Meet the Advisory Board
The Education Promise is guided by our pan-Canadian Advisory Board made up of leaders committed to building a more skilled, adaptable, healthier, and engaged Canada. Convened to provide overall direction on The Education Promise, the Advisory board is comprised of academic, youth, and sector leaders with experience in large systems-change projects, policy area experts, and stakeholders from diverse sectors and ages, regions, backgrounds, and perspectives.
The Advisory Board provides strategic advice in areas such as:
- Identification of key policy areas for action;
- Linkages to other leaders and organizations to engage;
- Strategic advice on advocacy, public relations, and government engagement
Jennifer Adams
Executive Committee, Karanga: The Global Alliance for Social Emotional Learning and Life Skills
Jennifer completed an eight-year term as the Director of Education (Superintendent) for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board in Ontario Canada, serving a diverse student population of 73,000 across 150 elementary and secondary schools. She is a former superintendent of curriculum, elementary school principal, and French teacher. Jennifer earned her doctorate in educational administration from the University of Toronto/OISE, Canada.
Jennifer has served as the Chair of the Informal Advisory Group for the OECD Survey on Social and Emotional Skills and is currently on the Executive Committee for Karanga: The Global Alliance for Social Emotional Learning and Life Skills. She is the Chair of the Board of Governors at the University of Ottawa. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Signature Leadership by Knowledgehook. Jennifer is a senior education consultant, specializing in senior leadership/talent development and recruitment as well as strategic planning for school systems and educational technology companies.
Urooba Ahmed
Undergraduate students, University of Manitoba
Urooba is an undergraduate student at the University of Manitoba pursuing an Environmental Studies degree with a focus in Policy & Law and a minor in Health Studies. She is passionate about youth literacy, social impact, environmental sustainability, anti-colonial practices, and building community. Urooba is part of several national and global youth networks working to build global citizenship, cultural competency, professional development skills, and collaborating with different sectors to enact change through policy. In the future Urooba aims to pursue graduate studies and work internationally in the governance and health spheres. Urooba’s pastimes include writing, reading, hosting elaborate dinners, gardening, volunteering in the community, rollerskating, and performance poetry. She is ecstatic to work alongside such incredible members for this project. Feel free to connect with Urooba on social platforms.
Noel Baldwin
Executive Director, Future Skills Centre
Noel Baldwin is the Executive Director of the Future Skills Centre (FSC), a position he has held since June 2024. With nearly two decades of experience advancing strategic initiatives and public policy in postsecondary education, adult learning and skills development, Noel is a recognized leader in the skills ecosystem.
Since joining FSC in 2019 as Director of Government and Public Affairs, Noel has provided leadership in navigating the complex skills and workforce development ecosystem, forging strong relationships with federal departments, provinces, territories, municipalities, and international organizations like the OECD.
Prior to joining FSC, Noel served as Coordinator of Postsecondary Education and Adult Learning at the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), where he led collaborative efforts with provincial and territorial officials on key education policy issues. Earlier in his career, he focused on improving access to postsecondary education at the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation. Noel has lived in five of Canada’s provinces and currently lives in his hometown of Ottawa with his family, including two kids enrolled in public school.
Pedro Barata
President and CEO, Habitat for Humanity Canada
Pedro Barata is the President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada, a 45-member federation and Canada’s only national affordable homeownership organization. He is a passionate and values-driven leader with two decades’ experience driving multi-sector collaborations that achieve solutions for communities. Prior to Habitat, Pedro was executive director of the Future Skills Centre, where he led the start-up of the national research impact centre. Previously, at United Way Greater Toronto, Pedro held senior roles in partnerships, research, policy, evaluation, public affairs, and communications. Often called on for his insights into building inclusive and equitable communities, Pedro has held numerous advisory roles locally and nationally, in innovation, housing strategy income security and poverty reduction.
