Experience: Clare Beckton is a social entrepreneur and the executive director of the Centre for Women in Politics and Public Leadership at Carleton University in Ottawa. The Centre is focused on increasing the representation of women in public leadership and politics, influencing public policy and opinion through evidence-based research, and building national and international networks to achieve these results. From 2007 to 2009 she was the deputy head of Status of Women Canada. Prior to that Beckton served in increasingly senior positions at the Federal Department of Justice in Canada until her last position as Assistant Deputy Attorney General for Aboriginal Affairs from 1998 to 2004. She also taught law at Dalhousie University from 1975 to 1984. Beckton has over 25 years experience leading teams and organizations to create innovative multi-sector and multinational partnerships and networks to develop policies, to provide services, to deliver programs, and to incorporate diversity, gender, and learning to assist the development of organizations through times of significant change. In 2008 she was named the Federated Press woman of the year for her leadership and recognized by the Women's Executive Network as one of Canada's most powerful women in the Trailblazers and Trendsetters category. She has an MPA from Harvard, an LLB (magna cum laude), and a BA (cum laude) from the University of Saskatchewan. Clare is the author of several books and a number of articles on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and serves on several not-for-profit boards.