Meet the Leadership Team
Julia Allworth - Manager, Innovation Projects
Julia is a leader, innovator and “intrapreneur” who specializes in design thinking, collaboration and related methodologies that strive to design programs with students. As the Leader of the Innovation Hub at the University of Toronto, she works with hundreds of students, faculty and staff on campus to improve the community’s campus experience. Julia holds an MBA in Global Leadership and a BA in Psychology. Julia has presented her work at various higher education conferences across North America. She is the co-author of a book, Design Thinking in Student Affairs, and delivered a TedX talk entitled Design yourself to change the world. Outside of her work, Julia is a single mom to neurodiverse school-aged twins Joshua and Victoria.
Tiffany Cao - Research Lead
Tiffany (she/her/hers) recently received her Honours Bachelor of Science in environmental science and human geography. She has recently joined the team at the Innovation Hub as a Research Lead. Tiffany finds great value and importance in centering people’s experiences in research meant to directly support them and has enjoyed contributing to many qualitative research projects. She strives to create accessible and welcoming spaces for everyone. In her free time, Tiffany likes to read and do creative hobbies such as art and music. She also likes clouds and stuffed animals.
Paul Kaita - Senior Project Assistant
Paul Kaita (he/him) is currently a graduate student at OISE in the Master of Education, Higher Education program. He previously completed his Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and Visual Studies here at UofT. As Senior Project Assistant, Paul oversees communications, general administration, accessibility of design materials, and supports project teams. He is originally from British Columbia and really enjoyed making Toronto his new home. Paul is excited to translate his passions for art, design, and the student experience during his time at the Innovation Hub.
Cheryl Nong - Research Coordinator
Cheryl recently completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in psychology and neuroscience at UofT. As both a scientist and a storyteller, she's always been interested in the intersections of lived experience and empirical research. After working in student organizations throughout undergrad to make the university community more accessible, inclusive, and fun, she's now excited to bring her experience in mentorship and community engagement to support the Innovation Hub team as Research Coordinator. Outside of the Innovation Hub, you can find her writing, listening to music, and experimenting in the kitchen, sometimes all at once.
Lidiia Tulenkova - Research Lead & Program Coordinator, A&S UTQAP
Lidiia is a leader and a creative strategist with an intrapreneurial mindset and extensive experience in project management. With a degree in Sociocultural Anthropology and Material Culture, and she is currently executing the quality assurance and consultation process at the Innovation Hub, overseeing a team of design researchers and their team leads. Using design thinking methodologies in various projects and implementing a people-focused approach and creativity in problem-solving, Lidiia led a national team organizing an educational conference on social justice and filming a short documentary, founded the first museum club curating exhibitions and multi-media initiatives, worked on a film set, and became a published anthropologist.
Mike He - Digital Communications Coordinator
Mike (He/him) recently completed his Master of Information degree with a concentration in User Experience Design at U of T. Additionally, holding a BS in Psychology, Mike is passionate about delivering human-centred and accessible digital solutions. As the Digital Communications Coordinator, he ensures the quality of graphic design materials, manages the Innovation Hub’s website and offers support for training, project management and administration. Aside from work, you can find Mike enjoying singing and exploring food and nature.