Premier King announces Senior Management Team changes and releases Ministerial Mandate Letters

Premier King announces Senior Management Team changes and releases Ministerial Mandate Letters

Today, Premier Dennis King announced changes to the senior management team within Government to deliver on priorities as outlined in the Ministerial Mandate letters that are also being released today.

“We put forward an ambitious plan for Islanders in the last election and our focus as a government is to ensure we can deliver on that plan in the coming years. The changes to senior management provide an opportunity for a fresh perspective, renewed energy, and provides an opportunity for growth and development for our senior leadership team as a whole.”

- Hon. Dennis King, Premier of Prince Edward Island

The following changes to Senior Management Team have been made and will take effect in the coming weeks:

• Jamie Aiken to serve as Clerk of Executive Council and Secretary to Cabinet;
• Christopher Gillis to serve as Deputy Clerk of Executive Council, Deputy Secretary to Cabinet, and Deputy Minister of Priorities and Intergovernmental Affairs;
• Stefanie Corbett to serve as Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Trade and Chief Executive Officer for Finance PEI;
• Erin McGrath-Gaudet to serve as Deputy Minister of Education & Early Years;
• Natalie Mitton to serve as Deputy Minister of Workforce, Advanced Learning and Population;
• Brian Matheson to serve as Deputy Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure;
• Gordon MacFadyen to serve as Deputy Minister of Agriculture;
• Norbert Carpenter to serve as Deputy Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action;
• Dan Campbell to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Workers Compensation Board of PEI;
• Cheryl Paynter to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Housing Corporation; and
• Brad Colwill to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of Innovation PEI.

“I want to thank Dan Campbell for his leadership of the public service over the last two years during some very challenging times. His leadership and guidance was instrumental in advancing the mandate of our government and I want to wish him well in his new role as Chief Executive Officer of the Workers Compensation Board of PEI,” said Premier King. “I also want to thank both Pam Trainor and Bethany MacLeod for their years of service in their respective roles.” Bethany MacLeod will be joining Holland College in the coming weeks as Special Advisor to the President of the College and Pam Trainor will be joining UPEI providing strategic support to the Board of Governors.

In addition, Ministerial Mandate Letters have been issued to provide further guidance in the work of government in the months and years ahead. Mandate letters are used to outline objectives and priorities for the work of Ministers and Deputies in their role; they work in conjunction with other items such as Speech from the Throne, Operating Budgets and Capital Budgets, to provide information to Islanders on government’s priorities, and provide insight into the programs and services they plan to provide in the future.

“The mandate letters issued today provide further guidance and reassurance to Ministers and Deputy Ministers on the areas of focus for their Departments and reiterate the priorities set out in the Speech from the Throne and our platform from the election,” said Hon. Dennis King, Premier of Prince Edward Island. “As we make progress, our government will work together to identify further refinements and priorities to ensure we are always adapting to the realities of what Islanders are facing each and every day.”

Media contact:
Adam Ross 
Office of the Premier 
902-368-4400
adamross@gov.pe.ca 

Background: 

Jamie Aiken, CA
Jamie began his public service in 2007 when he joined the Department of Economic Development. Jamie has enjoyed the opportunity to work with various businesses and entrepreneurs over the years in a variety of positions related to business development and strategic initiatives. In 2013, Jamie was appointed as CEO of Finance PEI as well as the Ex. Director of Island Investment Development Inc. overseeing the lending portfolio and strategic assets for the Province. In April 2023, Jamie was appointed as Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Trade and continued the role as CEO for Finance PEI.

Jamie Aiken is a graduate of the University of Prince Edward Island with a Bachelor of Business Administration.  Jamie began his career with Beaton Fitzpatrick Murray Chartered Accountants (now BDO) in 2001 where he obtained his Chartered Accountant designation in 2004. While working with the accounting firm until 2007, Jamie worked with companies in a variety of services including business consulting, tax preparation and financial analysis.

Jamie lives in Cornwall with his wife Kelley and their three children.

