The Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) held its fourth Annual General Meeting (AGM) of members on October 12th.
The CGLR was formed after 250 leaders from government, business, labour, non-profit, and academic sectors from around the Great Lakes region came together in 2011 at the Great Lakes Summit in Detroit and Windsor. Together, the participants agreed that the building of the regional economy, preservation of ecosystem health, and deep cross-border and cross-sector collaboration were needed.
At the AGM, the following individuals were elected to the board of directors:
- Brenda Drinkwalter, Independent Director
- Ted Gruetzner, Vice President, Ontario Power Generation
- Stephen Petras, Partner, Baker Hostetler
- Chris Smillie, Senior Director, Canada’s Building Trades Unions
- Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Don Lauzon, President, Lauzon Consulting, LLC
- David Ullrich, Executive Director, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
- Geoffrey Wilson, President and CEO, PortsToronto
- William D. Friedman, President and CEO, Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority
- Rakesh Naidu, COO, Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation
- Patrick Whalen, Director, Niagara Global Tourism Institute
- Blair Severn, Co-Founder and Chairman of enabling ideas
- Akin Alaga, Director, Sector Strategy Branch, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Growth
- Mark Fisher, President and CEO, Council of the Great Lakes Region
“CGLR plays a key role in shaping the future of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Region. As such, I’m pleased members approved the appointments put forward by our nominating committee as they ensure that the board reflects the diversity of perspectives and interests in the region,” said Ted Gruetzner, chair of the board of directors.
Established in 2013, CGLR is an independent, non-profit corporation that is mandated “to collaborate with the many successful organizations already working in the region to highlight, enhance and support their projects.”
CGLR mobilizes business leaders, lawmakers, government executives, policy specialists, academia and advocates from non-governmental organizations in building a strong regional economy while preserving the environment.
The Council achieves this mandate by conducting insightful public policy research; generating sensible policy solutions and region-wide strategies; and, convening thought-provoking events like the annual Great Lakes Economic Forum, which stimulate diverse policy conversations and ideas. The next Forum will be held April 24-26, 2017 in Windsor and Detroit.
For more on the next Great Lakes Forum, visit the website.
The council has offices in Cleveland and Toronto.
