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Two New Directors Appointed to EEDC Board

January 15, 2010

City Council and Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Roger Palmer and Barry Travers to EEDC's Board of Directors. They will be officially appointed at EEDC's Annual General Meeting in April.

“We’re thrilled to welcome our two new directors,” says EEDC President and CEO Ron Gilbertson. “As leaders in the community with tremendous expertise, they will be a valued complement to the board.”

Dr. Roger Palmer

University of Alberta – Director, MBA Public Management Program

After a distinguished career as a teacher and school administrator, Dr. Palmer was appointed Deputy Minister of Alberta Education in 1998. He then became the first Deputy Minister of Alberta Innovation and Science in 1999. There he was an architect of the Alberta Ingenuity Fund, founder of the Informatics Circle of Research Excellence (iCORE) and he created Alberta SuperNet.

In 2001, Dr. Palmer was appointed Deputy Minister of Alberta Environment and Deputy Minister of Alberta Health and Wellness in 2002. During his tenure, major improvements included the provincial on-line waitlist registry, the first provincial electronic health record and the creation of Local Primary Care Initiatives to revolutionize family medicine in Alberta.

In 2005 Dr. Palmer was appointed the Interim Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. In January 2009 he returned to the University of Alberta’s School of Business as Director of the MBA Public Management stream.

Barry Travers

KPMG LLP – West Tax Business Unit Leader

Barry Travers is the Business Unit Leader for the West Tax Region of KPMG LLP, and is based in their Edmonton office.

Mr. Travers specializes in corporate income tax, involving reorganizations and corporate business planning for shareholders and management of his corporate clients. He has extensive technical knowledge in the Goods and Services Tax, Harmonized Sales Tax and Income Tax areas and is known for his innovative approaches to pursuing tax planning opportunities for his clients. He is also a noted speaker, having delivered numerous presentations on the subject of income tax and sales tax management.

Mr. Travers is the lead tax engagement partner for numerous KPMG Edmonton’s key clients including North American Energy Partners Inc., Afexa Life Sciences Inc., the University of Alberta, the City of Edmonton, the University of Calgary, Manitoba Lotteries Corporation and Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation.

Mr. Travers joined the Halifax office of KPMG Peat Marwick Thorne in 1981, and relocated to the KPMG Edmonton office in 1997.

Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) provides leadership in economic development, markets Edmonton as a must-see destination, manages the Shaw Conference Centre and Edmonton Research Park, and acts as a stakeholder in TEC Edmonton, a joint venture with the University of Alberta.

For more information, visit www.edmonton.com. Learn more about Edmonton through the stories of people who've experienced it at www.edmontonstories.ca.