Shalini da Cunha is the Executive Director of the Peel-Halton Workforce Development Group (PHWDG) since 2001. Under her leadership, PHWDG was awarded funding to pilot one of eight Local Employment Planning Councils in December 2015. Shalini has extensive experience in leading collaborative work with a multitude of stakeholders in Peel-Halton, including funders, settlement agencies, employers, educators, among others. She has the proven ability to collaboratively work on innovative, out of the box solutions for challenges in the area of workforce development. Shalini is a member of the Central Planning Table of the Peel Newcomer Strategy Group, a group that looks at the interest of new immigrants to Peel. She pioneered the NewComer Organizations Network(NCON), which has become a platform for discussion and input for over 200 members who work in the employment and settlement sector for immigrants. She sits on the Accreditation Review Panel of the Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council and is a member of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). Shalini has a BSc in Business/ Computer Science from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California and worked in information systems management for the hospitality industry (Hilton International) before branching to the non-profit sector.
Shalini da Cunha 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.