Christopher Gillis, MPA, PMP
Christopher has worked in various roles—from policy and communications advisor to executive director—in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. He has held positions with the Government of Canada and a multinational private-sector corporation among others.

Most recently, Christopher has served as the Deputy Minister of Priorities and Intergovernmental Affairs. In addition to this role, he will now serve as Deputy Clerk of Executive Council and Deputy Secretary to Cabinet.  Before joining the provincial government, Christopher was the Executive Director of the Canadian Alliance for Skills & Training in Life Sciences (CASTL), a first-of-its-kind partnership between academia and industry that provides a talent pipeline of highly-skilled people to the biosciences sector in Atlantic Canada and across the country.

Christopher holds a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from the University of Prince Edward Island and a Master of Public Administration from Queen's University. He is a Certified Professional in Human Resources (CPHR), a Project Management Professional (PMP), and a certified leader in organizational transformation (PMI).

Christopher lives in Charlottetown with his husband, Craig.

Stefanie Corbett 
Stefanie has been helping entrepreneurs achieve their goals for the last 12 years. With a background in strategic planning, financial analysis, and leading high-performing sales teams, she is passionate about pushing entrepreneurship forward and helping companies gain easier access to capital.

Stefanie joined government in 2021 as the Chief Executive Officer of Innovation PEI. Prior to joining government, Stefanie was a partner at Island Capital Partners, a venture fund based in Prince Edward Island that invests in early-stage companies with high growth potential and strong founding teams. She was instrumental in establishing the fund, which is a first-of-its-kind in the province and was the primary lead working with the Island Capital’s portfolio companies and the limited partnership, a network of private investors. She also worked with early-stage companies through the local incubator to better prepare them before they take on investment.

Erin McGrath-Gaudet, MPA
Erin McGrath-Gaudet joined government and was appointed Deputy Minister of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture in 2019.  In April 2023, Erin became the Deputy Minister of the newly formed Department of Workforce, Advance Learning and Population.

Before joining government Erin served as the Director, PEI and Intergovernmental Policy for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Erin holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Prince Edward Island and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Queen's University.

Natalie Mitton
Natalie Mitton joins government after 14 years at Holland College where she most recently was the Vice-President, Academic and Applied Research. In this senior leadership position, Natalie was responsible for planning, developing and actively encouraging excellence in teaching, scholarship, and applied research. Included in Natalie’s portfolio at Holland College were over 65 full and part-time programs offered across PEI, eight full-time programs offered through the Educational Joint Venture (EJV) program in China as well as all training, courses and micro-credentials offered through Adult Education, the Atlantic Police Academy, Community Education [including Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC)], the Culinary Institute of Canada, the Marine Training Centre, the PEI Workforce Innovation Centre, and Customized Training departments.

Prior to her position as Vice-President, Natalie held numerous positions at the College including Director of Programs, Curriculum and Instructional Development; Director of Adult and Community Education; and Program Manager of the Applied Sciences, Engineering Technology, Computer Studies, School of Visual Arts and Journalism departments.

Integral to Natalie’s work is the essential, successful collaborations she has developed with the college’s many stakeholders including industry, various funding partners and the Provincial and Federal Governments. Natalie holds a Bachelor of Arts, Major in French, a Bachelor of Education with a specialization in French, and a Master of Education and Leadership.

Brian Matheson 
Brian has worked with the Department of Agriculture for over 30 years. In that time he had the opportunity to work in all aspects of the department including policy, program delivery, regulatory services, industry development, sustainable agriculture, business risk management, plant health laboratories, and research.  Most recently he served as the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Land, and since April 2023 has been the Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

Active in his community, Brian has volunteered for over 20 years with the Sherwood Parkdale Rural Minor Hockey Association (SPRMHA) as a coach and manager.  He also served on SPRMHA’s Executive Committee as the Director of Female Hockey for three years and completed a four-year term as President in May of 2019. He currently serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the NB/PEI Major U18 Hockey League.

Brian has a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in biology from the University of Prince Edward Island.  He and his wife Tracey have three adult children and live in Sherwood.

