Dr. Claudine Cousins is the Chief Executive Officer of Empower Simcoe, a human services organization in the broader health sector, and part-time teacher in the School of Business at Georgian College. Dr. Cousins has over twenty-five years of leadership experience with various Ministries within the Ontario Public Service and the not-for-profit and profit sectors, including banking and investment. She brings expertise from an operations, governance, EDI, and human resources leadership lens within unionized and non-unionized organizations.

Dr. Cousins holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, specializing in Human Resources, a Master of Arts in Leadership, a Post Graduate Certificate in Public Relations and a doctorate in Health Sciences with research interests in vicarious trauma, the support provided by employers, and the quality of life of employees.

Dr. Cousins is also a member of Lakehead University’s Board of Governors, a Rotarian, People and Culture Peer Group Captain for the Sandbox, a hub for shared innovation and entrepreneurship, and volunteers on the Human Resource Professionals Association’s Regulatory Committee. In her role of advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion, she participates on several committees, councils and task groups, and is a very sought after speaker and panelist. Dr. Cousins is the recipient of the 2020 Woman of the Year Visionary Award at the Barrie Chamber of Commerce’s Business Awards and the Social Change Award: Regional Impact at the 2022 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards.