Vice-President, Policy and Public Affairs
Pari Johnston leads Genome Canada’s federal advocacy and policy agenda while raising awareness of the organization’s mission and cross-sectoral impact among parliamentarians, senior officials, industry, community partners and the public. Guided by the belief that genomics can change the world if responsibly and equitably applied, Pari builds strategic partnerships among diverse stakeholders to advance the role and impact of genomics in society.
Before joining our team in 2020, Pari held increasingly senior positions at Universities Canada for two decades, serving most recently as Vice-President, Policy and Public Affairs. Before that, she transformed the association into the premiere national forum for Canada’s university presidents as Director of Member Relations. Her earlier roles focused on advancing Canadian universities’ global mission at home and abroad.
Pari was a founding board member of The Conversation Canada/La Conversation Canada, the national digital media organization for academic journalism. A passionate community volunteer, she serves on the Board of Trustees of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Care Centre. She founded Housing Through an Autism Lens, a national solutions lab designed to create solutions to housing challenges faced by autistic adults in Ottawa.
Pari has an MA in international affairs from Carleton University and a BA in French literature from the University of Regina.