A 22-year veteran of the federal public service, Jean-François Claude has spent a significant portion of his government career in liaison and advisory roles in support of Ministers’ Offices and senior departmental officials, as well as in supervisory and management positions. Industry Canada, Health Canada and Veterans Affairs Canada are but three departments in which he has served in primarily Communications and Public Affairs positions over the years.

A firm believer in the power of storytelling to bring about culture change, Jean-François is the Co-Founder of the Federal Speakers’ Bureau on Mental Health, a virtual team of federal public servants who openly share their experiences with mental health struggles and recovery, to help address the stigma of mental illness in the workplace.

In 2017, for his advocacy work and anti-stigma efforts in the area of men’s mental health, Jean-François was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) by His Excellency the Governor General of Canada, and was named one of 150 Leading Canadian Difference Makers for Mental Health by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Jean-François is a certified Psychological Health and Safety Advisor (Canadian Mental Health Association), with additional certifications in Workplace Mental Health Leadership^™ (Queen’s University) and Mental Health First Aid.