Susan Pigott, Chair of the Provincial Mental Health and Addictions Leadership Advisory Council

Susan is a trained nurse and social worker who has enjoyed a 35 year long career in health and social services mostly in Toronto but also with two years in Australia and one in Papua New Guinea. Trained as a nurse at the Wellesley Hospital in Toronto, Susan also has a B.A. from the University of Western Ontario as well as an M.S.W from the University of Toronto. She worked for 10 years as a front line nurse in emergency medicine and mental health. Subsequently, Susan has held a number of senior positions in a variety of social service organizations including Family Service Toronto, United Way of Greater Toronto and St. Christopher House. In 2013 she stepped down from her position as Vice President of Communication and Community Engagement at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Since then Susan has held a number of short term contracts including Executive in Residence at Ashoka Canada for 12 months. Currently Susan is working on a contract for MaRSDD related to communication and community outreach. She has also accepted a three year political appointment as the Chair of the Ontario Government’s Mental Health and Addictions Leadership Advisory Council as well as a one year assignment as a member of Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s new Advisory Committee on Social Innovation.

Susan has been active in a number of public policy initiatives including the Ontario Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform where she was the lead for Citizen Engagement and she co-chaired the Taskforce on Modernizing Income Security for Working Age Adults. She was also a member of the Drummond Commission on the Reform of Ontario Public Services.

Susan has been an active volunteer serving as a Board member for many organizations including the following: Toronto Community Foundation, Social Enterprise Innovation and Development, Tides Foundation, Sickkids, and Soulpepper Theatre. Currently Susan is a Board member of the LCBO, Artscape and The Change Foundation and is on the Advisory Committee of Social Capital Partners.