Colleges Ontario 2009 Conference

Janet L. Ecker has a proven track record of accomplishment inside and outside government in public policy and public affairs. A former Ontario finance minister, she managed some of the toughest files at Queen’s Park from social services and education, to economic policy and public-private partnerships.

With experience as a communicator, civil servant, policy director and political adviser, Ecker works effectively with elected officials of all political stripes. Her expertise in strategic communications and “what flies” in the public and political policy world give her an intimate knowledge of how to communicate and work effectively with government decision-makers.

After leaving political life, she joined the law firm of LeDrew Laishley Reed as adviser. In June 2007, she joined the project and change management firm, Tramore Group, as their adviser on public policy, governance and public-private sector relationships. She is also president of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance, a public-private partnership created by Toronto and the financial sector to promote the region’s financial services industry.

The chair of the Rouge Valley Health System, she sits on a number of corporate and non-profit boards, is a former fellow with the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University, and is also a frequent public speaker and media commentator. In 2002, she became the first woman to deliver a budget in Ontario. She received a Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award from the Women’s Executive Network and the Richard Ivey School of Business in 2003. She is also a member of the Advisory Committee for Equal Voice, a national, multi-partisan organization working to elect more women.

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