Willa Black
Founder, Connected North
A 24 year veteran of the technology industry, most recently as Vice-President, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility for Cisco Canada, Willa has had a meaningful impact at the national level in Canada with her leadership of programming and advocacy work for Digital Equity and Inclusion, and capacity building across Canada’s Social Impact sector. Working with governments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and communities across Canada, Willa galvanizes ecosystems of partners focused on sustainable change.
In 2014, Willa led the development and launch of Connected North, a ground-breaking program that leverages virtual technology to connect students in the remote North to opportunities not available to them where they live. Now led by charity partner TakingITGlobal, Connected North provides a digital curricula including experts-on-demand; youth mentoring and career guidance; virtual field trips; teacher training; mental wellness support and more. The network connects resources to over 42,000 students in 200 schools in remote Indigenous communities, from the Yukon to Nunavut.
Mariana Brussoni
Director, Human Early Learning Partnership
Dr. Mariana Brussoni is Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership, an interdisciplinary research and knowledge mobilization centre at the University of British Columbia that working to improve conditions that promote an equitable start in life for all children and their families. Mariana is a professor in the UBC Department of Pediatrics and School of Population and Public Health, Investigator at BCCHR and lead of the Outside Play Lab. Her research investigates children’s outdoor and risky play, focusing on shifting parents’ and educators’ perceptions of risk, designing play-friendly environments, and changing systems to ensure children have the time, space and freedom to play outside every day. 
Tracey Burns
Chief, Global Strategy and Research, National Centre on Education and the Economy
Dr. Tracey Burns is Chief of Global Strategy and Research at the National Center on Education and the Economy in Washington, DC. Previously she was Chief of Research for the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation at the OECD. She has additionally served as an Expert for UNESCO’s Broadband and Future of Education Commissions and is a member of UNESCO Santiago’s High Level Technical Council for their Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study. She is a member of TeachAI’s Advisory Committee, advising education leaders on the safe, effective, and responsible use of AI in education.
Sabreena Delhon
CEO, Samara Centre for Democracy
Sabreena Delhon is the CEO of the Samara Centre for Democracy, a non-partisan registered charity with a mission to realize a vibrant culture of civic engagement across Canada. For over a decade she has directed multi-stakeholder research and outreach initiatives that have made an impact across justice, academic, and non-profit sectors. Sabreena has appeared as an expert witness before Parliamentary committees on matters relating to political participation and has been quoted about democratic engagement for various media outlets such as the Globe & Mail, CBC, Toronto Star and the New York Times.
Ellen Field
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, Lakehead University
Dr. Ellen Field is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University. Her research interests are in policy and practice of climate change education in the Canadian K-12 system. She teaches Environmental Education (B.Ed) and Climate Change Education (M.Ed) in the Faculty of Education, and has engaged hundreds of in-service teachers in professional development workshops. She is co-lead of the Accelerating Climate Change Education in Teacher Education project, is an Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Environmental Education and co-chair of the Canadian Regional Hub of Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Education (MECCE). Ellen is also an author of UNESCO’s Greening Education Guidance, a policy framework for countries to follow when integrating climate change education into the curriculum.
Vivek Gill
Senior medical student, University of British Columbia
Vivek is a senior medical student at the University of British Columbia and an aspiring clinician-scientist with an interest in child & maternal health. He is immensely grateful for his experiences in BC’s public education system from K-12, and is driven to ensure that our system provides equitable opportunities for all children and youth to thrive. He approaches his work with PFE from a social determinants of health lens, appreciating education as a critical factor that impacts wellbeing across the life-course.
Candy Ho
Past chair, CERIC
Dr. Candy Ho is an international award-winning career development educator and scholar whose expertise is recognized globally through keynotes, consulting, and other engagements. Her insights have been featured in prestigious media outlets including BNN Bloomberg, The Globe and Mail, Financial Post, Canadian Business, National Post, and CTV News. Originally from Hong Kong, she currently serves as Chancellor’s Chair at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), while also teaching in KPU’s Educational Studies department and in Douglas College’s Career Development Practitioner Program. Candy is Past Chair of CERIC, a Canadian charitable organization that advances education and research in career counselling and career development, in order to increase the economic and social well-being of Canadians.
