Florence offers iLAET invaluable expertise in education and personal development through music and the arts. Since 2004, she has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Royal Conservatory, Canada’s largest independent arts educator and its oldest, having been founded in 1886. The Conservatory’s Learning Through the Arts program trains artists, actors, dancers and musicians to teach academic subjects in 400 schools across Canada and in a number of countries internationally. This program has proven to increase math scores and reduce absenteeism and violence in schools. Florence oversaw the development of the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, including the building of Koerner Hall that promises to be one of the world’s greatest arts and education venues. She also has worked closely with the Artists of the Royal Conservatory, whose first two recordings were nominated for Grammys.
Florence sits on a variety of other boards, reflecting her interest in children’s development and advocacy, healthcare and healthy aging, and music. These include the Governing Council of the University of Toronto, the Toronto Symphony, and St. Michael’s Hospital, a large, acute care facility in Toronto.
Florence is trained as an economist with a degree in Political Economy from the University of Toronto and has worked in the fields of applied economics and forecasting, and organizational development and strategy. She also continues to be involved with her family’s real estate development and investment business. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Toronto.
