers – Remittance, Diaspora Philanthropy, and Diaspora Development Aid. Canadian Philanthropy Partnership Research Network. https://philab.uqam.ca/en/home-blog/philanthropy-of-newcomers-remittance-diaspora-philanthropy-and-diaspora-development-aid/

Pearl, C.M.L., Chowdhury, R., Hussain, T, & Symmes, L. (2022). What are the antecedent factors that influence immigrant and newcomer philanthropic practices and understandings in Canada? Canadian Philanthropy Partnership Research Network. https://philab.uqam.ca/en/publication/what-are-the-antecedent-factors-that-influence-immigrant-and-newcomer-philanthropic-practices-and-understandings-in-canada/

Pearl, C.M.L. & Oliver, B. (2020). World’s Greatest Challenges: Building Interdisciplinary Understanding and Collaboration among business and social work students. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2020.1.10804

Pearl, C.M.L., Roberts, M. & Brown, C. (2020). Windmill Microlending: Converting Potential to Prosperity.
Richard Ivey School of Business. London, Ontario: Ivey Publishing. Case and Teaching Note   
#9B20M084. https://www.iveycases.com/ProductView.aspx?id=109359