Paula Calderon came to Canada from Colombia in 2001, her lack of Canadian work experience led her to a new profession far from her original career path. She pursued a TESL Certification and began teaching English. It was this experience that led her to becoming the academic director at a private language school where she started a “Night School” that focused on language acquisition for professional newcomers to Canada; After this, she moved on to leadership roles within non-profit and private employment services, she has managed multiple programs as well as Government relations, established partnerships and mutually beneficial relationships in different sectors. Now in Canada for over sixteen years, Paula has advanced within her career and each of her roles has allowed her to assist and support thousands of international professionals new to Canada. Currently, Paula is the Director of Services, Peel Region, with ACCES Employment.
Paula Calderon is a member of the Toronto Sector Skills Academy, Class of 2018, one of several Workforce Leadership Academies in localities across North America.
The Workforce Leadership Academies are part of the Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, a network of leadership and fellowship programs run by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Within this Network, EOP connects national and local leaders from across sectors — nonprofit, government, business, philanthropy, academia, and more — to advance policies and practices with the potential to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today’s economy. Learn more at as.pn/eofn.