Hilary Pearson

Author and former president of Philanthropic Foundations Canada

Hilary Pearson is Chancellor of Brock University. She has enjoyed a twenty-year career in foundation philanthropy in Canada. As Founding President of Philanthropic Foundations Canada, a position she held for nearly eighteen years, Hilary worked with many of Canada's largest private charitable foundations. Many family foundations have benefited from her strategic advice and assistance in understanding the sector, establishing their goals, setting up their governance structures and defining their giving practices.

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The author of numerous articles and reviews on foundation philanthropy, Ms. Pearson is a frequent speaker and workshop leader in Canada and around the world. In her role at PFC, she has published detailed guides to establishing and managing a foundation, as well as guides for foundations working with governments and universities, and involved in public policy advocacy.

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Ms. Pearson has extensive knowledge of federal policies governing charities. She is co-chair of the Charitable Sector Advisory Committee, which advises the federal government on policy and regulatory issues. From 2012 to 2015, she served on the Governor General's Advisory Committee on Volunteering and Philanthropy.

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In July 2018, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of her contribution to the development of the philanthropic sector in Canada. Ms. Pearson has served on numerous national not-for-profit boards, including Imagine Canada, The Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada, CARE Canada, Inspire and the Canadian Cancer Society.

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She is Chair of the Advisory Board of the Coady Institute at St. Francis Xavier University and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Master of Philanthropy and Non-Profit Management program at Carleton University. Ms. Pearson holds bachelor's and master's degrees in political economy from the University of Toronto, as well as honorary doctorates from Carleton University, the University of New Brunswick and Mount Allison University.