Janet Hope, an assistant deputy minister at the Ministry of Long-Term Care, is joining Colleges Ontario as the new vice-president of policy and innovation.
"This is an incredibly important time to be joining the organization," said Hope, who starts on Oct. 18. "The expertise that students acquire at Ontario's colleges will be key to the province's economic recovery.
"I'm looking forward to working with the colleges and engaging in the important advocacy work that ensures the college system continues to evolve and grow stronger."
Hope brings more than 30 years of public sector and policy experience to the position, including a number of senior roles in the Ontario government.
Since October 2019, she has served as an assistant deputy minister with the Ministry of Long-Term Care. In that role, she built a dedicated policy function for the newly formed ministry and provided leadership on the ministry's modernization agenda for long-term care.
Hope's past experience also included serving as the director of the colleges branch at the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
Her team's accomplishments included introducing a new legislative framework for colleges, developing the key performance indicators for colleges that have been in place for more than two decades and introducing the four-year degree programs at colleges.
Driven by the challenge of making a difference in the lives of Ontarians, she has extensive experience with policy development and implementation across a range of social and economic policy fields. This includes her work as an assistant deputy minister with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, where she developed and implemented successive housing strategies and innovations to address homelessness.
Hope, a graduate of McMaster University and the University of Waterloo, has also been director of municipal finance policy with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and strategic planning and policy with the Ministry of Community and Social Services.
"Janet is a tremendous addition to our Colleges Ontario team," said Linda Franklin, the president and CEO of Colleges Ontario. "Her passion, leadership and policy skills will help ensure colleges are at the forefront of the new innovation economy."
