Dr. Ginette GagnÉ-Koch elected Chair of the
Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO)

(TORONTO) -- Dr. Ginette GagnÉ-Koch of Moncton has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO), a non-profit, volunteer-based, international social development agency.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to serve an organization dedicated to improving economic stability and social justice in Canada and around the world,” says Dr. GagnÉ-Koch.

Founded in 1967, CESO transfers expertise to Canadian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, businesses and organizations in developing nations and countries in transition.

CESO is supported by its principal funders, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), as well as about 300 corporations and foundations and scores of individual Canadians.

The skills transfers are carried out by Volunteer Advisers (VAs), Canadian men and women, most of whom are retired or semi-retired and draw on their education and lifetime of experience to empower people through problem-solving, skills transfer and sharing of practical information and ideas.

“You don’t have to leave your working expertise on the shelf when you retire,” says Dr. GagnÉ-Koch. “You can discover continuing career satisfaction and fulfilment as a CESO volunteer. What CESO VAs do is try to help others to help themselves. It’s very rewarding to pass on skills to people who are eager to learn."

Dr. GagnÉ-Koch joined the CESO Board in 1997 and became a Volunteer Adviser in 2001. She has completed two assignments in Costa Rica where she assisted the government with the upgrading of its hospital accreditation program.

Dr. GagnÉ-Koch was president and Chief Executive Officer of the South-East Health Care Corporation in Moncton until she retired in June, 2000, to assume full-time her international work as President of GKI Inc. and as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Slovenia for the Atlantic Region.

She is a graduate of the University of MontrÉal and began her career as a medical doctor in QuÉbec. After moving to Calgary in 1976, she became assistant executive director of the Holy Cross Hospital and served on several public and private boards of directors.

Dr. GagnÉ-Koch was medical director of Moncton Hospital in 1982 and, in 1991, was appointed President and CEO of the hospital and of South-East Health Care Corporation. She was a director of Bruncor Inc, and, in 1986, was the first woman appointed as director of the New Brunswick Telephone Company.

She was president of the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce and served on the board of the Greater Moncton Economic Commission, the Moncton Industrial Development Ltd., the New Brunswick Medical Society and the New Brunswick Cancer Society.

Dr. GagnÉ-Koch has been a regular commentator on television about social issues, a speaker on health care, business and management issues and a teacher at the Physician Management Institute. She has most recently been involved in consultation services and trade in Eastern Europe, particularly Slovenia.

CESO QUICK FACTS:

Founded 1967, CESO has a talent bank of 3,500 Volunteer Advisers (VAs) We have completed more than 40,000 assignments in over 100 countries, including Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union Our goal is to develop the capacity of people in the public sector and in small and medium-sized enterprises to produce goods and services which create jobs and strengthen local communities CESO volunteers have expertise in areas such as agriculture, government/governance, manufacturing, primary resources and services, including health care They serve as mentors and advisers with businesses, government agencies and social enterprises This year alone they will work on approximately 1,200 assignments

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Contact for the media:
John L. Gibson
Director of Communications
(416) 961-2376 Ext. 246
jgibson@ceso-saco.com

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