December 12, 2008

Mayor and Council Members Announce New City Manager

Mayor Gregor Robertson today announced that Dr. Penny Ballem will join the City of Vancouver as City Manager, taking over from Judy Rogers, who has served as City Manager since 1999.

Robertson said Council’s decision, effective immediately, supports the new Council’s agenda for change at City Hall, and that Rogers is working cooperatively to ensure an orderly and principled transition.

“Judy Rogers has made an enormous contribution to the City of Vancouver over the course of her 20-year career here. She built a talented and dedicated professional team over the years, and she has worked hard to help make Vancouver the great city it is today. I wish her the very best as she moves forward in her career,” Robertson said.

For more information, please contact:
Kevin Quinlan, Executive Assistant to the Mayor
778.995.2264

BACKGROUNDER

Biography – Dr. Penny Ballem

Incoming City Manager Dr. Penny Ballem has more than 30 years experience in the public sector in Canada in senior management positions. She has extensive experience in managing large organizations, building relationships across private and public sectors, and collaborating with civic, provincial, and federal levels of government.

Dr. Ballem, who is trained as a clinical hematologist, has served as the Deputy Minister of Health for British Columbia, as well as the Vice-President of Women’s and Family Health at the Children’s and Women’s Health Centre of BC. She currently serves as a Corporate Director for Bentall Capital G.P. Ltd., as well as a senior advisor to RPO Management Consultants.

Dr. Ballem served as the Deputy Minister of Health from 2001-2006. The Ministry of Health is responsible for a $12 Billion budget and oversees a sector serving 4.2 million British Columbians.

As Deputy Minister, Dr. Ballem:

• Served as the lead official for a number of specific national health initiatives led by the Premier of BC, including the National Pharmaceutical Strategy and the Aboriginal Health Strategy
• Co-chaired the Federal/Provincial Territorial Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health
• Chaired the BC Health Leadership Council that brought together on a regular basis the CEOs of the six health authorities
• Oversaw the move to a fully regionalized system (from 52 governing bodies to 6 health authorities) with consolidation of regional service delivery and development of core health service capacity in each region to better serve the public
• Instituted comprehensive annual performance agreements between the Ministry of Health and the Health authorities to direct strategic transformation of the sector and ensure accountability
• Oversaw a major transformation of the Public Drug Plan (Pharmacare) to ensure more equitable access for all British Columbians
• Improved labour relations in the health system with an unprecedented agreement with all labour unions to work on health policy and health workplace issues through the terms of new agreements commencing in March 2006.

Dr. Ballem is the winner of the 2003 Queen’s Jubilee Medal for Public Service, as well as the 2006 British Columbia Provincial Health Officer’s Award for Leadership in Public Health.

Her position as City Manager is effective immediately.

For more information, please contact:
Kevin Quinlan, Executive Assistant to the Mayor
778.995.2264                             

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Last modified: Wednesday, November 25, 2009