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Our Board and Staff

Chairperson: Hon. Shawn Skinner, MHA
Members of the Board: Dr. John Fitzgerald, Maureen Foley, Susan Knight, Bill Mahoney, Patrick O’Callaghan, Dr. Pat Parfrey, Keith Stoodley, Cathy Duke, Gaylene Buckle


Biographies

Board

Honourable Shawn Skinner, Chair, Shawn Skinner, MHA for St. John’s Centre, is the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development and Minister responsible for the Rural Secretariat. Born and raised in St. John's, Minister Skinner was elected as a Progressive Conservative Member of the House of Assembly in the 2003 General Election. Prior to entering provincial politics, he served as a Municipal Councilor (Ward II) in the City of St. John's. A proud graduate of both Holy Cross Junior High and Brother Rice High School, he attended Memorial University, Cabot College and St. Francis Xavier University earning a Diploma in Applied Arts and a Certificate in Adult Education. For 20 years, he worked in the field of Adult Education and Skills Training with Keyin College, St. John's campus. He served in the capacities of instructor, faculty supervisor, principal, and operator. Since 1998, he has held the Canadian Institute of Management's Professional Manager Designation which recognizes a combination of academic and professional work experience. Throughout his career, Mr. Skinner has actively been engaged in community service. He has served as a vice-president of the St. John's Boys and Girls Club, a member of the Royal St. John's Regatta Committee; the president of the Benevolent Irish Society, and a board member of Friends of Victoria Park. His volunteer work includes the Canadian Blood Services, the St. John's Canada Day Committee, and past chair of the CNIB Visions Luncheon. Mr. Skinner was appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier on July 5, 2006. On January 19, 2007, he was appointed Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment and Minister responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing.

Dr. John FitzGerald was born in St. John's and holds B.A., B. Ed., and M.A. degrees from Memorial University and the Ph.D. in history from the University of Ottawa. In Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Cork, London, Oxford, Rome, Ottawa, and in Newfoundland he has conducted extensive research on the connections between Ireland and Newfoundland, and he is adjunct professor of History at Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he has taught courses in Irish and Newfoundland history and the history of Education. He has been a frequent commentator on Newfoundland and Labrador history in the local and national media, and is a member of the Newfoundland Historical Society and the Newfoundland Historic Trust. He has served on the executive boards of a number of provincial and national academic and heritage organizations. In May 2006, he was appointed by Premier Danny Williams as the Representative of the Province in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador's Office of Federal-Provincial Relations in Ottawa. Dr. Fitzgerald is currently working as a Special Advisor with Executive Council.


Maureen Foley Maureen Foley has been a member of Tilting Recreation and Cultural Society for six years and has worked tirelessly towards realizing their vision for Tilting. She believes that by restoring and maintaining our fishery-related buildings and out-buildings, salt-box style homes, and by holding on to the ways of our Irish ancestors, the community can look forward to a bright future. Ms. Foley has been happily married to Philip for 17 years with one daughter, Siobhan.

Susan Knight Susan Knight is the founder and artistic director of the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Choir and FESTIVAL 500. An editor with Oxford University Press, Ms. Knight is active as a guest conductor, adjudicator, lecturer, clinician and advocate. She currently serves on the boards of Chorus America and the International Federation of Choral Music. Ms. Knight is a member of the Order of Canada, and was awarded an honourary doctorate from her alma mater, Memorial University, in 2004.

Bill Mahoney Bill Mahoney is the president/owner of Regal Realty Ltd., a St. John’s based commercial real estate company, the Murray Premises Hotel Inc., Community Properties Limited, and St. John’s Executive Suites. He is the former president of Community Cable Limited and Andromeda Cablevision. After serving for 26 years in the Air Force Reserves, Mr. Mahoney recently retired; however, he continues to be a member of many military and civic organizations. Currently, he is chairman of the St. John’s International Airport Authority, the Downtown Development Commission and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Historical Society as well as the St. John’s Rotary Club Sponsoring Committee for 508 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron. He is also a director of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, John Howard Society, Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador and as well, is a member of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment Advisory Council and the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association. He has received the Canadian Forces Decoration; and in December 1995, Mr. Mahoney was invested as an Officer in the Order of Military Merit. He has been awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary International and has received a Certificate of Honour from the Air Cadet League of Canada for his continued support of the Air Cadet Movement. Recently, he has been awarded the Newfoundland and Labrador Lung Association President’s Vote of Thanks Award.

