TORONTO, June 12, 2007 - The Board of Directors of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Desmond E. E. (Des) Doran, a current member of the Board from Ottawa, as its new Acting Chair. Mr. Doran's appointment is effective immediately. He replaces Sister Andrée Ménard, the Québec representative who has served as Acting Chair since 2005. Sister Andrée's term as a Board member expired on June 2nd.
"I am very gratified by the confidence my colleagues have placed in me to assume this leadership role until a new chairperson is appointed," commented Mr. Doran. "This position comes with enormous responsibilities, but I know that I can rely on the Board and the staff of the Foundation for support."
Mr. Doran retired as an economist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. A member of the Ottawa Police Services Board, he is very active in community and volunteer work. He has served on the former City of Ottawa's Advisory Committee on Equity and Diversity from 1996-2000, and as Co-Chair of the Community Council for Ethnocultural Equity of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board from 2002 to 2004. He is also active in the Jamaican Community Association (Ottawa); serves on the Board of the Council on Aging of Ottawa and is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization. Mr. Doran was appointed to the CRRF Board in 2005.
"I want to thank the board members, both past and present, and the staff for the support and respect that have given me over the past two years, and indeed throughout my two terms as a Board member," said Sister Andrée, who was first appointed to the Board in 2002. -I'll be happy to continue to provide advice to the Board with respect to Québec until a new appointment is made."
The CRRF is a federal Crown Corporation with charitable status. Its chairperson, members of the Board and the executive director of the Foundation are all Governor-in-Council appointments.