Edith Dumont is a respected teacher and manager with a life-long commitment to education, leadership, and community service. A proud Franco-Ontarian, she devoted the last three decades of her career to supporting Francophone communities in Ontario and advocating for accessible, inclusive, and quality education in French.
As a special education teacher, a school principal, and an executive, Ms. Dumont’s passion for education led her to become the first woman to lead the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario, where she worked for more than 30 years – most recently as Director of Education and Secretary-Treasurer. She later became Vice-President of Partnerships, Communities, and International Relations at the Université de l’Ontario français, in Toronto.
In addition to her role as an educator and mentor, Ms. Dumont is also an active member of her community, having served on the boards of the Regroupement national des directions générales de l’éducation, l’Office des télécommunications éducatives de langue française de l’Ontario, and the Ottawa Network for Education, among others.
Ms. Dumont has promoted the importance of Francophone cultures, diversity, and leadership around the world, including as a guest speaker and panellist at various educational conferences in countries including France, Morocco, and Romania. For her contribution to the expansion of Francophone cultures around the world, she was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques by the French Republic.
In recognition of her contributions to the Franco-Ontarian community specifically, Ms. Dumont was also awarded the Médaille de l’Ordre de la Pléiade de l’Ontario in 2021 and the Prix Bernard Grandmaître in 2020. She was inducted into the Order of Ottawa in 2017.
Ms. Dumont holds two Bachelor’s degrees, one in psychology from the Université d’Ottawa and another in orthopedagogy from the Université du Québec en Outaouais, as well as a Master of Education from the University of Ottawa.
Ms. Dumont lives with her partner, Tony Viscardi, and their three children, Éloïse, Antoine, and Gabrielle.