Melissa Judd

Background

About Melissa Judd

Strategic leader with 20+ years of experience driving organizational growth, transformation, and innovation across diverse sectors. My approach combines curiosity, data-driven insights, and design thinking to create strategies that deliver measurable impact.Throughout my career, I’ve led initiatives across international development, the arts and cultural industries, and higher education, each time focused on building high-performing teams, implementing systems that maximize efficiency through technology, and creating programs that drive tangible value for organizations and the communities they serve.I am passionate about balancing the "big picture"—identifying long-term strategic opportunities and navigating external challenges—with the day-to-day execution required to deliver results on time and within budget. My leadership style is rooted in the belief that impactful outcomes are achieved through collaboration, innovation, and a relentless focus on excellence.Core areas of expertise include- Strategic Leadership & Coaching- Program Development & Evaluation- Data & Analytics- Organizational Change ManagementKey career highlights include- Workforce Development in AI: Spearheaded a portfolio of programs to advance AI workforce development in Ontario, partnering with universities to graduate over AI master's students annually, with 90% retention within Canada- Master's Programs Growth at Schulich School of Business: Launched and scaled specialized one-year master's programs, exceeding enrolment targets and contributing to a 30% increase in graduate student enrolment over a three-year period- Team Realignment & Operations at Vector Institute & Schulich: Led workstream restructuring at both the Vector Institute and Schulich School of Business to scale and streamline operations, enhancing service delivery to stakeholders and improving overall organizational efficiency- Fundraising Innovation at UNICEF Canada: Led the development of new fundraising strategies to modernize programs and engage young Canadians, resulting in deeper donor participation- Audience Engagement at TIFF: Established marketing initiatives to attract first-time festivalgoers, leading to a 10% increase in festival attendance.