Denise Cole

Principal, Toronto

denise@strategycorp.com

Having worked in key areas of the federal, provincial and municipal governments for almost two decades, Denise is a proven strategist in the public policy field. She has extensive experience managing diverse multi-faceted projects and has developed a reputation for being "a tow truck for stuck intentions".

Before joining StrategyCorp, Denise served as Director of Policy in the Office of the Premier of Ontario, a position she held from December 2000 to April 2002. As Director of Policy, she provided the Premier with political and policy advice on all matters destined for Cabinet and was instrumental in ensuring that the government's priorities were realized and that key legislation was implemented.

Denise's positions in government have been varied: Chief of Staff to the Ontario Minister of Education; Chief of Staff to the Ontario Minister of Community & Social Services; Executive Assistant, External Liaison, Office of the Premier of Ontario; Special Advisor to the Mayor of the City of Toronto; Deputy Director, Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies; Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Office of the Prime Minister of Canada; Special Assistant, Social Policy, Office of the Prime Minister of Canada; Executive Assistant & Policy Advisor to the federal Minister Responsible for the Status of Women and federal Minister of State (Privatization & Regulatory Affairs), and Special Assistant to the federal Minister of State (Finance).

Denise has also worked in the private sector as the Vice President, Ontario Region with the Canadian Soft Drink Association (CSDA), the association for the soft drink industry.

Community involvement is important to Denise and she has extensive experience with numerous volunteer and community organizations. In recognition of Denise's community service, she was a recipient of the Governor General's Commemorative Medal on the 125th Anniversary of the Canadian Confederation in 1992. Also in 1992, the Federal Government of Canada appointed Denise a member of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women. In June 2003, she was appointed a member of the Ontario Women's Health Council by the Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

Denise is a long-standing Progressive Conservative Party member and volunteer. She was the National Secretary of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1991 to 1994 and was a candidate in the 1993 federal election.

Denise graduated from the Faculty of Humanities at McMaster University with a B.A. in English.