Public Policy at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy | University of Toronto

We are delighted to announce the appointment of three new Fellows at the School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto.

Donna Dasko is one of Canada’s best known and respected pollsters. During her career as Senior Vice-President of Environics Research Group Ltd, she took a leadership role in bringing opinion analysis to bear on some of this country’s most important public policy and communications issues. Working primarily with public-sector clients, she led major research studies in areas including federal and provincial budget priorities, the economy, national unity, political choice, health care, health promotion, and tobacco control. She is a leader in developing election polling and media-sponsored polling. She developed the Globe-Environics Poll and led the CBC- Environics polling program for federal elections and feature polling assignments from 1993 to 2008. She is co-founder and Past National Chair of Equal Voice, a national non-partisan organization dedicated to electing more women to public office in Canada. In December 2015 she founded the Campaign for an Equal Senate for Canada, pressing for a gender-equal Senate. She has served as director of several non-profit organizations. Dasko will be joining the School of Public Policy and Governance as a Fellow for the coming year.

Joseph Pennachetti’s storied career in municipal public service spans about four decades. He became Toronto’s Chief Financial Officer in 2002 and City Manager in 2008 where he was responsible for the city’s budget until his retirement in 2014. Of his many accomplishments at the City of Toronto, Pennachetti developed the city’s strategic plan for 2014-2018 in order to build on the city’s key achievements from the previous decade, advancing City Council’s vision, mission, and goals for years to come. Under his leadership, the City of Toronto was – and continues to be – recognized internationally for quality, innovation and efficiency in delivering public services and is among the highest ranked cities for tax competiveness, business investment, labour attractiveness and livability. Prior to joining the City of Toronto, Pennachetti held senior positions in the regional municipalities of York and Durham and spent ten years at the City of Edmonton. In November 2015 he joined the University of Toronto as executive adviser to the Global Cities Institute and the World Council on City Data. Pennachetti will be joining the School of Public Policy and Governance as a Senior Fellow.

Sean Speer is a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and he has previously served in different roles for the federal government, including as special advisor to the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper and director of policy to the Minister of Finance. In 2012 Speer was selected as one of the top 100 most influential people in government and politics by The Hill Times and he has written extensively about federal policy issues, including personal income taxes, government spending, social mobility, and economic competiveness. Speer will be joining the School of Public Policy and Governance as a Fellow for the coming year.

We are delighted to have such distinguished policy practitioners become a part of the School community. We look forward to their participation in events, in student learning and mentorship, and in public outreach and engagement activities.