Alumni Network (YUSPPAAN) | School of Public Policy & Administration

York University School of Public Policy & Administration Alumni Network (YUSPPAAN) is a community of graduates from York University’s School of Public Policy & Administration (SPPA). Our alumnus include public servants from all levels of government and non-profit organizations and private sector leaders. We work closely with our alumnus to promote their achievements and deliver events and programming for professional development opportunities.

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Career Support

Get help with resume and cover letter writing, interview practice and mentoring.

Alumni Recognition

We will showcase your successes and promotions.

Learning and Professional Development

Get help with obtaining admission to conferences and lectures, membership to professional associations and skills upgrade and training.

Events and
Programming

Access to diverse roster of events and job shadowing opportunities.

Partnerships

Have a great idea? Partner with us to bring it to life. We collaborate with public, private, and non profit organizations to give you opportunities.

Meet The Team!

Jenning currently serves as Chair of YUSPPAAN. He is a graduate of both the SPPA's Bachelor of Public Administration and MPPAL programs. During his studies, Jenning was committed to school involvement having served in various volunteer roles including as President of the Graduate Student Association of Public Policy, Administration, and Law. Jenning first joined the Ontario Public Service in 2019 as a coop student during his undergraduate studies and has since held successive roles. His prior portfolios include the Ministry of Health - Pandemic Response and Recovery and the Ministry of the Attorney General - Special Investigations Unit. Most recently, Jenning took on the challenge of joining an Assistant Deputy Minister's OƯice, starting in the summer as Senior Policy Advisor to the ADM for the Red Tape Reduction Division in the Ministry of Red Tape Reduction.

Hi! I delighted to be serving as Vice-Chair of the York University School of Public Policy and Administration Alumni Network (YUSPPAAN). I like to say that I was born and raised at York, having completed my Bachelor’s Degree (iBA in International Studies/Political Science), the MPPAL in 2023 and working for York University for a number of years. Currently, I am a Programs Advisor for the newly formed Indigenous Services Division at Legal Aid Ontario, helping bring to life their plan to better provide access to justice for Indigenous clients in Ontario. Before working at Legal Aid Ontario, I coordinated community projects at York University’s TD Community Engagement Centre, running the Catalyst Grant and developing partnerships to increase access to post-secondary education in the Jane Finch community. I also spent several years in global education, launching award-winning initiatives and securing major federal funding for international learning programs for York University. The community at York has brought me the knowledge, skills, connections, and confidence to implement innovative and impactful change throughout my career. I’m looking forward to my role in YUSPPAAN to continue to nurture this amazing community and help propel others towards their goals.

Gurkamal is currently Director of Finance at YUSPPAAN. He is a graduate of both BPA and MPPAL. Since starting his studies at the SPPA, Gurkamal has held progressively senior roles with the Ontario Legislature Internship Programme, the Town of Aurora, the Ontario Public Service, and now Mitacs where he is the Director of Government Relations and Partnerships.

Hello! My name is Jade Williams. I am the new Vice-Chair of the York University School of Public Policy & Administration Alumni Network (YUSPAAN). This is my second time around on this wonderful team and I am excited for the year ahead of us! YUSPPAAN has gained notoriety over the years in being a great network for organizing relationship building events and mentorship workshops. I would consider myself more than honoured to continue this wonderful trend that has been established. Being a fellow yorkie myself, I understand how important it is to connect past and present students together as it creates the possibility to build meaningful connections and if lucky establish a second home. My first experience in the public sector came in the year 2020 when I became a vaccine representative for the Ontario Health government. What a year that was. It was of course accompanied with the challenges that came with Covid-19. Being in that environment really displayed to me how much people yearned for the opportunity to communicate with other and how we collectively as a society struggled once that opportunity was taken away. This is a lesson learned that we will not forget. Fast-forwarding to the future, I took on more client engaging roles such as being the Event Coordinator for the Business Improvement Area of Cityplace/Fort York, to my current role as a mortgage specialist with First National. I now understand how essential it is to create communication avenues and to foster growth in relationships once they are built. I plan to do my best to bring this knowledge and experience to YUSPPAAN.

I currently serve as the Director of Memberships and Partnerships for the York University School of Public Policy & Administration Alumni Network (YUSPPAAN). As a proud recent graduate of the Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law (MPPAL) program, Class of 2025, and having held the role of Director of Stakeholder and Events for the Graduate Students' Association of Public Policy, Administration and Law (GSAPPL) (2024–2025), I’m excited to continue contributing to the vibrant SPPA community. I work as a Lead, Performance Measures and Analytics within the Enterprise Data Stewardship Division at the Ministry of Public Business Services Delivery and Procurement. My role involves partnering with senior executives across the enterprise to design and develop interactive Power BI dashboards that showcase ministry outcomes and performance. I also lead research and analysis initiatives that inform the creation and implementation of performance measures and data standards across the ministry. In addition to my professional and academic engagements, I am honored to serve on the Board of Directors for IPAC Toronto – Institute of Public Administration of Canada. I look forward to collaborating with an incredible team and our inspiring alumni network as we continue to share experiences, foster professional growth, build meaningful connections, and celebrate the many achievements of our esteemed SPPA community.

I have joined the York University School of Public Policy and Administration Alumni Network (YUSPPAAN) as Director of Events and Programming for the 2025-26 academic year! As a recent graduate of York University in 2024 with an Honours Bachelor of Public Administration specialization in Management, joining YUSPPANN was an easy choice to make, as it allows me to give back to a program that has given me so much. The School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) provided me with so many wonderful opportunities during my undergrad years, with the many great networking events to participate in that helped me build my professional network, and the wide selection of experiential learning courses that helped prepare me for the work world, such as the Practicum in Public Administration and Program Evaluation. I credit the SPPA for helping prepare me for the workplace, where I have worked at York University for the past three years at the Bridging Program for Internationally Educated Professionals. I currently work for the program as a Student and Alumni Coordinator, where I have been directly supporting the students of our Foundation Program with both academic and career support. I am excited to participate in SPPA’s alumni network to give back to the community that was such a vital part in preparing me for my career journey. I look forward to collaborating with this amazing team to help support the many great events scheduled this year for our current and incoming undergraduate and graduate students!

Tyson Dimayuga Jr. is the Director of Communications for the York University School of Public Policy and Administration Alumni Network (YUSPPAAN). Since immigrating to Canada from the Philippines in 2016, he has built a diverse career in the non-profit, banking, and healthcare sectors. He currently works as an Information Officer at the Ontario Ministry of Education. He founded the SIBOL Filipino Canadian Pride Network, a community organization that supports 2SLGBTQIA+ Filipinos in Toronto. His leadership work earned him York University’s Dr. Kenneth McBey Graduate Fellowship in Management award in 2024. Tyson holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Santo Tomas–Manila, a Diploma in Business Administration–Marketing from McMaster University, and a Master’s in Public Policy, Administration, and Law from York University (2025). During his graduate studies, he served as First-Year Representative and later as Director of Social Media and Communications for the Graduate Students' Association of Public Policy Administration and Law (GSAPPAL), where he strengthened the school’s digital presence and expanded opportunities for student engagement and networking.

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