Ruhee Ismail-Teja
Vice-President, Policy and External Affairs, Calgary Chamber of Commerce
Ruhee Ismail-Teja is a public affairs executive specializing in government relations, policy, and strategic communications. She holds experience in private, public, and non-profit sectors. Through her career, she has focused on developing policy to enhance the vibrancy of Canada’s business sector, support inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and help organizations navigate political and economic risk.
Ruhee currently serves as Vice President, Policy and External Affairs, leading public policy, advocacy and government relations, media relations and communications, equity and inclusion, and Indigenous economic reconciliation for the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. She works directly with businesses, governments, and stakeholders to encourage policy adoption that strengthens the business community and the Calgary community at large. Ruhee has previously served as an economic advisor to the Government of Quebec, worked in government relations in post-secondary, and in the upstream energy industry.
Mike Jancik
Director, Deloitte’s Future of Canada Centre
Mike Jancik is the Director of Deloitte’s Future of Canada Centre, where he leads the Deloitte Canada’s thought leadership and public policy hub focused on our country’s most important national issues, with the aim of helping to propel Canada into a new age of growth and competitiveness.
Prior to joining Deloitte served in senior roles in the Government of Ontario including in the Office of the Premier of Ontario and Treasury Board Secretariat, led Research and Evaluation work in Ontario’s Ministry of Education, and advised executives on issues at the intersection of business strategy and public policy.
Victoria Kuketz
Director of Corporate Engagement, Catalyst and Digital Democracy Fellow, Public Policy Forum
Victoria Kuketz is a Director of Corporate Engagement at Catalyst. Victoria is an established inclusion, public policy, education, and engagement professional focused on social impact. Her mission is to engage people and systems to cultivate community and collective effort towards positive societal change and a better future of work for all. She is also the Digital Democracy Fellow at the Public Policy Forum, hosts the global Catalyst podcast “Breaking with Tradition,” hosts the “Democracy Dialogues” at TMU, and was a Civic Action Diverse City Fellow in 2022. Victoria holds an HBA and a Masters degree from the University of Toronto.
Kathleen Lane
Executive Director, EdCan Network
Kathleen is the Executive Director for the EdCan Network, where she previously served as the Program Director for Well at Work. As the Executive Director, Kathleen provides strategic leadership to the organization, leading the program management and partnership development. She is particularly interested in creating ecosystems where people can flourish and the role of K-12 education in creating a better future for all.
Kathleen studied population health before earning her Master of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia. She managed two cross-campus research projects to understand how the learning environment affects student mental health and wellbeing. Focused on bridging the theory-to-practice gap, Kathleen presented findings from her research into teaching practices that support student learning and wellbeing at the International Conference for Health Promoting Universities and Colleges and developed instructor resources to support the implementation of instructional practices that promote student wellbeing. Over the past several years her work has focused on building management and leadership capacity to support healthy and productive workplaces.
Parisa Mahboubi
Senior Policy Analyst, C.D. Howe Institute
Parisa Mahboubi is a Senior Policy Analyst at the C.D. Howe Institute, where she leads the Institute’s human capital policy program. Her research focuses on social policy, with a particular emphasis on immigration, demographics, skills, education, and labour market issues. She has written extensively on these topics for the Institute, contributing to public policy debates in Canada. In addition to authoring research studies, she regularly contributes op-eds to The Globe and Mail and the Financial Post.
Prior to joining the C.D. Howe Institute in 2016, Parisa worked at the Statistics Canada Research Data Centre, and served as an Instructor and Research Assistant at the University of Guelph while completing her PhD studies. She holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Economics from Shiraz University in Iran, and a Master of Arts and a PhD in Economics from the University of Guelph.
