JONNY ALLEN

JONNY ALLEN

After a varied university career (Arts/Science and a year of Dentistry, law school at University of Western Ontario and an LLM at LSE), I articled and practiced briefly in Toronto. I followed that up with a stint at the Law Reform Commission of Canada and a career at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Since 1981, my wife, Clara Hirsch (also from Winnipeg but in her case from the famed North end), our two wonderful boys (Jake who is 20 and at U of T and AJ who is 18 and waiting to hear about University for next year) and I have spent a very rewarding 22 years in the Foreign Service. We have had postings in Mexico City (1983-85), New Delhi (1989-92) and Washington, DC (1997-2001). Clara has taught (she has degrees in Fine Arts and teaching) and I have done political work abroad. In Ottawa, I spent most of my early career in in the Legal Bureau doing international law. Before heading to Washington, I was the Director of our Mexico Division and I’m currently the Director General for North America where I, together with half the government, do Canada-US and Canada-Mexico relations.

Clara is also at the Department where she spent the last year working in the Consular Bureau with the Canadian families of the victims of Sept. 11.

We are about to face the empty nesters syndrome which we find quite hard to believe since we still feel like we’re about 28.