Alex MacLellan, PhD
Before joining the SPPA, I worked in various roles for Employment and Social Development Canada for 12 years. Most recently, I worked as a researcher looking at various labour market issues immigrants face. I also studied the Master’s in Public Administration program at Dalhousie University, and before that a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Economics. I have also been volunteering to help with the English as a secondary language teaching at the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization.
I found out about the SPPA during my master’s studies at Dalhousie as the faculty and other students were well aware of its impressive reputation. In addition, as I was already living and working in the National Capital Region, many of my colleagues at ESDC were familiar with the SPPA. I was hoping ever since my master’s to do my PhD in Public Policy here as it has a strong reputation in Canada. The access to the National Capital Region and its unique opportunity to collaborate with public servants and being able to learn from so many faculty and students at the top of their fields compelled me to study here.
I love collaborating with so many faculty and students and learning from their diverse interests and backgrounds. I think it enriches the intellectual journey to expose oneself to many ideas. And collaboration is of course essential to anyone with any role in policy making. It’s also great socially. I’ve made many new friends since starting. This has me even more excited to pursue a new career as a professor where I can deepen this collaboration. I would look forward to guiding students to the many career paths a public administration degree offers and pursuing a research topic about which I am very passionate.