Cordillera Institute


Cordillera Institute	Research Publications Information Exchange Performance Improvement Municipal Independence

Institute People

Institute activities are conducted with the invaluable input of our Editorial Advisory Board. Their generous contribution of time and ideas is gratefully acknowledged. Current and past Board Members (listed alphabetically by surname) are:

•	Richard R. Arblaster	Barrister & Solicitor, practising in the municipal and land development fields
•	Philippa R. Campsie	President, Philippa Campsie Editorial Services, and Deputy Editor, Ontario Planning Journal
•	G. Ian Ferguson	Specialist (retired), Strategic Directions, Heritage Canada, Hull, QC
•	Alex J. Grant	Chief Administrative Officer (retired), Township of Uxbridge, ON
•	Peter M. Holle	Founder, Frontier Centre for Public Policy, and Principal Associate, Cog Associates, Winnipeg, MB
•	Clayton A. Hudson	Barrister & Solicitor, and President, Strathmore Communities Corporation, Toronto, ON
•	Ronald W. Jensen	President, Ron Jensen & Associates, and former Director of Public Works, City of Phoenix, AZ
•	Robert P. Mills	Financial Analyst, and President, The Blythwood Group, Toronto, ON
•	William E. Ogden	Planning Consultant (retired), practised with local governments in the Provinces of Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Ontario
•	C. W. (Chuck) Wills	Chief Administrative Officer, City of Windsor, ON

Institute Associates

These individuals are responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the Institute. Before joining our organization, they spent much of their careers working for or with local government.

•	David Barber	Director
•	William E. Ogden	Editor
•	Richard Rowe	Circulation Manager
•	Eugene Brown	Information Systems
•	Diane Miller	Research Associate
•	Andrea Gibbs	Office Manager

Institute Ambassadors
Eric Williams (deceased), former Manager, Montego Bay Airport (now Sangster International Airport), Montego Bay, JA
At age 91, Eric Williams said he was still learning. His love of learning can be summed up in his favorite quote -- "All men are my betters in that I learn from them." Born in the Jamaican Parish of St.Thomas, he was the 13th of 14 children. As you can imagine, growing up in such a large family during the depression, he was out working at an early age. While he had older brothers out working as well, he was expected to contribute to maintaining the household. During World War II, he joined the RAF (Royal Air Force) and spent 4 years overseas. Those responsibilities left him very little time for formal schooling. Instead, life around him became his classroom. A keen observer of people and events, he carefully studied the results produced by various behaviors. Over the years, he said, you will come to know what works and what doesn't. He credited these studies for his success in whatever he tackled.

John Lean (deceased), former Deputy Reeve, Township of Hamilton, ON
Hamilton Township is the rural municipality which surrounds the Town of Cobourg and stretches from Lake Ontario north to Rice Lake. John had a farm which overlooked Rice Lake. When he retired there from council in his 70s, he continued to take an active interest in civic affairs. Whenever he wrote 1 of his many letters to the editor, he would send our Director a copy with a request for his comments. One day, David asked John, half jokingly, why he wanted his input. After all, John had no problem expressing himself. David was surprised when he became very serious. "Anything from the hand of man can be improved," he said. "Perfection is reserved for God." That was his way of explaining the need for humility. When we started this Institute in 1994, John volunteered to become our 1st Ambassador. We were very pleased to have him on our team but we were curious to know why, at his age, he wanted to take on this responsibility. This time, his eyes twinkled as he said, "I like the idea of your Institute. But, anything from the hand of man ..." Thanks, John. That's always a good reminder.