Nick Vlahos
Deputy Director

• Email:[email protected]
• Hometown:Toronto

Nick Vlahos is an academic practitioner dedicated to advancing civic decision-making through innovative engagement methods that include digital platforms, local outreach, and inclusive public forums. As Deputy Director of the Center for Democracy Innovation at the National Civic League, Nick spearheads transformative projects such as deliberative study sessions integrating elected officials with randomly selected residents in city council forums and mapping national networks for a healthy democracy ecosystem.

With a PhD in political science, his research delves into democratic practices in diverse contexts, focusing on emerging institutions, the political economy of democratization, and civic innovation for social well-being. Previously, Nick was a fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, leading the Connecting to Parliament project involving two deliberative town halls with elected Members of Parliament. He’s worked on human-centered design initiatives to enhance engagement with underrepresented populations as part of Canada’s first Bloomberg Philanthropy Innovation Team in Toronto. He also led community economic development and tenant engagement in a Toronto Community Housing Corporation revitalization community. Nick is a member of the Democracy R&D network, Participedia’s participatory governance cluster, and People Powered’s governance committee and is a mentor for the Canada Muslim Vote.