In our second episode of the new season From Campus to Career: Development Practitioners in Action, we sit down with Isabelle Kim. Isabelle is a Senior Policy Advisor for Grants and Contributions Policy and Training at Global Affairs Canada. Her career spans work in Canada, China, and Peru across civil society organizations, hospitals, and universities.

Since joining Global Affairs Canada’s Strategic Policy Branch in 2021, she has contributed to projects including climate finance, disability-inclusive development, locally led development, and Indigenous approaches to development. She also served as the focal point for strategic foresight on development matters and led the 2023 AI/Development Futures initiative. She now leads training initiatives related to financial policies and the management of grants and contributions at GAC.

An IDS co-op alumna, Isabelle holds an MA and PhD from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Join us as we delve into Isabelle’s path through global policy and community practice, the choices that shaped her journey, the insights she’s gathered along the way, and the principles that continue to guide her work.

The Knowledge Equity Lab's Season 4, podcast series, "From Campus to Career" features conversations with some of the stellar alumni from University of Toronto’s International Development Studies Co-op program, uncovering the stories behind their careers in global development. From the classroom to the field, these conversations trace the choices, pivots, and passions that shaped their journeys and continue to inspire new ways of thinking about global and local development.