Olga Stachova has come along way since 2000, when she was organizing the bookshelves at a local Chapters bookstore.
Despite having a master’s degree in English and philosophy, Chapters was the only place Stachova could find work when she immigrated to Canada from Slovakia the year before.
“I sent out a ton of resumĂ©s, [but] no one wants to even talk to you because you don’t have previous working experience in Canada,” said Stachova.
Her stint at Chapters was, fortunately, brief.
In 2000, Arvind Gupta had just taken leadership of MITACS Inc., a grant-driven organization that connects math and science students to industry through research projects, and he required an assistant to help him realize his vision for the organization.
While Gupta has received many accolades for MITACS’ success in bridging the gap between academia and industry, Stachova has, as MITACS’ COO for the last nine years, led the implementation of Gupta’s lofty vision.
During the last two years, Stachova was almost entirely responsible for growing MITACS from a team of three to a team of 60.
She is essentially the architect who manifests MITACS’ boardroom ideas: more than 500 scientists and 1,000 students at 52 universities have partnered with 375 public- and private-sector organizations on research projects through MITACS.
“In our formula, it’s the students who are the conduit between the university and the industry,” she said.
Since Stachova took the administrative reins at MITACS, the organization’s annual budget has grown from less than $10 million to $37 million in 2009.
Her ongoing volunteer service with organizations in the scientific community such as the MusĂ©e de la civilisation is additional testament to her interest in promoting math and science and ensuring that Canadian graduates stay in Canada to help build a knowledge-based economy. •
