Golden, Anne

Anne Golden, researcher, social activist, and administrator, was born in Toronto in 1941. She received a B.A. in history and political science from the University of Toronto in 1963, a M.A. in American history from Columbia University, New York, in 1964, and a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Toronto in 1970. She began teaching American political history at Newark College in 1964 before returning to Canada to teach at the Scarborough and Erindale campuses of the University of Toronto, and later at York University until 1974. Golden became involved in the populist movement to stop construction of the Spadina Expressway, and joined David Crombie's election team as operations co-ordinator during his successful campaign as a reform candidate for Mayor in 1972. These experiences led to a decision to pursue her strong commitment to civic involvement. Golden left her academic career to serve as Research Co-ordinator for the Bureau of Municipal Research from 1973 to 1978, where she wrote several publications on public policy issues. Golden became the Special Advisor to the Leader of the Opposition, Stuart Smith, in 1978, and was appointed Director of Policy Research for the Ontario Liberal Party in 1981. She joined the United Way of Greater Toronto the following year, working as Director of Allocations and Government Relations for four years, and then Director of the agency's annual fundraising campaign. Golden was appointed President of the United Way in 1987. Her tenure was marked by record-breaking fundraising campaigns and an emphasis upon research, particularly on the increase and distribution of poverty in Toronto. Her significant expertise in urban issues led to her appointment as Chair of the Greater Toronto Area Task Force by Ontario Premier Bob Rae in 1995, and Chair of the Homelessness Task Force by Toronto's Mayor Mel Lastman in 1998. Golden's work on these task forces raised her national profile, and in 2001 she was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of The Conference Board of Canada, the nation's leading independent, not-for-profit organization devoted to applied research. Under her leadership, the Conference Board broadened its activities to compare Canada's performance in key social and economic indicators with those in other advanced countries, and it released an annual report card that linked the analysis of social progress with economic forecasting. The organization also embarked upon several multi-year public policy initiatives beginning with The Canada Project in January 2003, which was followed by a network of centres devoted to business innovation, sustainable health care, food in Canada, and the North, as well as leadership training for managers and corporate directors. Golden's influence and accomplishments have been widely recognized through acknowledgement in the media and major awards, such as the Canadian Urban Institute's Urban Leadership Award for City Engagement in 2004, and its Jane Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Golden has received honorary doctorates from Ryerson Polytechnical University (1997), York University (2000), University of Toronto (2002), Royal Roads University (2005), University of Western Ontario (2008), the University of Calgary (2011), and McMaster University (2011), and an honorary diploma from Loyalist College (2005). She was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2003.