September 2015

Tracey K. Robertson159 Dalecroft Place

Waterloo, On N2T 2T1519-886-9238

TraceyRobertson17@gmail.com

CURRICULUM VITAE

HIGHLIGHTS OF ACHIEVEMENTS:

10 years of experience fueling social innovation in both the practical and academic areas. I have expertise in both theoretical and real world situations to facilitate system-wide change.

I hold a Master of Social Work Degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation from the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience, University of Waterloo.

12 years of experience as a university instructor within the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University and at other academic institutions. I teach community interventions and social entrepreneurship to future Social and Community Workers. In partnership with MaRS Solution Lab at the MaRS Discovery District, I have incorporated design thinking and change lab methodologies within the course with a special focus on youth unemployment.

Engineered a grassroots community change initiative in partnership with Banny Banerjee, Senior Research Engineer of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, Stanford University and the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience, University of Waterloo. This resulted in new methods for experimentation, prototyping new ideas, and convening spaces for community action, using a laboratory model.

23 years of experience in philanthropy with regional, provincial and national granting foundations. Extensive experience designing and implementing outcome-based community investment strategies. Responsible for grant administration management of over $5 million annually and detailed financial and organizational analysis and evaluation processes for Canada’s largest public Granting Foundation.

Led and designed a large scale system change project with five large children and mental health community organizations, two school boards and five marginalized communities. This resulted in the first community integrated children’s service system in Guelph and Wellington County.

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

2014-present Part-time faculty, Renison University College, Social Development Studies Program, University of Waterloo

Designed the undergraduate curriculum and currently teach the Community Interventions course with a specific focus on child poverty, youth homelessness and marginalized and racialized communities.

2012-present Part-time faculty, Master of Social Work, Social Entrepreneurship, Wilfrid Laurier University

Designed joint curriculum with Wilfrid Laurier’s School of Business and Economics Entrepreneurship Launch Pad program for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation.

Utilized and adapted the Business Canvas Model to reflect the social and ecological frameworks that are more relevant to the social service system.

In 2015, I redesigned the social entrepreneurship course in partnership with MARS Solution Lab in Toronto, a public and social innovation lab that tackles complex societal challenges that requires system change. Co-designed a design lab for 10 students on a deeper dive into youth unemployment in order to better address social and environmental problems affecting poor and vulnerable youth populations.

This curriculum design was recommended to the Dean of the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University and a design lab for social change and social innovation was adapted and pitched for the first time to future educators for 2015-2016 academic year.

2010 Part-time instructor, Honours B.A. Leadership Program, Youth Community Leadership, Brantford Campus, Wilfrid Laurier University

The social change model of leadership for students and academia was used from Central Michigan University

2005-present Part-time instructor, Master of Social Work, Community Interventions, Social Policy and Marginalized Neighbourhood Development, Wilfrid Laurier University

2005 Course developer and instructor, Certificate in Human Services Organizational Development, Leadership and System Change, Wilfrid Laurier University

1995-1998 Practicum Supervisor, Master of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Toronto

1990-1992 Instructor “Stay in School Program for at-risk youth” Waterloo Region School Board

ACADEMIC ADVISOR/MENTORING

2015 Core Team Advisor, Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Recode Project Advisory Team, Faculty of Arts, Wilfrid Laurier University.

2013-present Advisory Committee Member-Business and Health and Social Services, Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.

2012 Advisor, Waterloo Community Social Innovation Hub student project, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, Stanford University.

2011 Community Faculty Advisor, Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience (WISIR), Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo.

Co-led a series of cross -disciplinary sessions on introducing design methodologies for greater systemic change and deeper social impact.

2011 Advisor, Master of Business Administration student team, Business Administration, Wilfrid Laurier University.

Teen pregnancy and design thinking, which resulted in a design thinking methodology for engaging youth in solving problems.

2006- 2008 Curriculum Committee, Master of Social Work Program, Social Work Department, Wilfrid Laurier University.

2005-2007 Committee Member, Institute for Community Service Learning, Wilfrid Laurier University.

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2014-Present Ontario Trillium Foundation (Canada’s Largest Public Funder for the voluntary Sector), Strategic Lead for Prosperous

Led the implementation of internal and external knowledge development and knowledge sharing initiatives around child and family poverty, youth homelessness, unemployment and entrepreneurship.

