New Circles update

Phil Groff's Bio

Phil Groff came to New Circles in March of 2023 following a three-and-a-half-year tenure as Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.  He has over 23 years of experience in non-profit management, spending fifteen of those years as a senior executive spearheading organizational change, including youth outreach and increasing diversity initiatives in education and governance. Phil began his career in the not-for-profit sector at SMARTRISK, a national charitable organization dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives of Canadian Youth, where he rose through the ranks over nine years before being offered the position of President. After accomplishing everything he set out to do at SMARTRISK, including leading it to merger with three other national charities, Phil accepted the role of Executive Director at Sustain Ontario.

He holds the designation of Credentialed Evaluator with the Canadian Evaluation Society—one of the first cohort of individuals to be awarded that distinction.  As a private contractor, prior clients have included the Canadian Sleep Society, the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Best Practices Portal, the NWT Water-smart Program, the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, Farms at Work, and the Jays Care Foundation.

Phil earned his PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto, with a specialty in Human Neuropsychology and Cognition. He has been an instructor in the History of Psychology, Thinking & Reasoning, Decision and Game Theory, Statistics and Research Methodology, and Program Evaluation at the graduate and undergraduate level, in the psychology departments of the University of Toronto, York University and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

In his non-work life, he enjoys reading, watching movies, playing games, cooking and bartending for friends and family.  He has a passion for science, and for history, particularly of the ancient world. Phil is also a professional magician, a member of several international magic organizations, including the Magic Castle in Hollywood.