Advisory council
The GII Advisory Council is composed of key stakeholders involved in the strategic planning for the program. Council members are involved on a voluntary basis as advisors for the program.
Ariana is Executive Director at the Munk School. She is responsible for the School’s administrative staff and business operations. She supports the implementation of new programming, external partnerships and special projects.
Richard Cook
Richard teaches Geography at the University of Toronto Schools and is the school’s Director of Global Citizenship Programs. He has supervised UTS student GII teams since 2018 and has also worked with the Rotman I-Think program to lead UTS Summer Innovation camps.
Leanne Foster
Leanne Foster is Principal at University of Toronto Schools. As Head of School at Trafalgar Castle, in Whitby, Ontario over the past seven years, she achieved great success building the academic program, and worked tirelessly to reinforce the school’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and giving all Trafalgar students the opportunity, platform and learning to allow them to achieve their goals. A dedicated and experienced educator, Dr. Foster’s career in teaching and consulting has taken her from kindergarten classrooms to university lecture halls to government ministries, working in both public and independent schools, as well as the private sector.
Kathleen is the Senior Director of MaRS Corporate Innovation. She leads a team focused on creating sustainable economic relationships between Canadian ventures and medium-large corporates. She was also the Director of the Global Ideas Institute from 2014-2021.
Kristen is the Director of Programs at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. She provides strategic direction, oversight, and professional development services for the Master of Global Affairs and Master of Public Policy programs.
David is an Associate Professor at the Ontario Institute For Studies In Education (OISE). As a teacher educator, he actively supports global citizenship education, community-engaged learning and school-based initial teacher education.
Alexandra is Director, Undergraduate Programs and Student Experience at the Munk School.
Joseph is the founder of the Global Ideas Institute, Vice-President International at the University of Toronto, and the Roz and Ralph Halbert Professor of Innovation at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, where he also founded the Reach Alliance
Program Team 2023-2024
Each year, a new cohort of students from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy direct the program year at the Global Ideas Institute guided by our Advisory Council.
Zach Johnston
Zach is the Director of the Global Ideas Institute and an alumnus of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, where he graduated with a Masters of Global Affairs. He is also an Analyst at 2048 Ventures, a pre-seed and seed stage fund investing in next generation platforms. Prior to joining 2048 Ventures, Zach was an Associate Director at the Creative Destruction Lab, where he managed operations for its Quantum, Blockchain and Commerce startup accelerator programs.
Yashree Sharma
Yashree is the Operations Manager for GII. She is in her second year in the Masters of Global Affairs program at the Munk School. She completed my Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Minnesota and worked in Minnesota for a couple of years before pursuing her masters degree. She currently works in the Policy and Advocacy team at Engineers without Borders. Fun Fact- she grew up in Dubai, UAE, and can speak, read and write in Arabic along with being fully fluent in English and Hindi.
Anukriti Randev
Anukriti is a student in the Masters of Global Affairs program at Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto. She completed her undergraduate at Symbiosis Law School, Pune with a bachelor's in Arts and Law and has specialized in Public International Law. She is currently working as a Data and Policy Analyst Intern with the Managing Director’s office at WES. She has previously interned under the judge at the Supreme Court of India and has collaborated with various NGOs and think tanks to improve the status of civil rights in the country. In addition to her professional endeavours, Anukriti is a certified yoga teacher and an avid traveler with a passion for immersing herself in different cultures and cuisines.
Abeer Sabz Ali
Abeer is the Mentor Program Manager at the Global Ideas Institute. She is in the second year of her Masters in Global Affairs. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts with a major in Political Science and double minors in Women's Studies and Social Justice & Inclusive Communities. Her interests lie within the realm of human rights, global development policies, education, and gender equality which was shaped by her undergraduate journey. She works for Transport Canada as a policy advisor, and for a United Nations Foundation Campaign serving as the regional leader in charge of all Canadian clubs.
Vicky Zhou
Vicky is a Toronto-based author, community advocate, content creator, and a master's student of public policy at Munk School. She is currently a co-op policy analyst at the Ontario Ministry of Finance where she is researching housing security and policies. In 2021, she published a book titled Through My Eyes: Exploring the World While Being Asian. The book ranked as the #1 New Release of Asian American Studies on Amazon Books. Being able to foster a sense of community and empower cultures is what keeps Vicky going. She actively engages with several not-for-profit and community initiatives.