Chief Operating Officer, Bereavement Authority of Ontario
Public Administration, Bachelor of Arts (BA), Specialized Honours 1988

Tell prospective students a bit about the work you do?

I am a senior public sector executive with over 30 years of experience. I recently completed a career with the Ontario Public Service where I worked in a number of ministries and in a variety of roles in finance, policy development, health care, consumer protection, communications, IT planning, and client operations. I was VP of Corporate Relations at the Ontario Realty Corporation (now Infrastructure Ontario), director of the eHealth Program at the Ministry of Health and then finance director at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. I became Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) and Chief Administrative Officer at Municipal Affairs and Housing before moving to the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (now Public and Business Service Delivery) as ADM of Consumer Services Operations, then interim Associate Deputy Minister of ServiceOntario, and finally as ADM of the Enterprise Business Services Division at Ontario Shared Services where I also led the establishment of a province-wide PPE logistics and distribution facility in a week at the start of the pandemic. I also serve on the national audit committee for the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. Having retired from government, I am currently the Chief Operating Officer at the Bereavement Authority of Ontario.

Jim has an Honours B.A. in Public Policy and Administration from York University and a Master of Public Administration from Dalhousie University.

Tell prospective students a bit about how your studies at York helped you to get where you are today.

York's PPA degree was the foundation for both my graduate studies as well as my career in the Ontario Public Service. The courses, texts and professors were all instrumental in this foundation. Staying in touch with classmates has also been helpful as a valued network and it's been wonderful watching PPA alumni progress in their careers.