The Principal

A long-time practitioner of community engagement and co-design, Claudia McKoy is the Founder and Principal of UpSurgence. She has designed and led engagement strategies and co-design sessions involving hundreds of community stakeholders for clients such as the City of Mississauga, for its Black Community Engagement campaign. Through UpSurgence Initiatives, the non-profit arm of UpSurgence, Claudia convened an international team of investors, entrepreneurs, trade professionals and academics to identify global trade opportunities for emerging business communities, and led the co-design of the City of Brampton’s first African trade mission. She is expert at connecting diverse stakeholders to work collaboratively to achieve community goals. Claudia sits on the board of Radius Child and Youth Services Board and is a member of the Black Opportunity Fund’s Government Affairs Committee. She is also the chair of UpSurgence Initiatives, the non-profit arm of UpSurgence, dedicated to connecting marginalized communities to Canada’s growing tech economy through partnership-based programs. Claudia studied Political Science at the University of Toronto