Refined theory of change and strategy to enhance economic well-being for citizens of Ontario.

Content expert responsible for advancing the knowledge in the sector and building relationships across the province that will support the delivery of the Foundation's strategic goals.

Works collaboratively with colleagues from across the Foundation to develop and deliver initiatives to share and apply results and knowledge arising from research in related subject matter areas.

Participant in designing impact assessment survey tools for assessing impact in prosperous action area strategy.

2012- 2014 Ontario Trillium Foundation, Strategy lead for Innovation Recognized knowledge expert on social innovation and social enterprise for the

Foundation. Delivered ten presentations and three consultations throughout the province on how we invest in innovation.

Developed action areas and priorities for the new investment strategy for the Foundation based on the Canadian Index of Well-being, University of Waterloo. (A national index for measuring community well-being).

Designed strategies and mechanisms and a framework that supported innovative investment practices. This resulted in an Innovation Spectrum that identified the conditions from which innovation can occur.

Engineered a broad scale staff, volunteer and board consultation on the innovation and social enterprise agenda for the foundation.

2012-2013 Ontario Trillium Foundation, Program Lead for Future Fund Spearheaded Future Fund program that resulted in $5 million allocated to 13 highly

innovative and strategic initiatives for young social entrepreneurs across the province.

Created and orchestrated a ground-breaking provincial design lab for over 80 youth, social entrepreneurs, educators, venture capitalists, government officials and designed province-wide pitch sessions, a Board committee engagement strategy and a peer coaching process.

This high engagement design model leveraged $5 million from the Ministry of Youth Child Services for the delivery of at-risk Youth program which was implemented in 5 marginalized communities across Toronto.

2009-2010 Tides Canada Foundation, System Community Entrepreneur (6 month leave) Engineered and originated an innovative community-wide engagement initiative

with a multi-disciplinary team of educators, business leaders, community and corporate funders and venture capitalists to support innovation, creativity and continuous learning for the non- profit sector.

Established a Research and Development initiative leveraging $350,000 in new funds from funders to support social enterprises in the community.

Brought a systems perspective by acting between spaces and taking a high level view to connect broader individuals, groups and innovations, and facilitate synergies across sectors in Waterloo Region.

2005-2006 Ontario Trillium Foundation, Senior Analyst and Project Lead Led a provincial “Granting for Impact” project to understand the effectiveness of

our $100 million investments into building the capacity of the voluntary sector which resulted in an assessment framework to measure community and organizational capacity.

Participated in an advisory/working group of internal staff and an external advisory group representing thought leaders from the USA and across Canada.

1998-2012 Ontario Trillium Foundation, Regional Program Manager Successfully managed the investment and decision making process for the effective

distribution of $5million annually to over 480 arts and culture, social services, sports and recreation, and environmental initiatives and organizations; annual targets met within specific timelines.

Liaised and provided leadership to an 18 member volunteer review team, a small consultative team and established strong working relationships with government officials, academics and business leaders in the design and implementation of creating more effective and resilient organizations across the country.

1995 – 1998 Canadian Living Foundation, Eaton’s National Director of Programs

Engineered and implemented a pan-Canadian Community Partners Program to support region-wide child nutrition programs. This program established five Canadian Living Provincial Boards and one in the Yukon Territory. Over 1500 nutrition programs were created, reaching over 10,000 aboriginal children in impoverished and remote areas of the Territory.

Successfully managed a national grants program of over $2.5million annually to 500 child nutrition programs; met government targets within specified deadlines; and supervised small complement of staff.

Led the implementation of 12 Community Partner Programs throughout five provinces, working with a cross -disciplinary team that represented business, education, health and community partners. One became the first Provincial Board for the Foundation. The program created over 110 child nutrition programs across Canada supporting over 3000 children.

