Judith Maxwell


Judith Maxwell is currently the co-founder and the Board Director of Synapcity. She received her Master's degree in Political Science and Government from the London School of Economics. From 1994 to 2006 she was the President of the Canadian Policy Research Network. Prior to that, she was the Chair of the Economic Council of Canada. Her involvements in the public and private sectors have led her to receive honorary degrees from nine Canadian universities and a community college.

Education

Judith Maxwell received her Bachelors of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University in 1963. Her balance of academic success and extracurricular activates influenced many in taking leadership roles. She ended up representing her grad class as she was nominated to be the class historian. She then went to pursue her Master's degree in Political Science and Government at the London School of Economics.

Career

Early in her professional life, she devoted her career to the intricate field of economic and political studies. She started off as a researcher for the Combines Investigation Branch of the Federal Ministry of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. From 1966 to 1972, she was a journalist and a representative of the Editorial Board of the Financial Times of Canada, where she was appointed as the Director of Policy Studies for the C.D. Howe Institute. During her time at the institute, she wrote several key articles implicating and analyzing the economy of Canada. Afterward, she worked as an economics consultant in Britain for the Department of Corporate Affairs, and in Montreal for Coopers & Lybrand.

Economic Council of Canada

From 1985 to 1992, Judith Maxwell was the Chair of the Economic Council of Canada. This council was established in 1963 with the main objective of creating a census to achieve social and economic goals via long-term and medium-term planning. As a Crown corporation, the council reports went directly through the prime minister to the Parliament.  Doctor Silvia Ostry and Judith Maxwell were the two women who were separately appointed to serve for seven years each as chair of the council. Maxwell’s role of chair as the Chief Executive Officer meant she had to supervise and direct the work and staff of the council. At the time of her appointment, government officials suggested to her that they felt the council did not have a significant impact on policy debates. Her task was to implement the solutions required for the growth of the council. Her ways to solve these issued were subtle and distinctive. She focused on the consistency between the council’s economic policy goals and those of mainstream economics, along with the logical concerns for social policy implications. Under her leadership, the council achieved new levels of success by expanding its research plan to simultaneously address a wide range of topics that interest citizens for their advantage in the political science and sociology disciplines. Here she was also responsible for making the council’s reports more legible and topic oriented.

Canadian Policy Research Networks

From 1994 to 2005, she became the President of the Canadian Policy Research Networks. Her work here involved gathering knowledge and excelling in public debates in response to the improvement of social and economic issues in Canada. She brought her past experiences and knowledge to prosper this non-profit think tank.

Citizens Academy of Ottawa

Currently, she is the Co-founder and Board Director of a project called the Citizens Academy of Ottawa in an institution known as Synapcity. This project focuses on gathering volunteers to help enhance the community in terms of quality of life by seizing opportunities and solving problems across the city.

Awards

Judith Maxwell had received Honorary Degrees from nine Canadian universities and a community college.

Selected works

Judith Maxwell’s most cited works are in the fields of economics, political science, and medicine. Her research focuses on politics and policy, health economics, and international and humanitarian medicine.

Articles