Provincial Government Announces Three New Commissioners for the Independent Appointments Commission

  • Executive Council

June 26, 2019

A resolution was passed today in the House of Assembly to appoint three individuals to join the Independent Appointments Commission (IAC).

The new members are:

  • Gerald Anderson
  • Peggy Bartlett
  • Edward Roberts

Biographies for the three individuals, who will each serve for a three-year term, can be found in the backgrounder below.

In addition to the new members, Earl Ludlow, who joined the IAC in March 2019, has been appointed as Chair of the IAC.

These new members are replacing three retiring board members, including outgoing Chair the Honourable Clyde Wells, Shannie Duff and M. Zita Cobb.

In December 2017, the Provincial Government introduced amendments to the Independent Appointments Commission Act to increase the size of the IAC to a maximum of seven commissioners and a minimum of five. These changes were introduced to help the IAC further improve its efficiency and manage the considerable workload of administering the province’s merit-based appointments’ process.

The IAC is an independent body established by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to provide merit-based recommendations to approximately 30 “Tier One Entities.” These agencies, boards and commissions deliver important services including health care and K-12 and post-secondary education, and help manage our province’s natural resources.

Quotes
“I would like to sincerely thank Mr. Wells for his leadership as the inaugural chair of the Independent Appointments Commission, as well as Ms. Duff and Ms. Cobb for their significant contributions as part of the first group of IAC Commissioners. As a result of their efforts, our province has the most open and accessible appointments process for agencies, boards and commissions in the country. We are excited to continue this important work with our new commissioners and with Mr. Ludlow as chair in the years to come.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board and Minister Responsible for the Public Service Commission

“I am particularly grateful to the commissioners originally appointed for the time and effort they contributed to establish the commission and assess the hundreds of persons necessary to identify the 515 persons recommended for consideration to date. I am also grateful to the two commissioners recently added, our part-time administrator and the chairs and staff of the Public Service Commission. Today’s appointments will, I have no doubt, make excellent contributions to the future success of the IAC.”
Honourable Clyde Wells
Outgoing Chair, Independent Appointments Commission

“As incoming Chair of the IAC, I believe agencies, boards, and commissions provide valued leadership and advice in all areas of the public sector. Independent, merit based recommendations will continue to be the guiding principle for governance and executive roles that come within the scope of the IAC. I welcome the three new commissioners and thank the outgoing commissioners for their work and dedication.”
Earl Ludlow
Incoming Chair, Independent Appointments Commission

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Learn more
The Independent Appointments Commission external link icon

Tier One Entities external link icon

Media contact
Marc Budgell
Finance
709-729-2477, 689-0430
marcbudgell@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Biographies of New Members and New Chair of the Independent Appointments Commission

Gerald Anderson
Gerald Anderson has over 30 years of experience working with Marine Institute, most recently as Director of Development and Engagement. Mr. Anderson was the designated lead for all work with Indigenous stakeholders in regions across Canada throughout his career with the Marine Institute, and from 2016 to 2018 was appointed as Vice-President (Indigenous) with University of the Arctic (UArctic), a network university with 180 members worldwide including Memorial University. In this position Mr. Anderson was responsible for ensuring Indigenous inclusion in all activities undertaken by UArctic. Mr. Anderson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from Memorial University in 1980.

Peggy Bartlett
Peggy Bartlett has over 22 years of experience as a successful owner-operator of five McDonald’s Restaurants in central Newfoundland, with stores in Grand Falls-Windsor, Lewisporte and Gander. Prior to this, she spent 15 years as a community health nurse with the Janeway Child Health Centre. In recent years Ms. Bartlett has served as a town councillor with the Town of Grand Falls Windsor, where she currently resides. She has significant volunteer and board experience, including current membership on the Board of the Gander International Airport Authority, the Grand Falls House Foundation and she serves as Central Director on the Board of the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs. Ms. Bartlett is a graduate of the General Hospital School of Nursing Registered Nurse program, the Memorial University Community Health Nursing program and the Small Business Management program with the College of Trades and Technology.

Hon. Edward Roberts
The Honourable Edward Roberts has over 25 years of public service experience, including nearly 23 years as an elected Member of the House of Assembly. During his time in government he held several cabinet portfolios, including Minister of Public Welfare, Minister of Health and Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and also served as Government House Leader and Leader of the Opposition at various points. After retiring from politics in 1996, he served as the province’s Lieutenant Governor from 2002 to 2008. In 2009, he was made a member of the Order of Canada. A lawyer by trade, Edward Roberts was called to the Bar of Newfoundland in 1965 and appointed to the Queen’s Counsel in 1979.

Earl Ludlow
Earl Ludlow recently retired as Executive Vice President, Eastern Canadian and Caribbean Operations and Operational Advisor to the President and Chief Executive Officer of Fortis Inc. His career with the Fortis Group spanned nearly 40 years. Mr. Ludlow has an extensive career as a community volunteer, including two terms on Memorial University’s Board of Regents and two terms as the Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, 1st Battalion. Presently, Mr. Ludlow is a member of the Board of Directors for The Rooms. He is a member of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, has been inducted into the Atlantic Provinces CEO Business Hall of Fame by Atlantic Business Magazine and was designated as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Canadian Red Cross in 2010. Mr. Ludlow earned a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) in 1980 and a Masters of Business Administration from Memorial University in 1994.

2019 06 26 10:25 am