Executive Director of Government Relations

Michael Nicin

Michael Nicin

Michael is a public policy and government relations professional, with over a decade of experience across multiple sectors, including the research sector, provincial government, and NGO advocacy.

Prior to joining Lakehead University as the Executive Director of Government Relations, Michael was the Executive Director of the National Institute on Ageing, Canada’s only public policy think tank focussed on generating evidence based solutions for Canada’s ageing population.

He previously served as Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor to the Ontario Minister of Seniors Affairs, leading the design and launch of the first government-funded seniors strategy in Canadian history in 2017.

While serving in the Ontario Government, Michael was also Senior Policy Advisor to the Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services, where he oversaw the design and launch of the Ontario Autism Program in 2016/17.

Prior to this, he was Director of Policy and Strategic Planning for CARP, a 300,000 member-based advocacy organization for older Canadians.

Michael holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts in History from York University. He attended the University of Waterloo for undergraduate studies in History and Philosophy.

About

Working primarily with the President and the Executive Team, the Government Relations office is responsible for strategically promoting the relevance of academia, research and innovation and capital projects and special initiatives with all levels of government.

Government Relations at Lakehead University is all about connecting with policymakers so that we can help them conduct their business of formulating and executing public policy in a way that reflects all of our interests.  

Cultivating productive relationships and strong lines of communications with Queen’s Park and Ottawa and our regions in Northwestern Ontario and Central Ontario is essential.

We achieve this by:

  • Strengthening the Lakehead brand through solutions based advocacy and thought leadership
  • Work with all parties, including ministers, parliamentarians, political staff, and senior bureaucrats
  • Build broad-based support for priority projects