The Banff Centre Focused to Advance Strategy

Banff, Alberta, June 6, 2014 -- The Banff Centre Board of Governors has appointed Jack Davis as its Interim President to ensure continued success of its operations as it implements the Centre’s Strategic Plan.  

“Jack Davis has tremendous leadership experience and he joins our team with an in-depth knowledge of the Centre having previously served on the Board, including as Vice Chair” said Board Chair Brenda Mackie. “His leadership, with the strength of The Banff Centre team, will help us to advance our Strategic Plan during this interim period.”  

Davis officially starts July 1, 2014. President Jeff Melanson will remain in Banff until that date and will support Davis to ensure a steady transition.  

“We approached Jack Davis because of his solid knowledge of our operations and background in government, business and not-for-profit management,” concluded Mackie.  

For more information on The Banff Centre please visit banffcentre.ca 

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About The Banff Centre: The Banff Centre's mission is inspiring creativity. Over 8,000 artists, leaders, and researchers from across Canada and around the world participate in programs at The Banff Centre every year. Through its multidisciplinary programming, The Banff Centre provides them with the support they need to create, to develop solutions, and to make the impossible possible. Moving forward, the Centre will disseminate the art and ideas developed in Banff through initiatives in digital, web, radio, and broadcast media.  

The Banff Centre’s institutional priorities 
The 2014-2017 Comprehensive Institutional Plan, which supports The Banff Centre’s Strategic Plan, focuses on five institutional priorities which include: ·      

  • Arts Funding: securing funding to enable tuition-free access for participants of arts residencies and programs;
  • Leadership Development: re-imagining leadership development offerings as The Peter Lougheed Leadership Institute;
  • Content Dissemination: increasing general access to the art and ideas created in Banff through a digital and events-based content dissemination strategy;
  • Campus Renewal: renewing the campus, including working with our partners to create public presentation and education facilities in Banff; and,
  • Applied Research: advancing our contribution to applied research with our Campus Alberta partners and additional partners including BIRS, CIFAR, and others.

About Jack Davis: Since 2008, Jack has been the Chairman of CEO.Mobile Inc., a company that advises CEOs, foundations and corporations on leadership and strategy. Jack has a long history of leadership in health care and the public sector. From 1999 to 2008, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Calgary Health Region. Prior to this role, Jack was responsible for the Alberta Public Service as Deputy Minister of Executive Council with several years of prior experience as a deputy minister in various government departments including Solicitor General, Municipal Affairs and Housing, Aboriginal Affairs, Transportation and Utilities and Health. Jack graduated from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (Hons.) and a Masters of Arts in Psychology, and is a Chartered Psychologist in Alberta. Jack served on The Banff Centre’s board of Governors, including as Vice Chair. Jack currently serves on the boards of a number of foundations and private companies. Jack is Chair of the Sinneave Family Foundation, Chair of the Advisory Council for the O'Brien Bachelor of Health Science Program and is a member of the Advisory Councils of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Institute of Public Health, all of which are associated with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Jack has previously served on the boards of the Alberta Social Housing Corporation, Alberta Energy and Utilities Advisory Board, Scripps Foundation for Medicine and Science, and Mount Royal University.