I work as a Policy Development Officer at the City of Toronto. Within the Poverty Reduction Strategy Office, my policy work focuses on equitable service access and mobility justice and I manage the Fair Pass Transit Discount Program. Prior to becoming a municipal public servant, I worked in Toronto's non-profit sector as the Campaigns Director of an environmental justice organization. I have 20 years of work experience in the health and environmental fields. My expertise is in policy change, advocacy and community organizing, government relations, public communication, and project management. I have also honed my skills in coordination, partnerships, innovative research, adult education & training, facilitation and public speaking.I have international, multi-city and local work experience and professional training in cultural awareness and diplomacy, anti-oppression, and partnership brokering. I've been involved in leadership initiatives since my teens but most recently as a member of the Atkinson Foundation's Power Lab, the Toronto Community Benefits Network, and the Metcalf Foundation's Toronto Sector Skills Academy.I'm a two-time University of Toronto alumni with an M.Ed in Adult Education and Community Development and a B.Sc Honours Degree in Environmental Science. My lived experience of poverty may be why I'm still paying off my student loans, but it's also what gives me my drive and determination to see systemic changes happen in my lifetime.