Dr. Ray joined Georgian College in 2014 to assist with key strategic initiatives, including a strategy to increase degree delivery in Simcoe County and surrounding regions. In her current role as Director of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Ray is responsible for strategic and operational oversight of the college’s socio-economic development programs and activities, which include applied and industry-led research, entrepreneurship and business support, and social innovation. In her former role as Director of Research and Innovation at Georgian, she built the college’s Competitive Smart Manufacturing program, which continues to support local manufacturers with Industry 4.0-related digital transformation initiatives. Under Dr. Ray’s leadership, R&I has secured >$ 9 million in funding from federal and provincial grant agencies, such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), and Ontario Centre for Innovation (OCI), and industry sponsors.
Prior to joining Georgian College, Dr. Ray worked as a consultant with McKinsey and Company, a top-tier management consulting firm, providing clients with guidance on major strategic decisions, from planning to implementation. She served clients across a wide range of sectors (manufacturing, finance, insurance, retail, oil and energy, and healthcare) on projects related to the redesign of systems and processes, change management and capability building. She has also run the Project Management Office (PMO) for clients undergoing strategic, transformational change. Prior to joining McKinsey, Dr. Ray completed her Ph.D. (University of British Columbia) and a Post-Doctoral fellowship (Western University) in which she studied molecular mechanisms of advanced prostate and breast cancer. Dr. Ray holds a Master of Business Administration from The Richard Ivey School of Business (Western University) and a Master of Science (McGill University).
