Director, School of Public Policy & Administration, York University

Naomi Couto is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA), as well as the Director of the School since January 1, 2023. Her mission as the new Director of the School is to make high school students aware that public policy and administration is an exciting and worthy field of study that they should consider when researching University level programs.  SPPA prepares tomorrow’s leaders for work in the broader public sector, spanning all levels of government and non-profit organizations.

Our diverse programs provide the multidisciplinary knowledge, critical thinking, analysis, and management skills that will help students realize your goals. Naomi is very proud of all the SPPA grads and was the former Graduate Program Director of the Masters in Public Policy, Administration and Law (MPPAL) program. MPPAL provides students with a comprehensive and cutting-edge education, focused on social justice issues, public and administrative law, public sector ethics and human rights. While including all the elements of the standard curriculum followed by other Canadian MPA programs, the MPPAL includes the opportunity to study leading-edge subjects such as change management, human resources management, the impact of multiculturalism on policy development and implementation, as well as innovative approaches to labour relations and conflict resolution, e-government and the impact of globalization.

Her areas of interest include Canadian criminal justice policy, education, ethical theory, and processes, practices, and power. She is currently working in the area of monotheism and public policy.

Some of her publications include Paradox and Origin: On the Structure of Legal Communication, Violated and Silenced: The Gendering of Justice, Rob Ford and the End of Honour, Honest Politics Now: Seeking Integrity in Canadian Public Life, A Socio-Political Understanding of Education and Citizenship: Canadian Portuguese Youth, Alienation, and the Educational Process, and A Synthesis of Plato, Aristotle, and Marx on Critical and Liberal Education.

She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from York University and has been presenting her research at International Conferences since 1998. She has been nominated for numerous teaching awards including, TVO’s Best Lecturer Competition, Ontario Wide, The President's University-Wide Teaching Award, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award, and the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Teaching Award.