A social entrepreneur passionate about workforce development, Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly is Assistant Vice-President of Continuing Studies at York University.
A visionary and bold leader, Tracey reimagined how universities could serve the needs of employers and adult learners and created a revolutionary new model.
The School of Continuing Studies was launched in 2015 and has served to rapidly upskill and reskill recent graduates, adult workers, and international students to fill fast changing and increasing gaps in our workforce and drive economic recovery from the pandemic. The School is a diverse community of ambitious, growth-minded individuals pursuing professional upskilling or academic language preparation programs. By its fifth year, the School had become one of the largest and most award-winning in North America, serving students from across Canada, the USA, and globally.
Tracey is a thought leader and frequent speaker on topics related to the future of work, talent development, and the future of higher education in Canada and around the world.
Recognized for her leadership in these areas, the success of the School, and her response during the pandemic, in 2021 Tracey was honoured with the WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada award and with a Stevie award as the global Female Executive of the Year in the large government and non-profit category.
As a Chartered Director (C.Dir), Tracey is also a Board Director. She is a Board member and committee chair for Achēv, one of Canada’s leaders in developing human capital. She’s served on and led the Board of the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education (CAUCE).
Prior to York University, Tracey held leadership and teaching positions at McMaster University, and worked in the public and consulting sectors. With a passion for learning and performance, Tracey is lifelong and life-wide learner, and is an avid reader, consumer of podcasts and other informal learning, combined with lifelong formal learning.
You can connect with Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly on LinkedIn or Twitter.
2021 Stevie Award – Female Executive of the Year (Large Government & Non-Profit category)
2021 YWCA Hamilton Women of Distinction – Courage of COVID Nominee (Pandemic Innovator category)
2021 WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada award
Christine Brooks-Cappadocia’s nearly thirty-year career has seen her applying an innovation and entrepreneurial lens to causes which benefit society. Prior to becoming the Executive Director, Programs & Partnerships, she served as the School’s Director of Continuing Professional Education and Director, Marketing & Enrolment Management. With the launch of several new programs which help graduates and mid-career professionals thrive in emerging fields, the School’s Continuing Professional Education division is considered among the most innovative in the country and has enjoyed unprecedented enrolment and program growth during her tenure.
Before joining the School of Continuing Studies in 2014, Christine spent six years building and managing the marketing department of McMaster’s Centre for Continuing Education. Christine’s career highlights include supporting the launch of the York University School of Continuing Studies, several programs which are the first of their kind in Canada, launching a foundation to support at-risk youth, the development of the communications department for St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation Hamilton and the management of a high-profile event featuring former US President Bill Clinton and former Ontario Premier Bob Rae.
She has been privileged to serve in several governance roles in non-profit organizations including President and Founding Board Member of the International Association of Business Communicators’ (IABC) Golden Horseshoe chapter, Vice-President of Community Arts Ontario, and Founding Board Member of the Coalition of Ontario Voluntary Organizations.
Christine has earned several awards for marketing from the Association of Healthcare Philanthropists, the International Business Communicators, and the Learning Resources Network (LERN). Christine holds a B.FA from York University and a Master of Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Queens.
Director, International Education & English Language Institute
Dr. Stephen Allen, Ed.D has over 25 years’ experience and a proven track record within the public and private sectors.
Stephen brings education leadership and operations experience in Canadian and global contexts with specific specialities in the development and implementation of international institutional partnerships, program planning, development and renewal with a special focus on hybrid instructional and learning modalities, research and development of innovative programming emphasizing language and workplace essentials skills development and the application of education technologies to support student success. I hold a Doctor of Education in Distance Education focussing on innovative online networked learning systems.
Tamara Dinelle is a senior marketing professional with over 15 years of experience leading go-to-market strategies for global enterprise, start-up, and scale-up organizations. Her accomplishments include the brand launch of Canada’s first values-based bank, leading the Americas marketing launch of a global fintech organization and accelerating growth in the Big Data and Analytics markets through blended marketing, sales-enablement and customer-experience initiatives.
Her experience spans across all marketing disciplines including brand development, content and thought leadership, demand generation and digital marketing. A market builder and natural problem-solver, her approach to market development has been successful through her focus on creating the strongest brand experience for her customers.
Her passion for lifelong learning, global development and working with social enterprises brought her to York University. As Director of Marketing and Communications, she leads the marketing and sales efforts for the School of Continuing Studies, focused on building all demand generation and brand development efforts.
Tamara holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto. An avid volunteer, she has worked on youth development and education initiatives for over a decade. She previously served as a Board Member for Horizons for Youth and led SAS Canada’s CSR initiatives for eight years. A lifelong traveler, she has lived and worked on four continents, and fearlessly explores the world in her spare time.
Michelle Aarons is the Director of Continuing Professional Education at the School of Continuing Studies at York University. She is a leader who successfully builds collaborative, innovative and high-performing teams.
Throughout her years working in the private sector, Michelle held a variety of leadership roles in finance, procurement, sales, and marketing. Strategically exploring and building her experience while extending her knowledge through continuing education, Michelle designed a unique and multi-faceted career path through the values of exploration, lifelong learning, and selflessness.
In 2017, Michelle took a chance with the public sector and found her passion in Continuing Education. Implementing her private sector knowledge and looking at the role with a fresh set of eyes, she was quickly awarded the opportunity to launch a brand new centralized Continuous Learning unit for Ontario Tech University before moving into her current role at York University, in 2022.
Michelle, who holds an HBA from the University of Toronto and a post-graduate certificate from Seneca College, wants to breakdown the perception of institution-based continuing education while, making education accessible for everyone, at every stage of their journey. Michelle is leading by example by taking a next step to pursue a Master’s Degree.
Success will come in different forms and often in unexpected ways; Be open to growth and ready for chance.
