About Meg

Meg Gassanov
Principal Consultant

Meg Gassanov, Ph.D., certified Strategy Planning Professional and Credentialed Evaluator, is a highly accomplished professional with extensive experience in organizational strategy, performance measurement, evaluation, and research.

Meg’s expertise spans various sectors, including academia, government, and non-profit organizations. Previously, she held managerial positions at reputable institutions, such as McMaster University and the City of Toronto, where she successfully led diverse teams and implemented impactful initiatives.

Over the past 20 years, Meg has led strategic management efforts, managed dozens of multi-faceted complex evaluation/research projects, developed performance measurement frameworks and KPIs, led governance initiatives, developed system change efforts, wrote and secured research grants, managed research portfolios, led successful certification efforts, and planned and directed knowledge mobilization activities.

Meg’s relevant experiences:

Employment

Principal Consultant and Founder, Strategic Measures. 2023-current. Provide consulting and skill-building services in the areas of strategy, performance measurement, evaluation, and research.

Scientific Manager, Michael G. DeGroote Cochrane Canada Centre, McMaster University. 2022-2023. Advanced research portfolio and managed day-to-day operations. Wrote and contributed to successful grants of $1M (CIHR) and $9M (PHAC).

Manager, Business Intelligence and Analysis, Toronto Employment & Social Services, City of Toronto. 2020-2022. Identified requirements for and led the implementation of new approaches, processes, and tools that leveraged data management, analysis, and reporting to improve business planning and operations.

Manager, Partnership & Community Outreach, Shelter, Support & Housing Administration, City of Toronto. 2019-2020. Developed an emergent homelessness system change effort.

Policy Development Officer, Strategic Policy and Service Planning, Shelter, Support & Housing Administration, City of Toronto. 2017-2019. Managed the division’s portfolio of research/evaluation projects. Formulated and recommended policy and program options. Led the development of divisional Mission, Vision, and Values; section and unit-level mandates; Governance Framework; and Glossary and Service System Overview.

Program Evaluator, Toronto Public Health, City of Toronto. 2011-2017. Conducted dozens of multi-faceted complex evaluation/research projects, including needs assessment, client satisfaction, cost savings, time use, feasibility, and usability. Developed the division's comprehensive framework on strategic and business planning, monitoring, and evaluation. Safeguarded ethical research as a Research Ethics Board member.  Assessed the division’s organizational excellence using Excellence Canada’s framework. 

Research Coordinator, University of Toronto. 2009-2011. Managed the evaluation of a large demonstration project on youth gang involvement ($1M evaluation budget).

Instructor, University of Toronto. 2006-2014. Taught graduate and undergraduate courses in research methods, statistics, family sociology, and family demography.

Program Evaluation Specialist, Windsor Essex County Health Unit. 2003-2004. Authored report that earned DaimlerChrysler Canada a Canada Award of Excellence from Excellence Canada for health and wellness programming.  

Research Analyst, United Nations Institute for Leadership Development. 2000. Conducted qualitative research as part of a needs assessment regarding the potential formation of a United Nations university.

Professional Service and Outputs

Governing Council Member, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Evaluator, Disaster Management Response, Canadian Red Cross. Conducted evaluation/research projects on response to flooding disasters and refugee experiences.

Founder, Community of Practice for Evaluators, City of Toronto.

Reviewer, conference proposals, journal manuscripts, and textbooks in sociology and evaluation.

Author, 6 peer-reviewed journal publications, 2 published coursework materials, and 30 scientific presentations.

Certifications and Professional Development

Strategy Planning Professional certified, International Association for Strategy Professionals.

Strategic Management Performance System, LBL Strategies.

Credentialed Evaluator, Canadian Evaluation Society.

Change Management Certificate, City of Toronto.

Human Centred Design Certificate, IDEO.

Lean Sigma Yellow Belt, Leading Edge.

ISO 9001:2015 Internal Quality Systems Auditor, BSI.

Organizational Design, Queen’s University IRC.

Education

PhD, Sociology, The Ohio State University.

MA, Sociology, The Ohio State University.

Graduate Certificate in Survey Research, The Ohio State University.

Professional Memberships

Canadian Evaluation Society.

American Evaluation Association.

International Association for Strategy Professionals.

Values Integrity.

Meg is a consummate professional who upholds the highest standards of integrity in her work. With unwavering commitment to ethical practices, she consistently follows professional guidelines of the Canadian Evaluation Society, the American Evaluation Association, and the International Association for Strategy Professionals, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and reliability. Her steadfast dedication to upholding integrity builds trust among stakeholders, fostering long-lasting partnerships based on honesty and credibility.

Politically Astute.

For over a decade, Meg held progressively responsible positions focused on organizational strategy and performance for Toronto’s municipal government.

Meg possesses a comprehensive understanding of the role, dynamics, and principles underlying policy and program development, delivery, and assessment. She crafts and executes endeavours to identify, recommend, and cultivate policy and program strategies that align with organizational priorities and operational imperatives.

Meg's proficiency extends to evaluating government-funded community initiatives, adeptly identifying critical success factors to fulfill funding requirements.

Collaborative.

Meg excels in communication and facilitation, possessing exceptional relationship-building skills. Her track record showcases her ability to foster collaboration with internal program teams and external stakeholders. Meg prioritizes respectful and culturally appropriate engagement, ensuring diverse stakeholders are valued and included in the process.