Patrick O’Callaghan Patrick O’Callaghan is a native of Ireland who has lived in Atlantic Canada for more than 30 years. He graduated in hotel management from St. Mary’s College, Dublin, in 1965 and has worked in the food service industry since that time. Prior to establishing East Coast Catering in 1984, Mr. O’Callaghan spent 20 years in the hotel industry working as food and beverage manager and subsequently general manager in five star hotels in Ireland, USA and Canada. Since 1984, he has directed his talents to providing excellence in catering, housekeeping and facilities management services to construction and mining sites in the North West Territories, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and West Africa. Since 1984, he has also provided catering and hotel services to the majority of drilling rigs operating from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. In 2000, he was successful in further expanding the company to Ireland.

Dr. Pat Parfrey is a university research professor at Memorial University, research chief of the Health Care Corporation of St. John’s, director of the Patient Research Centre, a staff nephrologist and clinical epidemiologist. He holds a CIHR-RPP Distinguished Scientist Award and has produced international quality research in several areas of clinical epidemiology. He received the Kidney Foundation of Canada Medal for Research Excellence in 2002 and was named an Officer to the Order of Canada in 2004. He is the past president of the Canadian Society of Nephrology, and author or co-author of over 200 papers and multiple book chapters. He has been a leader in the development of rugby both provincially and nationally. He is former head coach of the Canadian National Men’s Team, past president of Rugby Canada and a member of the board of Rugby Canada. In 2005, he coached the Newfoundland Rock Team to their first national senior men’s title. He has been instrumental in the development of high quality facilities for rugby in Newfoundland and Labrador and has a strong commitment to youth development.

Keith Stoodley Keith Stoodley has over 25 years experience in ocean industries including fisheries, aquaculture, marine biotechnology and marine technology and has been actively involved in exporting to Ireland for over a decade. He is the sitting chairperson of a public-private partnership focused on the development of the ocean industry cluster in Newfoundland and Labrador. The initiative, known as Oceans Advance, is advocating the establishment of a western North Atlantic Ocean Observatory with linkages to Ireland. Mr. Stoodley was born in Grand Bank and educated at Memorial University and the University of British Columbia. He sits on a variety of provincial, regional and national boards including Memorial University’s Genesis Centre, the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation Council, and the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. Mr. Stoodley has been a board member of the IBP since 1997 and has served as chair of the Environment Subcommittee (1997-2000) and chair of the Business Subcommittee (2002-2004).

Ms Cathy Duke is currently the Deputy Minister of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Minister of the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development and as Executive Director of the Ireland Business Partnerships.

Before taking that position in March 2005, she worked in the private sector as President of Sports Villas Resort, Inc., and operator of the Terra Nova Golf Resort and its related real estate and hotel operations. Ms. Duke’s experience in the tourism industry includes her tenure as Executive Director of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador. She also has considerable experience in the business development field, having served as a business consultant with Coastal Associates and Consultants Limited, business development co-ordinator and later Executive Director of the Economic Recovery Commission, and account manager with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

Among her board appointments, Ms. Duke has served as a board member of the St. John’s International Airport Authority, member of the Tourism Marketing Council, board member of Enterprise Newfoundland and Labrador, director of the St. John’s Board of Trade, Newfoundland and Labrador chair for the 2004 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, chair of Golf Newfoundland and Labrador and chair of the Women’s Enterprise Bureau. She holds a bachelor of social work and master of business administration from Memorial University.

Ms. Gaylene Buckle Ms. Buckle currently resides in the Western region of the province and is the General Manager with Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. She has experience as a business owner and as a reporter with several newspapers in the province. She has volunteered her time with many diverse organizations, including the Association of Cultural Industries, Western Tourism Steering Committee, Canadian Parents for French, and the 1999 Canada Winter Games. Ms. Buckle has also served as a member of the Memorial University Board of Regents

                                                             Last updated: September 29, 2010