Biography
Hannah Evans became the Public Servant in Residence in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University in September 2026.
Hannah Evans has enjoyed a long public service career in Canada and internationally. Before retiring from the Ontario Public Service in 2024, she held a number of Assistant Deputy Minister and Director positions where she led complex initiatives at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ministry of Infrastructure and Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. In addition to her work in Ontario, Hannah has extensive international experience focused on sustainable development in Central Europe and the Middle East including with the Foundation for a Civil Society, the Amman Institute for Urban Development and UNHCR.
As an Ontario Public Service leader, Hannah received a number of awards for project delivery and teamwork throughout the course of her career, including the prestigious American Planning Association Daniel Burham award for Places to Grow: the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, a visionary long-term plan for the Toronto- centred region; a team Ontario Amethyst award for the work of the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Secretariat which lead Ontario’s critical role in welcoming 25,000 refugees from Syria in Canada; and another team Amethyst award for her role in leading Ontario’s contribution to the national harmonization of provincial building codes to reduce internal barriers to trade across Canada.
Hannah is the third Public Servant in Residence in the Department of Politics and Public Administration, following Joan Andrew, who served in that role from 2010 to 2015 and Frank D’Onofrio who served from 2015 to 2026.