Lesley Lewis

Chief Executive Officer

Lesley Lewis was named CEO of the Ontario Science Centre in 1998. Beginning in 2000, she spearheaded the planning process that resulted in the $47.5-million Agents of Change transformation. Under Ms. Lewis’ leadership, the Science Centre’s vision is to extend its audience reach and relevance beyond its traditional demographic of families and children to include teens and adults of all ages.

From October 2007 to October 2009, Ms Lewis was President of the Board of Directors of the Washington-based Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC), the major global science centre organization. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Tourism Toronto.

Ms. Lewis chaired the Fifth Science Centre World Congress, hosted by the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto in June 2008. She led the development of the Toronto Declaration, the first-ever shared statement of beliefs and goals for science centres around the world. 

Ms. Lewis regularly attends international forums where she speaks about the changes underway at the Ontario Science Centre and the evolution of a new model for public engagement with science. She is on the International Science Advisory Committee of the China Association for Science and Technology for a new science and technology museum in Beijing and is an invited member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Board-Appointed Committee on Public Understanding of Science and Technology (COPUST).

Prior to joining the Ontario Science Centre, Ms. Lewis served for six years as Executive Director of the Ontario Heritage Foundation and for three years as the Executive Director of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.