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Professional Approach and Philosophy

My passion is in understanding and improving how public- and private-sector policy decisions actually get made—and what that means for how institutions navigate complex governance environments

My work has taught me that traditional approaches to policy engagement often miss the most important dynamics; no textbook or weekend seminar can capture the immense pressures and consequences senior decision-makers must weigh in moments of crisis or transformation.

In consistently reflecting on the lessons I have learned in every role I have occupied, I began to develop a tripartite expression of how and under what circumstances I have had my most proud and impactful achievements. Over time, these three archetypes became a core component of how I operate:

• Institutional code-breaking
• Consensus architecture
• Future-state engineering

Fortunately, these three archetypes or mindsets also happen to be especially relevant and applicable to the most critical areas of any organization’s health and prosperity:

Professional Journey

The journey of discovering these archetypes began with undergraduate studies in Political Science at the University of Western Ontario, where I graduated with Distinction in 2012. This academic foundation led me to the London School of Economics, where I earned my MSc in Politics and Government in the EU, focusing on comparative regional integration initiatives.

My academic interests in comparative institutional analysis culminated in my PhD in Political Science from Western University in 2016. My dissertation, “Atlantic Drift: American and Supranational Think-Tanks in Comparison,” examined, across vastly different institutional environments, how policy ideas transfer between private, ideological interests and the governments they seek to influence.

This research experience extended into practical application within Canada’s think tank environment, including at the Canada West Foundation, C.D. Howe Institute, and Ontario Centre for Workforce Innovation.

At the invitation of the Premier’s Office, I transitioned into government service where I spent over four years in senior political and policy roles within the Ontario government. As Director of Policy and then Chief of Staff to a Minister of Education and two Presidents of the Treasury Board, I managed teams of 20-35+ team members while overseeing policy development and implementation for some of Canada’s largest public sector operations.

Following my government service, I joined PwC Canada’s Government and Public Sector team, where I built a successful practice focused on right-sizing and rationalizing the government’s physical footprint, while simultaneously advising on some of the most sensitive—and impactful—digital transformation initiatives. I was proud to join this mission-led team, and equally proud to have exceeded my business development targets by over 300%.

While I intended to remain at PwC Canada, a personal outreach and recruitment from the CEO of Supply Ontario led me back into the official government fold, now from the perspective of a senior leader at a nascent government agency. While building my team and establishing table-stakes policy infrastructure for a new government agency, I was tasked with developing the policy frameworks, strategic imperatives, and cost-avoidance opportunities for an agency that manages over $30 billion in annual public sector procurement.

I am proud to have earned the trust necessary to fulfill these roles, and have been equally fortunate to have had the latitude to build, sustain, and develop unified, mission-driven teams. It is with the support of incredible colleagues that I have had the opportunity to:

• Lead the development of a government agency’s first Strategic Plan, in addition to accountability for an annual business planning process for ~$200M OpEx;

• Build a public sector consulting practice based on a discerning understanding of government priorities and private-public business development opportunities;

• Champion innovative approaches to workforce re-skilling in a volatile resource-based economy, since embraced by government and private sector alike;

• Oversee the operation and strategizing of multiple cabinet ministers’ political offices as Chief of Staff, including leadership roles in the development of provincial expenditure management, crisis preparation, and standardizing enterprise-wide key performance indicators.

Academic Contributions

• Think Tanks in the US and EU: The Role of Policy Institutes in Washington and Brussels (Routledge, 2018)
• Handbook on Think Tanks in Public Policy (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2021)

My research has been translated into Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and other languages, and I have contributed to a multitude of policy research reports and presentations for organizations focused on workforce innovation, special interest advocacy, and institutional change.