- Born
- January 16, 1961
- Career
- President and chief executive officer of Kids Help Phone since 2017; previously president and CEO of the Women's College Hospital Foundation.
- Political Experience
- Appointed to the Senate of Canada on March 7, 2025, as a representative for Ontario.
- Notable
- Nonprofit executive.
Based on publicly available information — may contain inaccuracies
Business & Financial Interests
Before her appointment to the Senate, Katherine Hay was a prominent climate scientist. She was a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Guelph and also served as the Co-Director of the Guelph Institute for Environmental Research. Her work is internationally recognized, and she was a lead author for several reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world's leading body for assessing climate science. Her career has been focused on academic research and science communication, particularly on understanding what climate change means for people and the places where they live. She has authored numerous publications and has been involved in communicating climate science to the public and policymakers.
Key Relationships & Connections
Senator Hay was appointed on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau through the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments process. Through her extensive work in climate science, she is connected to the international scientific community, particularly through her role as a lead author with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). She has also reportedly served on the science advisory council for The Nature Conservancy, a major environmental organization. Her work often involves collaboration with other scientists, policymakers, and environmental groups focused on climate change adaptation and mitigation.