Meet the Collective
Impactful Collective was founded by Grace Barakat, Leanne Dixon Perera, and Stefan Mikuska. Our founding team brings together expertise in social research, migration, public policy, and political economy.
The collective also includes researchers and consultants with additional methodological and subject expertise. We assemble project teams according to the research question, scope, and expertise required.
Grace Barakat, PhD
Co-founder
Grace is a sociologist, research consultant, and sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto. Her work examines social inequality and the ways institutions and public policies shape access to education, employment, housing, and services. She holds a PhD in Sociology from York University.
She designs and conducts qualitative and quantitative research, including interviews, focus groups, surveys, and policy analysis. Her consulting projects have addressed housing equity, workplace discrimination, migration, mental health, and gender-based violence. She works across the research process, from developing questions and instruments to analyzing data and preparing reports and recommendations.
Equity and intersectional analysis are central to her research practice. She examines individual experiences in relation to the institutional arrangements and social conditions that produce them, with particular attention to differences within communities.
Leanne Dixon Perera, MA
Co-founder
Leanne is a migration policy specialist with a master’s degree in International Development and more than a decade of experience in labour, immigration, and governance. Her career spans federal government, international organizations, and civil society, giving her experience with both policy development and implementation.
Her work has addressed labour migration, ethical recruitment, worker protections, and migrant rights in Canada and internationally. She has collaborated with governments, non-profit organizations, and United Nations agencies, contributing research, consultation, and policy recommendations.
Leanne brings particular attention to the relationship between migration policy and working conditions. Her analysis considers how recruitment practices, immigration systems, and labour protections affect migrants’ rights and their ability to exercise them.
Stefan Mikuska, PhD Candidate
Co-founder
Stefan is completing a PhD in Politics, with research interests in governance, development, and global political economy. His work examines political and institutional processes in their wider social and economic contexts. He is a sessional lecturer at Trent University.
He brings experience in policy research, teaching, and facilitation, alongside qualitative and quantitative research skills. His methods include data analysis, survey design, interviews, and stakeholder consultation. He has supported government and non-profit policy work, translating research into reports and recommendations.
Stefan’s approach connects the analysis of institutions with questions of equity and accountability. He considers how policy choices distribute resources and opportunities, and what those choices mean for the people and organizations affected.