Sharif Mahdy
CEO, Students Commission of Canada
Sharif is the CEO of the Students Commission of Canada (SCC) and the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement. With a career dedicated to serving youth and creating space for them to make positive change, Sharif has been with the SCC since 2010. He leads the organization’s cultural and financial sustainability, strategic vision, and operational excellence. Sharif holds an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University. He is also the Volunteer Chair of the National Alliance of Children and Youth (NACY), a national network dedicated to enhancing the well-being of Canadian children and youth. In addition, Sharif serves on several non-profit boards, including the Catalysts’ Circle (Past Chair), the Child Development Institute (Vice-Chair), and Mentor Canada (Treasurer).
Lissa Matyas
Vice-President of Capacity Building and Innovation, Information and Communication Technology Council (ICTC)
Lissa has over twenty years of executive experience catalyzing national and international partnerships between industry, academia and government to drive global science, technology and innovation and build capacity in emerging technologies. She has built international partnerships with the UN, the World Bank, governments of over 30 countries, university networks and multinational companies.
Lissa is currently the Vice-President of Capacity Building and Innovation at the Information and Communication Technology Council and has held the positions of Vice-President of International Partnerships at Mitacs; Vice-President of Corporate Affairs at the Innovation Asset Collective; Vice-President of Global Government Affairs at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR); President of Science&Tech Collab and Director of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at McGill, among other roles within industry and the not-for-profit space in Canada, the UK and Australia. Lissa has worked directly with Chief Science Advisors, ministers, ambassadors, presidents of national research councils and leaders of Fortune 500 companies on six continents, and has built partnerships with the European Commission, NASA and the World Bank.
Elizabeth McIsaac
President, President, Maytree
Elizabeth is leading Maytree’s work to advance economic and social rights in Canada. She is a dedicated builder and champion for the non-profit sector, with extensive experience in research, teaching, and direct service. Elizabeth has a deep history with Maytree; she previously served as its Director of Policy and was the executive director of one of Maytree’s signature ideas: the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). Before returning to Maytree in 2014, Elizabeth established and led Mowat NFP at the Mowat Centre, University of Toronto, where she conducted and directed research on the challenges facing the non-profit sector. Elizabeth currently serves as the Chair of Making the Shift: A Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab at York University, and as the Chair of the City of Toronto’s Housing Rights Advisory Committee.
Matt McKean
Chief R&D Officer, Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER)
Matthew McKean is BHER’s Chief R&D Officer. He is a member of BHER’s executive team and oversees the organization’s diverse and growing member-driven research and programming agendas. Areas of focus include work-integrated learning (WIL), upskilling/reskilling, international talent recruitment, training, and retention, accessibility and EDI, the transition to net zero, navigating the AI revolution, as well as skills, talent, and the future of work more broadly.
Matthew has authored, co-authored, and directed hundreds of research deliverables, from infographics, briefings, and door-stop reports to podcasts, presentations, and op-eds. He writes, speaks publicly, and is a regular commentator and contributor to media, mostly on skills, talent, and education topics. His writing has appeared in The Globe & Mail, The Toronto Star, The National Post, The Ottawa Citizen, The Hill Times, The Conversation (Canada), This Magazine, Exclaim!, and elsewhere.
Kwame McKenzie
CEO, Wellesley Institute
Dr. Kwame McKenzie is CEO of Wellesley Institute, which works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the Greater Toronto Area. A practicing psychiatrist, he also holds positions as a full Professor at the University of Toronto and as Director of Health Equity at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). As an international expert on the social causes of illness and the development of effective, equitable social policy and health services and systems, Dr. McKenzie has advised health, housing, education and social services ministers in Canada and the U.K. and has authored more than 280 peer reviewed papers and six books. He is a member of Canada’s National Advisory Council on Poverty, Co-Chair of Ontario’s Black Health Plan and Chair of the Board of Community Food Centres Canada. He has also worked as a consultant to the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Dr. McKenzie has been a columnist for The Guardian and The Times and a presenter for BBC Radio, and he is regularly published in the Toronto Star.
