Now, I am very happy to introduce you to our new Executive Director, Rachael Maxwell.
Rachael brings deep knowledge of the science landscape in Canada and a strong track record of success working in national not-for-profit research organizations. Since 2018, she has held progressively responsible roles at Genome Canada, working across the organization on key priorities in communications, public affairs, and strategic planning. Previously, Rachael worked at Mitacs on the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship, where she managed the design and delivery of the program from its inception through its first three cohorts. Rachael is also a member of the Board of Directors at the Science and Policy Exchange. Together, this experience positions Rachael well to lead E4D during a critical time.
In the 9 years since I co-founded E4D, the landscape of science and evidence-based decision-making has evolved significantly in Canada. In a stark change from the era of defunding research and muzzling scientists, we now have a federal Chief Science Advisor, a growing network of departmental science advice, Science Integrity Policies, and increasing uptake of evidence-informed policy appearing in public discourse.
But there is still a long way to go.
The events of this past year have brought the importance of evidence into a new light and now we have a window of opportunity to apply lessons learned and achieve robust shifts in how evidence informs decision-making at all levels. E4D has a responsibility to ensure our work contributes meaningful impact towards a policy landscape that serves all. Rachael brings a passion for science policy, a strong network within the scientific community, and experience in leadership and strategic visioning which will drive E4D’s next stage of growth and impact towards these goals.
I hope you’re as excited as I am about what Rachael brings to this team. Rachael’s passion and commitment to this work and her dedication to E4D’s mission make her the perfect fit and I can’t wait to see where she takes the organization next.
Please join me in welcoming Rachael. You’ll be hearing from her directly soon – she is looking forward to getting to know the E4D community and hearing from you. In the meantime, check out Rachael’s full bio and reach out to say hello!
All the best,
Katie Gibbs
Co-founder and outgoing Executive Director
