Education and Career
Early Years and Education
My parents moved to Canada from England in the 1970s, seeking more favorable economic opportunities, particularly for women entrepreneurs. My childhood was on Roxborough Street East in Toronto where I attended public school, starting in French Immersion at Brown Public School. A leader from a young age, I played on multiple school sports teams, competed in gymnastics, attended Girl Guides, and was president of my high school’s Girl’s Athletic Board. Always interested in the broader world, I participated in an international exchange to Oaxaca, Mexico in grade 10, where I became a fluent speaker of Spanish in addition to French. My first job was coaching gymnastics to young people at both Brown Community Centre and University of Toronto gymnastics club, in the Uni-Rose riding. And one of my first volunteer experiences was coaching the girls volleyball team at Rosedale PS. II continue to be a strong advocate for Toronto’s Parks and Recreation facilities and programs, public spaces, including beautiful ravines in University-Rosedale, public playgrounds, shinny hockey, and community programming in general.
At eighteen, I was one of only three Canadians offered the Morehead Scholarship, an award recognizing leadership, service, academics and sportsmanship, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC, I studied economics and international studies, played competitive girls’ rugby, and participated in summer internships in rural Bolivia, and on Wall Street, working as an analyst for Goldman Sachs. I also hold an MSc. in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science. After about a decade abroad, I returned permanently to Toronto in 2009, where I completed my doctorate in Public Health and Behavioural Science at the University of Toronto’s (class of 2014).
Career
My career has been characterized by development and community-building efforts both internationally and in Canada, with a particular focus on programs and policy that support and empower adolescents and youth, women and girls. I began my international career with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in Managua, Nicaragua, and later became a program manager of a programme to prevent violence and HIV AIDS in youth, for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), working in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, then Guatemala City.
When I returned to Toronto in 2009, I completed my PhD in Public Health and Behavioral Science at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health (2014). I continued to focus on issues of equity and community development, during eight years working at St. Michael’s Hospital, culminating as Canadian Director for the Centre for Ethical, Cultural and Social Risk. where I oversaw a Gates Foundation-funded research project aimed at building community engagement in global health and development research. Also with St. Mike’s, at the Evaluation Centre and the Applied Health Research Centre, I directed research on a diversity of public health topics in collaboration with hospital and community partners, such as with Toronto Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), headquartered in Uni-Rose, focused on better models for supporting seniors to live in their homes with dignity. In the role of Senior Policy Advisor at Indigenous Services Canada (current), I worked on policy to address economic loss in Indigenous communities due to Covid-19, and on funding initiatives for clean energy
Global Affairs
I was recruited to Global Affairs Canada in 2020, leading policy development related to Canada’s bid for a seat on theUnited Nations Security Council. Since then, I have held various senior roles at Global Affair. I acted as Canada’s lead fortrade with Latin America (2021-2), which turned out to be an important area of focus given recent trade disruptions withour neighbour to the South. I was senior advisor to the United Nations Division (2022-24), where I headed Canada’sdelegation for two UN agencies, and led Canada’s negotiations with Member States at the UN Secretariat in New York. Inthis role my critical thinking and active listening skills were put to good use, when on more than one occasion, I offered amulti-faceted solution behind closed doors or through back-channeling to move negotiations forward, even on seeminglyirreconcilable positions. Along with colleagues in our permanent resident mission in New York, our Canadian delegationwas held in high esteem for bridge-building, pragmatism and unwavering commitment to Canadian interests