Charlotte Moore Hepburn
Medical Director, Child Health Policy Accelerator, SickKids
Dr. Charlotte Moore Hepburn is a faculty paediatrician in the Division of Paediatric Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children, an associate professor of Paediatrics in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto School of Medicine and an adjunct profession at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (iHPME) at the University of Toronto. Having served as the Director of Medical Affairs for the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) and the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) from 2014 – 2022, she is now the Medical Director of the Child Health Policy Accelerator, and the Co-Chair of the Paediatric Expert Reference Group (PERG) at Health Canada.
Ikem Opara
Director of National Learning Partnership, Rideau Hall Foundation
Ikem Opara is the Director of National Learning Partnerships at the Rideau Hall Foundation where he leads the design and delivery of the organization’s commitment to advancing access to learning opportunities for all, across Canada. He has spent the last 20 years engaging public and private sector partners in Canada, Tanzania, Kenya and Cuba, to build relationships and strengthen connections across national, linguistic, cultural and other borders. Following roles at Pathways to Education, Canada World Youth, and Canadian Jesuits International over the years, Ikem subsequently led Ontario Trillium Foundation’s strategy, grant-making and capacity building work with a focus on inclusion, and improved outcomes for Black and Indigenous youth. Ikem lives with his partner and their two extremely curious children in Pickering, Ontario, the home of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island.
Nancy Pynch-Worthylake
Executive Director, Canada School Boards Association
Nancy Pynch-Worthylake has been the executive Director of the CSBA since 2018. Prior to her contract with the CSBA, she served public education throughout Canada as a teacher, administrator, superintendent, Ministry of Education and Early Childhood Development Senior Executive Director, ED of the NS School Boards Association, and university instructor at several universities. Nancy has served on and chaired numerous national boards, has collaborated with Provincial/Territorial and the Canadian government in areas of common priority, and served as part of Canada’s International Development initiatives. Nancy is fluent in French and English and is a champion for equity and social justice, Indigenous and minority languages, and local democratic voice in public education.
Jodie Rawn
Vice-President of People and Culture, UNICEF Canada
Jodie Rawn is the Vice President of People & Culture at UNICEF Canada where she champions inclusive leadership, cultivates talent, and drives organizational excellence as part of the world’s most powerful force for children. A dynamic strategist, facilitator, and people leader, she brings deep expertise in leadership development, strategic planning, change management, and organizational dynamics.
Prior to this, Jodie was Vice President of Activation at CivicAction where she worked across sectors to build inclusive & resilient cities, tackle complex challenges, and empower emerging leaders. She also held progressively senior roles in the Ontario government, focused on communications, strategy, and organizational transformation. Jodie is a Star Metroland Media Urban Hero Award recipient and co-founder of the Hayden’s Hope Foundation which supports pediatric oncology families in Southwestern Ontario.
Jamison Steeve
President & CEO, Metcalf Foundation
Jamison Steeve is the President & CEO of the Metcalf Foundation. Prior to joining Metcalf in 2024, he served as Chief Strategy Officer at the YMCA of Greater Toronto and held senior roles at the Martin Prosperity Institute, the Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity, and the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. He has also held significant roles in the Ontario government, including Principal Secretary to Premier Dalton McGuinty and Chief of Staff to the Minister of Health.
Jamison has taught public policy at both the University of Toronto and McGill University, and he has previously served as a fellow at both the C.D. Howe Institute and the Public Policy Forum. Jamison holds a BA (Honours) and a BEd from Queen’s University, an LLB from Dalhousie University, and is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Jamison’s most important roles continue to be husband to Carolyn, and father to Will and Natalie.
Anjum Sultana
Director of Youth Leadership & Policy Advocacy, Plan International Canada
Anjum Sultana (She/Her) is an award-winning public affairs strategist who works at the intersection of gender equity, youth leadership, and global cooperation.
