Grounded in Grit with a Global Vision: How Grace McCallum is Redefining Leadership in Education
With global experience and grounded values, Grace McCallum is leading one of Canada’s top girls’ schools into a future of innovation, inclusion, and intentional change.
Before she was the Head of School at Branksome Hall, one of Canada’s most prestigious independent schools for girls, Grace McCallum was working full-time hours in high school to help support her single-parent household. Her first job? “Dairy Queen. I was decorating cakes in the back,” she laughed on The LearnIt Podcast. It was a short-lived role, soon replaced by long shifts at Lawtons Drug Store, where the real lessons in responsibility began.
Fast forward two decades, and Grace now leads a school of nearly 1,000 students in the heart of Toronto. But the story in between is one of hard-earned perspective, global learning, and quiet, determined transformation.
A Childhood That Shaped Her Grit
Grace grew up in New Brunswick as the eldest daughter of a single mom. Her teen years were filled with the long shifts at Lawtons Drug Store and a deep sense of responsibility for her younger siblings. “I wouldn’t say my teachers would have predicted I’d become a Head of School or a superintendent,” she admitted. “But that work ethic, I carry it with me every day.”
That experience shaped how she now supports students, especially those balancing competing demands. “Everyone’s hard is their own hard,” she said. “That’s something I try to remember when leading a school.”
Global Roots, Local Purpose
Grace’s educational journey has taken her across continents, from international schools in China, Brazil, and Germany to leadership roles in Canada. But one of her most formative experiences came in Beijing.
“The school in China still has half of my heart,” she said. It was there that Grace stepped into school leadership for the first time. After seeing what poor leadership could do to a thriving school culture, she walked into a boardroom and declared: “I need to be the next principal of our elementary school.” She was 28, raising two small kids, and had a vision. “I brought a presentation,” she smiled. “And they said yes.”
A Human-Centered Approach to Change
Since joining Branksome Hall, Grace has taken a deeply relational approach. She’s met one-on-one with nearly 200 faculty and staff in her first year, asking every person the same opening question: “How did you get here?”
Her leadership style blends high expectations with humor and care. “The students would probably say I’m strict, and fun,” she said. “I believe how we show up matters. We stand on the shoulders of powerful women who built this school. Wearing the uniform well is one small way we honor that legacy.”
She’s not afraid of structure, but she’s just as passionate about listening, adapting, and building shared ownership of change. “Deep listening and community engagement are critical if you want to drive transformation,” she said. “You’ve got to start by solving for X. What are we trying to change, and what data supports that decision?”
Grace McCallum on The LearnIt Podcast
Innovation Meets Intention: The ICAST Vision
One of the things Grace is most excited about is Branksome Hall’s new iCAST building, an innovation and entrepreneurship hub designed to build future-ready skills through hands-on learning.
“It’s more than a makerspace. It’s a mindset,” she explained. The building will include woodworking and metalworking studios, a podcasting space, a state of the art theatre and room for Branksome’s Noodle program, an entrepreneurial accelerator where students build real businesses.
But for Grace, innovation is never about flash. “Education swings on pendulums. Our job is to be thoughtful. You don’t abandon tradition, you honor it while designing for the future.”
Diversity, Listening, and Civil Discourse
DEI is not just a checkbox at Branksome, it’s embedded in Grace’s philosophy. Drawing from her international school experience, she emphasizes the importance of modeling inclusivity at every level.
“Being diverse isn’t enough. We need to make space for real civil discourse. Not just debate, but listening to understand.”
That nuance, she believes, will be critical for the next generation. “The problems our students will face won’t have clear answers. We need to teach them to think critically, to hold space for different views, and to navigate complexity.”
A Leader Who Leads With Love
Despite the demands of the job, Grace remains deeply connected to her family, her morning routine (which starts at 4:30 AM), and her role as a mom. She finds joy in early workouts, long walks with her puppy, and quality time with her two daughters and husband.
Asked if she would ever trade jobs, even for a day, her answer was instant: “Never. Unless it’s my dog’s job, she naps and gets treats. But I have the best job in the world.”