Sarah Woods
Toronto,ON
Summary
Accomplished leader and researcher in children and youth mental health with a proven track record of successfully developing, implementing, and evaluating a variety of programs for children, youth and their families. Principals or co-investigator on research studies and program evaluations, specifically conducted in the youth justice sector. Adept in project management and strategic leadership. Collaboratively secured over $3 million in funding, enhanced team performance, and fostered key relationships with academic, government, and community-based partners.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate Director
Child Development Institute
04.2024 - Current
- · Currently lead a team of 20 staff and placement students, that develops, implements, scales and evaluates over 20 programs for children, youth and their families.
- · Key areas of our Unit’s focus is youth justice, children and youth mental health, gender-based violence, learning disability and mental health, and early prevention and intervention services.
- · Represent CDI at national and international conferences and speaking engagements as an experienced researcher in children’s mental health (disruptive behaviours), youth justice, risk assessment, and implementation science
- · Implement data-driven decision-making strategies, leading to more informed decisions and positive outcomes.
- · Establish and maintain key partnerships with diverse stakeholders including research institutions, government, community, and youth.
- · Foster a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging staff to share innovative ideas and providing resources for professional development.
- · Prepare funding proposals and funding/activity reports for funders (more than $3 Million secured to date)
- · Manage budgets effectively to ensure optimal use of resources while maintaining financial stability.
Manager, Research and SNAP Youth Justice
Child Development Institute
10.2013 - 03.2024
- · Managed and directed highly successful province-wide implementation and evaluation project, Stop Now And Plan (SNAP) Youth Justice (emotion-regulation, self-control, and problem-solving program for justice-involved youth in Ontario).
- · Developed, implemented, and monitored implementation, fidelity, and evaluation frameworks.
- · Oversee project databases including online implementation and evaluation portal.
- · Prepare manuscripts for submission in academic journals; Prepare user friendly summaries of research findings in the form of research briefs, executive summaries, newsletters, and related web-based content.
- · Present research/evaluation findings and projects to both academic and lay audiences at conferences/meeting/networks.
- · Collaborate with multi-disciplinary team members, managers, and government liaisons.
Director & Research Coordinator
Amadeusz
06.2009 - 09.2017
- · Designed, implemented, and monitored research/evaluation protocols including research objectives and methodologies to evaluate an education attainment program for adults on remand in detention centres in Ontario.
- · Developed, implemented, and enforced organization policies, organizational strategic plans, and staff program manuals.
- · Successfully secured more than $1 Million in project funds from government and community foundations to sustain the project for more than 10 years
- · Managed and monitored all aspects of organizational budget ($200,000 annual budget)
- · Liaised with stakeholders for partnership development – expanded services to three locations across Toronto
- · Prepared reports of best practices and recommendations for program development (e.g. adult education, alternative education, correctional education programs)
- · Addressed and analyzed policy and community issues, generated reports and solutions
SNAP Researcher II
Child Development Institute
10.2013 - 10.2015
- · Member of researcher team for the SNAP program for children with disruptive behaviours and their families.
- · Conducted thorough literature reviews to identify gaps in knowledge and inform future research directions.
- · Utilized statistical packages to analyze data and create visualizations.
- · Presented research findings at national and international conferences.
- · Applied ethical considerations throughout all stages of the research process, safeguarding participant welfare and data integrity.
- · Mentored junior researchers, enhancing team capabilities and fostering culture of continuous learning.
- · Tailored research approaches to address specific community needs, leading to impactful societal contributions.
Education
Ph.D. - Criminology & Social Justice
Ontario Tech University
Oshawa, ON01.2024
Master of Arts - Criminology & Criminal Justice Policy
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON08.2008
Bachelor of Arts And Sciences - Psychology And Criminology Justice Policy
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON04.2007
Skills
- Project Management
- Strategic leadership
- Analytical Thinking
- Research Design & methodology
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Relationship Building
- Partnership development
- Public Speaking
- Proposal Writing
- Data Collection
- Budget management
Publications
Smaragdi, A., Austevik, T. J., Woods, S., Augimeri, L. (Forthcoming, 2025). Neurobiological underpinnings of treatment success for high-risk children displaying antisocial behaviour. In Youth Deviance, Crime, and Justice: The Neuro-Psycho-Criminological Perspective. Wiley.
Sewel, K., Woods, S., Belisle, E., Walsh, M., & Augimeri, L. (2019). SNAP Youth Justice: Youth Perceptions of Their Learning During a Pilot of an Evidence-Informed Intervention. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 16(5), 478-496.
Woods, S., Gopal, T.N., & George, P. (2018). Responding to Neoliberalism: The Case of The Look at My Life Project. Critical Social Work, 19(2), 60-74.
Woods, S., Gopal, T.N., George, P. (2014) Look at My Life: Access to Education for Incarcerated Youth in Toronto, Canadian Review of Social Policy, 70, 34-47.
Augimeri, L.K., Walsh, M., Jiang, D., & Woods, S. (2012). Risk assessment and clinical risk management for young antisocial children: The forgotten group. Universitas Psychologica, 11(4), 1147-1156.
Timeline
Associate Director
Child Development Institute
04.2024 - Current
Manager, Research and SNAP Youth Justice
Child Development Institute
10.2013 - 03.2024
SNAP Researcher II
Child Development Institute
10.2013 - 10.2015
Director & Research Coordinator
Amadeusz
06.2009 - 09.2017
Ph.D. - Criminology & Social Justice
Ontario Tech University
Master of Arts - Criminology & Criminal Justice Policy
University of Guelph
Bachelor of Arts And Sciences - Psychology And Criminology Justice Policy
University of Guelph
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