Debra Roberts
Deputy Chief of Staff, Human Resources & Public Appointments; Office of the Premier
Debra Roberts
Debra Roberts is currently Deputy Chief of Staff Human Resources and Public Appointments in the Office of the Premier. In these roles, she is responsible for human resource issues for political staff and managing the Public Appointments Secretariat (PAS).
The PAS is responsible for the coordination and recruitment of the appointments to Ontario’s agencies, boards and commissions. As head of the PAS since 2003, Debra has been instrumental in making the public appointments process more transparent, merit driven and diverse.
Some of the key changes implemented by the Ontario government include advertising all Chair and full time positions, giving board chairs an explicit role in the selection process of members and the creation of a centralized system that oversees the appointments process from start to finish.