Kayla Slobodnik (BA, University of Western Ontario, 2015; MPA, Queen’s University, 2017) began her career with the Government of Canada at the Ontario Regional Office of the Trade Commissioner Service in the field of international business development. At Headquarters, she has served in several assignments, including as Trade Commissioner in the Innovation and Continuous Improvement Division, Senior Policy Advisor to the Director General of the Regional Trade Operations and Intergovernmental Relations Bureau, Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Deputy Minister of the International Business Development, Investment, and Innovation branch, and Deputy Chief of Operations for Global Affairs Canada repatriation operation in 2020. Her first official overseas posting was to Manila, Philippines, which was preceded by a temporary duty to the Consulate General in San Francisco.