Denise Andrea Campbell

Denise Andrea Campbell (born 1975) is a Canadian civil servant who is the executive director of the Social Development, Finance and Administration Division (SDFA) at the City of Toronto. She was also the youngest president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women.

Early life
Campbell was born in Jamaica in 1975 and moved to Canada in 1980.

Career
Campbell has received numerous awards and acclamations for her work and activism over the years. She was named in the Who’s Who in Black Canada and Women in Canadian History poster and curriculum, and awarded the John Brooks, Women of Distinction and Harry Jermone Awards for leadership. In 2021, Toronto Life named her one of Toronto’s 50 Most Influential People for her work developing the Toronto Community Crisis Service. She’s an avid media spokesperson, a former TV host, and a published author and photographer.

She became the youngest president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women in 2001, but resigned soon after given fundamental difference with the Executive about how to solve NAC’s financial challenges as the organization faced financial crisis.

Campbell is the executive director of Social Development, Finance and Administration at the City of Toronto, which manages $11 million program to improve responses to mental health emergencies. The Toronto Community Crisis Service was launched in Spring 2022. In 2016, working with Mayor John Tory, she led the development of the City’s Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism. In 2021, she spoke of how much work was needed to tackle racism and encouraged the city staff to collaborate with organizations that were already addressing problem before starting new initiatives.

Family life
Campbell is married and has twin boys.