Gordon MacFadyen, CPA, CA
Gordon joined the Provincial Government in 2002. During his more than 20 years with government he has held roles in several Departments with a keen focus on financial management.  
Most recently Gordon held the position of Executive Director of Fiscal Management and Assistant Secretary to Treasury Board with the Department of Finance where he was responsible for the Provincial Budget and quarterly forecasting.  Prior to this role he served five years as Comptroller for Prince Edward Island.

Other positions held include senior financial management responsibilities with both the Department of Education and Early Years and the Department of Health.  Prior to joining the Provincial Government Gordon served as the Director of Finance for the City of Summerside.

Gordon is a graduate of the University of Prince Edward Island and obtained his chartered accountant designation in Ontario while working with the federal Auditor General’s office. He has been an active member of the Chartered Professional Accountants Association of PEI, previously holding the position of President and the chair of the Discipline Committee.

Gordon resides in Summerside with his wife Shelley with two grown children Alex and Abbey both residing in PEI.

Norbert Carpenter 
Norbert has served as the Director of the Public Schools Branch since July 2020. In this role, he worked closely with the board of trustees and senior management and was the system's chief operating officer, comprising over 20,000 students and 4,000 employees.

Norbert brings a wealth of experience working in Prince Edward Island’s public school system, including over 20 years as a teacher and principal. Before becoming Director, he served as an administrator support leader, a position which saw him directly support principals across the Public Schools Branch. He holds degrees from the University of Prince Edward Island, the University of Maine and Mount Saint Vincent University.

Relationships are paramount for Norbert, and he values collaboration with all stakeholders. He has been active in his community for years and cares deeply about his community and his province.

Norbert lives with his wife and family in Kings County.

Cheryl Paynter, CPA, CA, ICD.D
Cheryl has been the CEO of the Workers Compensation Board of PEI since June of 2019. She joined the Provincial government in 2011 as CEO of Innovation PEI. She transitioned to be CEO of both Innovation PEI and Tourism PEI in 2016 and, later, CEO of Tourism PEI exclusively. She has worked extensively in private industry in the public accounting sector and in varying levels of management of financial, operational and sales roles in the hospitality sector.  Cheryl sits on the Executive Board of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), is the Board Chair of the PEI Marathon, serves on the Executive Committee of the Community Foundation of PEI, board member of the IWK Health Centre, proud organizing member of the 100 Women Who Care PEI and member of the ICD PEI Committee of the Maritime chapter.

Cheryl is a graduate of the 2015 Governor General Canadian Leadership Conference and co-chaired the 2022 Prince Edward Island study tour organizing committee. She is an honorary life member and past president of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce, past board member and committee chair of Maritime Electric Co. Ltd, past governor of the Atlantic Canada Economic Council and other various industry, community, professional and minor sporting groups.

Cheryl lives in Charlottetown with her husband Steve and is a proud mother, stepmother, and grandmother.

Dan Campbell, CFA 
Dan has served in a variety of roles with the Provincial Government since 2014 including Secretary to Treasury Board, Deputy Minister of Finance, and most recently as Clerk of Executive Council and Secretary to Cabinet since May 2021.

Before joining the Provincial Government, Dan worked with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency as well as with Export Development Canada in Ottawa in a variety of roles.

Dan obtained his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2001. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Prince Edward Island.

Dan, his wife and two daughters live in Charlottetown.

Brad Colwill, CPA, CA
Brad Colwill received his Chartered Accountant designation in 2007. He is a graduate of the University of Prince Edward Island, where he also assumed a teaching role as a sessional lecturer.

Brad Colwill began his career in public service in 2009. Since that time, he worked in a variety of roles in business development and finance until 2015 when he moved to the Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning. There, he served as chief executive officer of PEI Student Financial Assistance Corporation, then executive director of Finance and Post-secondary Education until 2017 when he assumed the role of deputy minister for the department. In May 2019, Brad was appointed Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Climate Change and later became the Deputy Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action.

Born in Tyne Valley, Brad now resides in Stratford with his wife and three children.