Executive Council
December 18, 2015
Premier Appoints Parliamentary Secretaries and Assistant
The Honourable Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today announced the following Parliamentary Assistant and Parliamentary Secretary appointments:
- Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier � Mark Browne
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Minister of Service NL � Graham Letto
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development � Colin Holloway
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services � Derek Bennett
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and Community Services � Bernard Davis
�I look forward to working with these individuals who each bring valuable skills and experiences to their departments. Together, we will provide strong leadership and work to grow our province for the future.�
- The Honourable Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
Mandate letters for each individual are now available online at: www.gov.nl.ca/exec/CABINET/ministers/#parliamentary
Biographies can be found in the backgrounder below.
- 30 -
Media contact:
Nancy O�Connor
Director of Communications
Office of the Premier
709-789-1825
nancyoconnor@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Biographies
Mark Browne, Member for Placentia West - Bellevue
Mark Browne was born in Burin to parents from Placentia Bay fishing families and is a passionate advocate for rural Newfoundland and Labrador. He holds an honours degree in political science and French from Memorial University and has been active in politics since 2009.
Mr. Browne worked as an aide to Member of Parliament Judy Foote and later worked as a political staffer in the Office of the Official Opposition in St. John�s.
Besides involvement in political organizations, Mr. Browne has served as president of College of the North Atlantic�s Burin Campus, and was a board member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Youth Parliament.
Graham Letto, Member for Labrador West
Graham Letto was born and raised in L�Anse au Clair on the Labrador coast. He attended Memorial University and moved to Labrador West in 1973, embarking on a 30-year career with the Iron Ore Company of Canada.
Mr. Letto was elected to the town council of Labrador City in 1989. He served as the mayor of Labrador City from 2001 to 2009. He was president of the Combined Councils of Labrador for five years. He served as a member of the board of directors of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador for 15 years and spent two years as MNL�s president. Mr. Letto was a member of the board of directors of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and was inducted into the FCM Roll of Honour.
In addition to his community leadership, he is a life member of the Kinsmen Association of Canada and serves as a member of the Provincial Advisory Council of the Canadian Red Cross.
Colin Holloway, Member for Terra Nova
Colin Holloway has 26 years of leadership experience in government and community-based organizations, including project management, public policy, collaboration and community economic development. A resident of Port Blandford, he has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and English literature from Memorial University. He is also an Accredited Partnership Broker.
During his time in government, Mr. Holloway facilitated public consultations on child care, primary health care, the fishery, the K�12 school system, and other key issues.
He is the founding member and chairperson of Habitat For Humanity Clarenville, Clarenville Area Community Youth Network, REACH Housing Board and Neighbourhood of Friends Family Resource Centre. He has served as the treasurer for the Clarenville area SPCA and as chairperson of the Vista Board of School Trustees.
Mr. Holloway has presented extensively at conferences on topics relating to rural development. He has received many awards and recognized numerous times for his extensive community involvement.
Derek Bennett, Member for Lewisporte - Twillingate
Derek Bennett was born and raised in Lewisporte and has been a lifelong resident of the district. A graduate of the Community Recreation Leadership Program at the College of Trades and Technology (now College of the North Atlantic), he has worked as the director of recreation and tourism with the Town of Lewisporte for 25 years.
During his time in the director role, Mr. Bennett has overseen many significant community enhancements including a major renovation of the Lewisporte Stadium, the development of the Woolfrey�s Pond Boardwalk and an expansion of Woolfrey�s Pond Park, an enhancement of the Lewisporte Marina, and many other community facilities. He has also served on many boards and volunteer organizations over the years.
Bernard Davis, Member for Virginia Waters - Pleasantville
Bernard Davis is a lifelong resident of St. John�s with a long and distinguished track record of community involvement. He is a graduate of the former Brother Rice High School and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) degree from Memorial University. He is currently the executive director and program co-ordinator of the Church Lad�s Brigade (CLB).
Mr. Davis was elected as a city councillor for St. John�s in 2013. In addition to his involvement with municipal politics, he has served on many boards and volunteer organizations over the years.
He has also been heavily involved in sports, having coached the St. John�s Junior Capitals through four national tournaments. Mr. Davis is currently the head coach of the Feildians senior baseball team.
2015 12 18 3:55 p.m.