Public Policy Administration and Law | Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS)

Canada’s most powerful women include 91��ɫ alumni, former faculty

vinish — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 15:52:11 +0000

91��ɫ alumni are among this year’s winners of the Women Executive Network's (WXN) Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards, celebrating leadership and impact across diverse fields. Zeina Ismail (MES '13), an alum of the Graduate Program in Environmental Studies, is an associate vice-president of everyday banking at TD Bank, where she leads acquisition strategies that drive growth through innovation and advice. She also serves on the board of ABC Life Literacy, a non-profit organization that provides programs and resources to help adults improve their financial, digital and health literacy skills. Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano is former associate dean in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. She is currently the provost and vice-president academic and a full professor at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).

The Inaugural MPPAL 2024 Team enters Ontario-wide UofT Policython Competition

vinish — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 20:17:19 +0000

91��ɫ U MPPAL's 2024 Team: Aymen Afzal, Tyson Dimayuga, and Aamina Masood felt privileged to represent the school for the first time in UofT’s Policython 2024 competition, a dynamic four-day in-person policy hackathon! We were tasked with addressing a prominent policy issue within the public health stream: the primary care crisis and the shortage of family doctors in Ontario.

Our team delved into intense research and collaboration in a short amount of time to craft a concise solution within four pages. We presented our recommendations to esteemed industry experts: Natalie Mehra, Dr. Adil Shamji, MPP of Don Valley West, and Jane Zhao.

Despite not winning the top prize, representing 91��ɫ’s SPPA was an invaluable experience and a wonderful learning opportunity. Our heartfelt gratitude extends to our dedicated coaches, Ken Ogata and Ana Kapralos, the SPPA community, and our supportive peers for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout the journey.

_{Left to Right: Tyson Diamyuga,
Aamina Masood and Aymen Afzal.}

MPPAL Students Succeed Through Co-op Experiences!

vinish — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 14:31:00 +0000

Luke Jan

I started the MPPAL program in the fall of 2022 while still working in the private sector. My goal was always to pivot my experience in Risk Management to the OPS utilizing the education gained from the MPPAL Program. As of December 2022, I have been fortunate enough to have been offered a position in the Office of the Chief Risk Officer of the Treasury Board Secretariat as a Risk Analyst. In this role, I will support policy and program development in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) across the OPS along with overseeing its implementation. It is thanks to the MPPAL program that I was prepared to transition to an advisory role that required a level of empathy that aligns with the office's goal of advising on Justice & Social Risk.

Maggie de Barra

I started the MPPAL program in the fall of 2021 while I was still working full time in the private sector. I knew that I wanted to pivot to the public sector eventually, but I was planning to wait until after graduation to start applying for jobs in the OPS. I noticed a job posting that Dr. Couto sent to our class that sounded like a perfect fit for my interests and skills and took a huge leap and applied right before the holidays. I started my co-op position with the Ministry of Education in early January! During my eight months as a Co-op Student, I attended several formal and informal networking sessions and workshops. Towards the end of my second term, I learned of an upcoming vacancy in another Branch through a fellow Co-op Student. In September, I started my new role as the Executive Assistant to the Director of the Skills Development and Apprenticeship Branch. The Co-op program was a great way to get experience working in the OPS, learn new skills, and grow my professional network.

Mitchell Contant

As a co-op student for the Business Supports Unit (BSU), part of the Ministry of Infrastructure (MOI), I worked on program and policy-related projects. Throughout my co-op experience, I learned many data synthesizing and analysis skills, and in 3 short months, this experience led to a full-time offer. Currently, as a program analyst, I evaluate metrics and key performance indicators for Ministry projects, which help optimize and improve MOI’s program trackers. With my willingness to learn and support the BSU team, I have had the opportunity to work on many amazing projects, including ones that have been published on the Ontario Builds website.