Leah Stephenson Email & Phone Number

Strategist who specializes in mentoring adaptive, system leaders; collective impact; plus complexity- and equity-informed organizational and collaborative development. Previous clients include UNAIDS, Oxfam Canada, Ontario AIDS Network, Canadian Mental Health Association -- Ontario Division, Regional Diversity Roundtable, Community Health Ontario, SYN-X.

Toronto, Canada Area

Ontario’s voice for community-governed primary health care, the Alliance champions transformative change to improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities facing barriers to health. - Using complexity-informed theories and techniques, developed and began to implement a Roadmap for Organizational Design and Development

Toronto, Canada Area

- Hired as Manager, Member Services; promoted within one year to Director, Member Services and year after to Director, Policy & Stakeholder Relations; accountable for strategy, planning, implementation and performance management of team resources, human and financial.- Led strategy and team implementation of all policy files. Among successes, joint advocacy led to the addition of health equity, determinants of health and health promotion to the mandate of Local Health Integration Networks in Patients First Act; a budget commitment of $85M for team-based primary health care compensation; $1.3M annualized and $600K one-time for indigenous primary health care information management investments; and a new Community Health Capital Policy that helps build community hubs.- Co-led Board, staff and members strategic planning and change processes, using Appreciative Inquiry (4D Cycle – Discovery Dream Design Destiny and SOAR - Strengths Opportunities Aspirations and Results) and other strengths-based and complexity-informed frameworks. - Nurtured extensive multi-stakeholder collaboration and member networks.- Focused on health equity, particularly Francophone, LGBT, mental health, addictions, rural and Northern, racialized and Indigenous health and healing. As part of this, co-developed the multi-sectoral Rural Health Hubs Framework for Ontario.- As Interim Director of Communications, accountable for delivery of the 2016 Shift the Conversation Conference, including all plenary content, and supporting overall internal and external organizational communications, including crisis communications support.

A literary and arts magazine that published incendiary fiction, prose, poetry, photography, art and editorials from contributors that spanned the globe.

CTAC was Canada’s non-governmental organization led by and for people living with HIV and HIV/HCV co-infection, focused on systemic policy change to improve access to treatments.- Planned, implemented and evaluated advocacy, media and policy engagement campaigns and materials, including a draft position paper entitled “Nobody Left Behind: a Universal Drug Coverage Plan and Model for Canada” involving multi-stakeholder development, national and international environmental scans and econometric modelling- Responsible for operational and project fundraising, including public and private funder relationship management, proposal writing, budget development, monitoring, evaluating and reporting, helping raise over $1.5M in under two years - Managed projects and maintained responsibility for policy files; developed, monitored and evaluated work plans and financials; coordinated, facilitated and administered multi-stakeholder working groups and committees; planned, wrote, implemented, facilitated and evaluated workshops, meetings and skills building events; engaged in knowledge transfer and exchange to diverse audiences- Managed staff

- Advised on women’s policy issues and participated on behalf of CTAC on Coalition for a Blueprint for Action on Women and Girls and HIV/AIDS’ National Steering Committee- Advised on international policy work, including implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reporting for the Rwandan Community Mobilization and Leadership project- Co-wrote and edited media strategies and media materials, including for International AIDS Conferences, International Women’s Day and World AIDS Day; engaged in media outreach; coordinated press conferences; wrangled media on-site; participated on CTAC’s newsletter committee- Coordinated and implemented special events

BMC is a broad-based alliance of organizations and individuals with a shared vision of equitable and consistent access for all Canadians to safe, effective and good quality drugs which improve patient outcomes. As a patient-driven coalition, BMC strives to ensure that Canadian patients have a voice and are meaningful participants in health care policy development. - Coordinated and supported advocacy and policy engagement campaigns, including multi-stakeholder campaigns for BMC’s diverse patient group membership.- Engaged a range of stakeholders, including provincial and federal health care bureaucrats, political staff, politicians, generic and brand pharmaceutical industry, natural health products industry, health professional associations, diverse patient groups.

Master Of Arts (M.A.), Peace & Conflict Studies - Sustainable Peace For The Contemporary World, Summa Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Final Research Paper - On the Back of Big Turtle: Exploring Natural Economic Systems Theory and Positive Peace

Honours Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), English & French Language & Literature, Magna Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Drama Workshop (acting), Original Kids Theatre Company (directing), French Student Council (chair, Education.

Education record

Governor General's Award

Ossd And French Immersion Certificate