As a first-generation Canadian, Anjum leverages her expertise in public policy, programming, and board governance to be a catalyst and champion for social impact and economic inclusion in Canada and globally. A convenor and community builder, Anjum has spent the last 15 years advancing equity and access to opportunity for children and youth from diverse communities. With an interest in global affairs, Anjum has lived, worked, and travelled to over 25 countries.
Anjum is the Inaugural Director of Youth Leadership & Policy Advocacy at Plan International Canada, a global development and humanitarian organization focused on children’s rights and equality for girls. Anjum leads Team PLAY (Policy, Leadership, Advocacy, and Youth), a group of passionate change-makers, youth programming specialists, and policy advocates. The team works with young people across Canada to activate their global citizenship and unlock their leadership potential as well as engages in advocacy to influence Canadian and global decision-makers such as parliamentarians, UN agencies, and multilateral institutions.
Siobhan Takala
Programs Director, Youth Climate Lab
Siobhan Takala is a youth and climate justice advocate from Treaty 6 Territory, currently working as the Programs Director at Youth Climate Lab. With a B.Sc. in Environmental Science and Sustainability from Dalhousie University, Siobhan’s approach to climate action is rooted in intersectional, cross-sector approaches. Siobhan has 10 years of experience in youth education and engagement, including as Co-Founder and Co-Director of Let’s Sprout, a youth-led initiative that was dedicated to fostering youth creativity, authentic leadership and environmental education.
Priya Tandon
President, Ontario Mining Association
Priya leads all OMA advocacy activities and represents the association publicly. She is a member of OMA’s Board of Directors and its Executive Committee and provides broad policy guidance to the OMA Chair. Priya joined the OMA following a distinguished career in the public sector. She embarked on public service in 2009 as a legislative assistant in the Minister’s Office at the former Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry, and soon became Chief of Staff to the Ministers of Natural Resources and Northern Development and Mines. She joined the Ontario Public Service as the Director of the Corporate Policy Secretariat at the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines in 2015 and became Director of the Strategic and Indigenous Policy Branch at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in 2020. Priya brings a background in engineering and public policy to the organization.
In addition to her professional achievements, Priya has dedicated much of the last two decades to volunteering as a board member with various charities that offer essential services to her local community, including a focus on marginalized communities. Notable organizations she has supported in governance include Interval House of Hamilton and Casey House. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for her children’s daycare, reflecting her commitment to supporting family-friendly initiatives. Priya lives in Mississauga with her husband and two children.
Perrine Vasseur
Director of Programs and Community Relations at the Québec Philanthropic Foundation
Perrine has been with the Québec Philanthropic Foundation since June 2020, where she coordinates all financial aid programs. She is also responsible for leading the Vital Signs report, which identifies the community’s priority needs in the Capitale-Nationale and Chaudière-Appalaches regions, particularly in sectors such as education.
Before joining the Foundation, Perrine worked in philanthropy at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and completed an international cooperation internship with a non-profit organization in Cambodia.
Academically, Perrine completed part of her studies in France. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Lille and a master’s degree in development studies from the Sorbonne in Paris. She also holds a master’s degree in international relations from Université Laval in Québec.
Heidi Yetman
President, Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF/FCE)
For over two decades, Heidi Yetman has been a passionate advocate for public education, serving as a teacher, activist, and organization leader. In July 2023, Heidi was acclaimed President of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF/FCE), following two successful terms as Vice-President.
Before assuming her national leadership role, Heidi was the President of the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers. She spent 23 years teaching science and visual arts at the high school level in Montréal, where she inspired countless students through her interdisciplinary approach and trademark enthusiasm. Heidi holds a bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Manitoba, a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from Laval University, and in 2018, she completed a master’s degree in art education at Concordia University. Her master’s thesis explored the dynamic intersection between educator, artist, and activist: a reflection of her multifaceted approach to education and leadership. 