Premier Announces Senior Appointments

The Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today announced the following senior appointments:

Darrin Pike is appointed the Deputy Minister of the Department of Advanced Education and Skills, moving from the Department of Education where he has served as Deputy Minister since April 2009. This appointment is effective immediately.

Marilyn Field is appointed Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Advanced Education and Skills, effective immediately, having served with the department as Assistant Deputy Minister (Income, Employment and Youth Services).

Janet Vivian-Walsh is appointed Deputy Minister (Acting) of the Department of Education, serving previously as Assistant Deputy Minister (Primary, Elementary and Secondary) with the department. This appointment is effective immediately.

Tracy King is appointed Assistant Secretary to Cabinet (Social Policy), effective November 7. Ms. King currently works in the Department of Health and Community Services as Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy and Planning).

Donna O’Brien is appointed Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy and Programs) with the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, effective November 13. Ms. O’Brien is currently the Director of Income Support with the Department of Advanced Education and Skills.

“I congratulate these five individuals on their new appointments,” said Premier Dunderdale. “Their leadership and expertise have been well demonstrated in their commitment to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. I wish them all the best as they take on these new senior roles within the public service.”

See the Backgrounder below for biographical information.

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BACKGROUNDER
Biographical Information

Darrin G. Pike
Mr. Pike has served as Deputy Minister of the Department of Education since April 2009. He has extensive senior management and teaching experience in the education system in Newfoundland and Labrador. His roles have included Chief Executive Officer/Director of Education and Assistant Director of Education (Programs) with Eastern School District.

He has also worked as Director of the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation, Department of Education; Principal, Ascension Collegiate, Bay Roberts; Program Implementation Specialist, Avalon West School District; and various other teaching positions at both the high school and post-secondary levels.

Mr. Pike received a Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 1997 and one of four honourable mentions in the Reader's Digest Leadership in Education Award in 1996. Mr. Pike has a Masters Degree in teaching and learning, a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Education from Memorial University.

Marilyn Field
Ms. Field returned to work with the Provincial Government in December 2005 as Assistant Deputy Minister following four years as Vice President, Human Resource Management and Corporate Services for the former St. John’s Nursing Home Board. In the Department of Advanced Education and Skills, she has served as Assistant Deputy Minister (Income, Employment and Youth Services).

She started her career with the Alcohol and Drug Dependency Commission and joined the Provincial Government in 1992 as a member of the human resource management team for the Department of Health and Community Services. She later held various other positions with that department and Treasury Board.

Ms. Field has a Bachelor of Science (psychology) from Memorial University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. She has also completed the Human Resource Management Program at Queen’s University and has certification in a number of other areas including quality improvement and change management. In 2004, she was awarded a research fellowship with the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation.

Janet Vivian-Walsh
Ms. Vivian-Walsh most recently held the position of Assistant Deputy Minister (Primary, Elementary and Secondary) with the Department of Education. She has over 30 years of experience as both a teacher and an administrator, previously holding the position of Assistant Director of Education (Programs) with the Eastern School District. Her career includes 12 years of teaching (Grades 7-13) and 18 years of experience in various school-based and district administrative positions.

Ms. Vivian-Walsh holds a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) degree and a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) degree from Memorial University and a Masters of Education (Educational Studies / Curriculum) from the University of Western Ontario. She has served on various committees at Memorial’s Faculty of Education and on the executive of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Directors of Education.

Tracy King
Ms. King began her career with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2000. She currently works with the Department of Health and Community Services as Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy and Planning). Previous to this position, she was Executive Director with the department. Ms. King has also worked in the areas of policy, human resource and research analysis with the Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat, Department of Justice and Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. She also served in a variety of progressively responsible positions with the Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs, the Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat and Cabinet Secretariat.

Ms. King holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a certificate in public administration from Memorial University.

Donna O’Brien
Ms. O’Brien began her career with the Provincial Government in 1988 as a frontline Client Services Officer and then as Social Worker with the former Department of Social Services. She has served in management roles since 1997. She currently serves as Director of Income Support with the Department of Advanced Education and Skills. Her other roles have included Director (Poverty Reduction Strategy), Senior Policy Advisor, Regional Director, Project Manager (Income Support Service Delivery) and Program and Policy Development Specialist (Income Support Division) with the former Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment.

Ms. O’Brien holds the degrees of Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of Arts from Memorial University, as well as a certificate in public administration.

2012 11 01             12:00 p.m.