1991 – 1995 Guelph- Wellington United Way Social Planning Council, Director of Social Planning

Successfully project-managed the restructuring of six children and youth health, social and educational organizations, amalgamated administrative and management structures, integrated and streamlined services and departments, and redeployed staff resources to deliver significant costs savings and increased client/consumer accessibility

Designed and implemented an outcome -based evaluation tool to increase consumer participation from marginalized communities which resulted in a more responsive children’s service system

EDUCATION

2011-2012 Social Innovation Graduate DiplomaInstitute for Complexity and Resilience, University of Waterloo(received sponsorship from The J.W. McConnell Foundation)

2010 Human Centred Design Master Certificate, Stanford Innovation Masters’ SeriesHasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, Stanford University

2008-2010 The Co-Active Coach Training ProgramCoaching certificate (3 of 4 modules completed)

1989-1991 Master of Social Work, Community and Organizational Development and Social Policy

Wilfrid Laurier University

1986-1988 Bachelor of ArtsUniversity of Western Ontario, King’s College

1980-1982 Developmentally Handicapped Councillor DiplomaFanshawe College

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

2015

(In progress) A Citizen-led Approach to Measuring and Enhancing Community Well-being within Ontario’s Headwaters Region; in The International Handbook of Community Well-being. Joint publication of University of Manchester and Purdue University.

2010

“A Kaleidoscope of Community Innovation: Designing Community Impact in the Waterloo Region.”(Dianna Denton & Tracey Robertson) The Philanthropist 23(3) 283-301.

MANUALS/GUIDES

2011

“How to Guide” Design Community Solutions, Hasso Plattner School of Design, Stanford University. Also initiated and led design of a community innovation hub with the design thinking students which resulted in comprehensive How-to Guide for establishing a pop-up lab for Waterloo Region.

2005

“Building Capacity, Granting for Impact.” Research Report for the Ontario Trillium Foundation, April 2005.

1999

“National Community Partners Manual for Child Nutrition” Canadian Living Foundation, Toronto, Ontario

WORKING PAPERS

2013

“Investing in Innovation, a Conceptual Framework for Strategic Investment” Ontario Trillium Foundation, March 20132012

“A New Lens for Philanthropy: Using Design Thinking as a Tool to Tackle tough Social Problems” University of Waterloo, Diploma in Social Innovation, March 2012.

2011

“How Do We Build a Culture of Innovation for our Non-Profit Sector that Will Have Greater Transformational Impact?” Case Study, University of Waterloo, Diploma in Social Innovation, September 2011.

“Empathy, a Driver for Change” University of Waterloo, Diploma in Social Innovation, October 2011.

PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS

Pitch Judge, Canadian Association for Social Enterprise, London, Ontario, June 2015.

Presenter, Provincial Conference for Food Banks, May 2015.

Pitch Judge, Youth and Entrepreneurship, Communitech, March 2015.

Designed workshop and Presented- “Community and Citizen Engaging”at national conference, Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement, Kitchener, 2014.

Presenter- “What’s in the Water in Waterloo” Presentation for Philanthropic Foundations of Canada Conference, Toronto, 2011.

Presenter- “An Innovative Funder’s Experience”, Community Foundations of Canada, 2010.

Presenter – “Investing in Innovation: Leadership in the Public Sector”, University of Guelph, 2009.

Keynote speaker –“ Investing in Organizational Capacity” Managing Accountability & Risk for Grants & Contributions the Canadian Institute, Ottawa, Workshop, October 2005.

Presenter –“Organizational Capacity Building” Joint Conference on Capacity for Impact of the Alliance for Non-profit Management and the National Council of Non-profit Associations, Chicago, July 2005.

Panel member –“Building Organizational Capacity”Strengthening the Volunteer Sector’s Voice in Public Policy Dialogue, Carleton University, September 2005.

VOLUNTEER SECTOR EXPERIENCE

2012- Present Council Member, AScent Youth Social Entrepreneurship Program Advisory Council

Communitech, Waterloo, Ontario

2011- Present Thought Leader and Advisor - Vibrant Communities CanadaTamarack Institute for Community Engagement

2012-Present Committee Member, Neighbourliness Community of PracticeTamarack Institute of Community Engagement

2010-2012 Committee Member - National Human Resources Council,Government of Canada, HR policy committee

2009 Committee Member, Social Finance Sub-Committee, Opportunities for Social Entrepreneurship

MARS Discovery District

2008-2010 Committee MemberNational literacy Advisory Council, Ottawa Ontario

2008- 2010 Youth Advisory Council on Youth Engagement Ontario Trillium Foundation Received Committee Innovation Award for the report

2007 - 2008 Member, SKIPPY Federal Grant Committee for Homelessness Regional Municipality of Waterloo