News Release
Ottawa (April 15, 2010) – The Board of Governors of the Council of Canadian Academies is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Elizabeth Dowdeswell as President of the Council, effective April 1st, 2010.
“I am confident Ms. Dowdeswell’s visionary leadership and extensive management experience will serve the Council well at this stage of its development. Her knowledge of the Council and her commitment to public policy make her the ideal candidate, we are thrilled she has agreed to take on this very important role,” said Elizabeth Parr-Johnston, Chair of the Board of Governors.
“In a world of increasing complexity, bringing scientific advice to bear on issues and matters of public interest is critical. For me, this is the opportunity of a lifetime to creatively link science and public policy. Under the leadership of the Founding President, Peter Nicholson, the Council developed a tremendous reputation for excellence. I look forward to building on that legacy,” said Ms. Dowdeswell.
Ms. Dowdeswell has had a distinguished career as a public servant, including serving as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program and Under-Secretary General of the United Nations. She has held senior management positions in the federal government, the government of Saskatchewan and the private sector. She chaired the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Council since its inception, is an adjunct professor at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health at the University of Toronto and was one of the first Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation mentors. Ms. Dowdeswell is a Director on the Boards of several corporations and contributes in an advisory capacity to a number of Canadian and international not-for-profit organizations. She holds a Master of Science degree in behavioural sciences from Utah State University, a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics, a teaching certificate from the University of Saskatchewan, and nine honorary degrees.
The Council of Canadian Academies is an independent, not-for-profit corporation that undertakes science-based, expert assessments (studies) to inform public policy development in Canada. Assessments are conducted by multidisciplinary panels of experts from across Canada and abroad. The Council’s blue-ribbon panels serve free of charge and many are Fellows of the Council’s Member Academies – the RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. The Council’s completed assessments are published and made available to the general public at no cost, in both English and French. For more information please visit – www.scienceadvice.ca
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For more information, please contact:
Sam Rae Ayoub
Senior Manager, Communications
Council of Canadian Academies
613 698-6765