Janet Balfour is a Senior Associate and Project Lead at Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA), where she works with postsecondary institutions, governments, and sector partners on strategic planning, institutional reviews, and initiatives that strengthen student pathways and institutional effectiveness. She also leads internal initiatives focused on strategic growth, partnership development, sector engagement, and convening that expand the firm’s reach across Canada’s higher education ecosystem. Janet joined HESA following a career spanning academia, public policy, social entrepreneurship, and cross sector collaboration. She taught for more than a decade in Social Work programs at Toronto Metropolitan University, Wilfrid Laurier University, and York University, contributing to curriculum development, accreditation processes, and university community partnerships. Earlier in her career, she worked in policy research and development with the Social Policy Analysis & Research Unit within the City of Toronto’s Social Development Division, and in Education Welfare for the Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (UK). Janet also co-founded eAdvocate, a digital platform supporting advocacy and navigation in the healthcare and homecare sectors. As Chief Advocate, she led the platform’s strategy, partnerships, and development, exploring how digital tools and new collaboration models could improve access and coordination across complex service systems. Janet holds a PhD from Wilfrid Laurier University, an MSc from the London School of Economics, a Bachelor of Social Work from Toronto Metropolitan University, and a BA from Western University.