Our Board of Advisors

Andrew Parkin

Andrew Parkin is the Director of the Environics Institute for Survey Research, a not-for-profit organization that promotes relevant and original public opinion and social research on important issues of public policy and social change. Andrew has previously held a variety of senior positions including Director of the Mowat Centre, Director General of the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC), Associate Executive Director and Director of Research and Program Development at the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, and Co-Director of the Centre for Research and Information on Canada.

Essyn Emurla

Essyn has over 15 years of experience in the higher education sector, focusing on student services for professional graduate programs. She is currently an Associate Director in the Centre for Professional Skills at Rotman Commerce and formerly led the development and implementation of internship and career development programs for the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. Essyn holds two Master degrees from Central European University in Budapest and the University of Bucharest and speaks four languages. She is on the Advisory Board for the Public Good Initiative, a pro-bono consulting organization run by MPP students, and serves as a mentor to recent immigrants through the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership.

Gillian Mathurin

Ms. Mathurin joined the Munk School in August 2018 as the Director, Strategic Communications and Public Engagement, leading the school’s communications and events teams. Ms. Mathurin has more than 15 years’ experience in non-profit policy, advocacy and communications, most recently at AIDS-Free World and the Stephen Lewis Foundation. As AIDS-Free World’s Director of Communications, she worked on issues of sexual violence, HIV and discrimination, and was instrumental in launching the Code Blue Campaign to end impunity for sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeeping personnel. At the Stephen Lewis Foundation, she worked to raise the profile of grassroots organizations turning the tide of HIV and AIDS in Africa and helped launch the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. She holds an MA in Political Science and began her career at UNICEF headquarters in NYC.

André Côté

André is principal with a mission-driven public affairs consultancy, working with clients in areas ranging from higher education and workforce, to income security and cities. He is also a director on the Board of eCampus Ontario. Previously, he was senior advisor to Ontario’s Deputy Premier and minister for higher education and workforce policies, for Treasury Board, and for digital government. He's also had roles with NEXT Canada, a national non-profit start-up; and with IMFG, a cities-focused research institute at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He is a proud graduate of the Munk School’s Master of Public Policy (MPP) program, and Queen’s University.

Anjum Sultana

Anjum Sultana is an award-winning public policy and strategic communications professional, sought-after media commentator, accomplished public speaker, and published health equity researcher with expertise in gender equity, public health, and civic engagement. Anjum is the National Director of Public Policy & Strategic Communications at YWCA Canada, the country’s largest and oldest gender equity organization. Anjum is the Primary Author and Operations Lead for ‘A Feminist Economic Recovery Plan: Making the Economy Work for Everyone’, the first nationally-focused recovery plan of its kind in the world. The initiative was recently named by Future of Good as one of Canada's Top 100 Recovery Projects. Anjum is an internationally recognized gender equity advocate and has delivered keynotes, lectures, and participated on panel discussions across Canada and globally. Anjum's commentary has been featured in print, TV, radio, and digital platforms including Apolitical,CBC, CityTv, CTV, First Policy Response, Healthy Debate, National Observer, New Canadian Media, NOW Toronto, Public Policy Forum, and TVO. Anjum represented Canada at the 2019 G7 Youth Summit in Paris, France. Anjum is the Founder of Millennial Womxn in Policy, a Founding Advisor with Progress Toronto, a member of several advisory committees and serves as an Executive on the Boards of the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA), Regent Park Community Health Centre and Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA). In 2020, Anjum was named one of Canada's Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability by Corporate Knights as well as selected as a Global Woman of Distinction by the NGO Committee of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Anjum holds a Masters of Public Health from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto where she was selected as a Junior Fellow at Massey College and completed the CIHR Collaborative Program in Public Health Policy. While at the University of Toronto, she served as Executive Director of IMAGINE, an interprofessional student-run medical clinic and health promotion initiative based at Queen Street West Parkdale Community Health Centre.