Politics and public policy

Chúk Odenigbo

Bsch’13 (environmental chemistry)

Chúk Odenigbo graduated from Queen’s University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science (Honours), specialising in environmental chemistry. Upon graduating, he accumulated a unique set of experiences, working as an environmental scientist in the Albertan oil and gas industry; the Sustainability and Operations Manager for an international fashion brand; in environmental health and safety regulatory assessment for a Montréal-based tech start-up; and, in health research. He is currently the co-founder of La Poison et La Pomme/The Poison and The Apple, a collaborative non-profit entity seeking to inspire cultural change in the way Canadians relate to their environment. In addition to his social entrepreneurial work, he is pursuing a PhD in Medical Geography at the University of Ottawa, focusing his work on the role that nature can play in determining and improving human health outcomes.

He has been listed as one of the Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 in 2012, 2013 and 2015; one of the Top 10 Young Franco-Albertan Leaders (Jeune leaders d’ici) in 2017; one of the Top 30 Albertans Under 30 in 2017; is an alumni of the Ocean Bridge 2018 programme; and, is presently a MEC ambassador for the outdoors.

George Cooke

Artsci'75 (Political Studies), MBA'77

George Cooke is Board Chair, OMERS Administration Corporation.

Other current Board activity includes Board Chair, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and Governor, Curling Canada.

In 2012, Mr. Cooke retired after a tenure of more than 20 years as the CEO and a Director of The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company. During that time, he served as both an Executive Vice President and Director of E-L Financial Corporation.

Mr. Cooke enjoys a profound interest in public policy and, earlier in his career, was a Special Advisor on Policy to the Honourable Robert F. Nixon, Ontario's former Deputy Premier and Treasurer.

He is involved with a number of not-for-profit organizations including Loran and Spinal Cord Injury Ontario.

Troy Sherman

bah’14 (political studies)

Troy Sherman graduated in 2014 with a major in Political Studies. While at Queen’s, Troy held a number of positions both within the AMS and ASUS, namely Municipal Affairs Commissioner, Student Centre Officer, Speaker of ASUS Assembly, and founder of the undergraduate research journal Politicus. Additionally, Troy served as student co-chair of the Senate Orientation Activities Review Board. 

Currently, Troy is a Consultant in the public affairs practice of StrategyCorp – a consultancy which provides advice to public and private sector organizations operating in highly regulated and highly scrutinized environments. At StrategyCorp, Troy works with some of Canada’s preeminent companies in broadcasting and media, agriculture, digital health, and defence.

Prior to joining StrategyCorp, Troy was the Policy Manager for a leading agricultural industry association where he worked with parliamentarians, political staff, and senior civil servants on legislative and regulatory reforms. As part of the Agricultural Trade Negotiations Consultation Group with the Government of Canada, Troy participated in several of the formal negotiation rounds for the new NAFTA.

Outside of work, Troy serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for thePanel – Ottawa’s premier forum for young professionals in government and public policy.

Michael Ceci

artsci’11 (drama)

Michael Ceci is a public policy and regulatory affairs professional at Bennett Jones LLP. Previously, he worked in various production and general management roles in the Canadian and US media industry. He was a founding member of the production company Strange Customs Inc. and has served as the Executive Producer with the company, producing a wide array of narrative, musical, and corporate films and videos. Michael has also held corporate roles at TELUS and worked as an Advisor to the Minister at Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (now Global Affairs Canada). Michael volunteers his time as the Board Chair of The Participation House Project: Durham Region, a developmental services agency, and is a volunteer advisor to Community Living Ontario