A seasoned specialist in education policy and initiatives, Fiona Deller has spent much of her career conducting research and evaluation, creating and designing programs related to student equity, educational pathways, teaching and learning, and skills development. She brings her strong experience of operational development to her role as Future Skills Centre’s Strategic Advisor.

As a member of the executive management team, Fiona plays an essential role in bringing to life FSC’s strategy to strengthen Canada’s skills development ecosystem. She oversees FSC’s day-to-day activities, plans and procedures, and will lead the operations as the Centre continues fostering new approaches to skills development and job training.

Fiona has a background in stakeholder and government relations and strategic operations at a variety of different government agencies. Most recently, she was the senior executive director at the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) and prior to this held a senior management position with the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC). She has also worked for the Ontario and federal governments. Additionally, Fiona taught program evaluation and performance measurement for 8 years at Ryerson University. Fiona is passionate about designing practical solutions that meet students’ needs, and creating an accessible, user-friendly educational ecosystem.

I am excited to join the Future Skills Centre at such a pivotal time. The Future Skills Centre plays an essential role in our professional skills ecosystem by facilitating the collaboration between government agencies, learning institutions, businesses and local communities. It is also committed to encouraging new initiatives to develop skills training across Canada. I am looking forward to contributing to this momentum as our partners and ourselves work to bring new professional learning opportunities to Canadians.

Fiona holds a BA and MA in History from McGill University, and a PhD from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto in the field of higher education theory and policy.