December 23, 2015
Matthew Mendelsohn will be leaving his position as Director of the University of Toronto’s Mowat Centre. The founding director of the public policy think tank at the School of Public Policy & Governance [SPPG] will be stepping down in January 2016 to take up a position as Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Results and Delivery) in the Privy Council Office with the federal government.
William Forward will be assuming the position of Interim Director for Mowat. A Fellow at the School of Public Policy and Governance, Forward is also a former Deputy Minister with the Ontario government.
“Under Matthew’s leadership, the Mowat Centre has quickly become one of Canada’s premier policy think tanks,” said SPPG Interim Director, Linda White. “He’s made an invaluable contribution, both to the University of Toronto and to the School of Public Policy & Governance. I’m confident he’ll continue to make a difference to Canadian public policy.”
“The work of the Mowat Centre has had a real impact at both the provincial and federal levels,” said Forward. “The management team and I will ensure that the Centre continues to produce the high-quality, evidence-based research it has become well-known for.”
“Building and leading the Mowat Centre has been a true joy. I will always be grateful for having had this opportunity and thankful to the talented people with whom I have worked,” said Mendelsohn. “The decision to leave was not easy, but I am looking forward to returning to the federal public service and continuing to work on Canada’s big public policy challenges.”
According to White, a formal search for a permanent Mowat Centre Director will begin in the new year.
