The Honourable Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today announced two senior public service appointments. Robert Simmons has been appointed as Deputy Minister for the Human Resource Secretariat, effective September 10, and Jennifer Mercer, QC, has been appointed as Deputy Minister (Acting) with the Department of Justice and Public Safety and also as Deputy Attorney General (Acting), effective October 1.
Mr. Simmons has considerable experience in human resources, particularly in the natural resources sector, and previously worked with the Provincial Government from 2000 to 2006. Until recently, he was the General Manager of Human Resources & Sustainability with Vale.
Ms. Mercer has approximately 20 years of legal experience in Newfoundland and Labrador and currently serves as the Assistant Deputy Minister and Director of Public Prosecutions with the Department of Justice and Public Safety.
Additional biographical information for Mr. Simmons and Ms. Mercer can be found in the backgrounder below.
Quote:
“I welcome and congratulate Mr. Simmons in his
return to the public sector and also congratulate Ms. Mercer in her new role
with Justice and Public Safety. Both appointees have considerable experience in
their respective fields and I am confident they have much to contribute to the
Provincial Government on behalf of the residents of the province.”
Honourable
Dwight Ball
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
– 30 –
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BACKGROUNDER
Biographical Information
Robert Simmons
Robert Simmons’ career started with the
Provincial Government’s Collective Bargaining Division, Human Resource
Secretariat, in 2000 and he continued working in a number of human resources and
labour relations roles before leaving government in 2006 to work in the
province’s offshore oil and gas industry. In 2012, Mr. Simmons left his role as
Human Resources Manager with Suncor Energy to pursue opportunities in the mining
sector, spending the majority of the past six years in the role of General
Manager of Human Resources & Sustainability with Vale, supporting their
operations at Voisey’s Bay and Long Harbour. Mr. Simmons is a graduate of
Memorial University where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration and
a Bachelor of Arts (French).
Jennifer Mercer, QC
Jennifer L. Mercer, QC, attended
Université Ste-Anne, where she completed intensive French Immersion and her
Bachelier ès Arts (français). Her studies continued at Dalhousie Law School from
where she graduated in 1997. She articled with Miller & Hearn in Labrador
City and was admitted to the Bar in 1998, winning both the Hunt and Penny
Awards. Ms. Mercer settled in Labrador working first as a private practitioner
with Miller & Hearn, and subsequently with the Department of Justice and
Public Safety as a Crown Attorney. Since joining the Government of Newfoundland
and Labrador, Ms. Mercer has assumed additional management duties including
those as Senior Crown Attorney (Labrador). In early 2017, she moved to the
northeast Avalon to assume the position of Assistant Director of Public
Prosecutions (Acting) and was subsequently appointed Assistant Deputy Minister
and Director of Public Prosecutions in 2018. Ms. Mercer was named Queen’s
Counsel in March 2017.