Today, the Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador announced a number of changes within Executive of the Provincial Government.

These include:

• Greg O’Leary is appointed as Deputy Minister of Education Transformation.
• Tracy King is appointed as Deputy Minister of Education, in addition to her other duties as Deputy Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation and Deputy Minister of Labrador Affairs.
• John McGrath is appointed as Deputy Minister of Health and Community Services.

Bios for the appointees can be found in the backgrounder below.

These appointments are effective immediately.

Quote
“I welcome Dr. O’Leary, Ms. King, and Mr. McGrath to their new leadership roles within the public service. All three have overseen departments during times of considerable change and considerable success. I am confident that they will continue to serve the people of this province with passion and dedication, and I wish them all the best in their new roles.”
Honourable Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

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BACKGROUNDER

 

Biographies of Executive Appointments Announced Today

Dr. Greg O’Leary
Dr. Greg O’Leary has over 25 years of experience in education in Newfoundland and Labrador, and has most recently served as Deputy Minister of Education. Before joining government, Dr. O’Leary carried out multiple nationally-funded studies specifically focused on education in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as projects with other Canadian experts comparing curricular frameworks, both within this country and against other jurisdictions worldwide.

Dr. O’Leary also has extensive experience in both the K-12 and university systems. He began working in the public school system in 1997 and has worked in six schools since that time. He has been a teacher and a leader in all grade levels of the K-12 system in Newfoundland and Labrador, and he is one of the few to ever hold principalships in both the public and private systems/sector in the province. He also has over a decade’s experience working at the university level, having ran and developed national scholarship and funding programs at both the University of Toronto and Memorial University, which brought significant research monies for students across all disciplines into both institutions. At Memorial University, he has also taught and trained over a thousand current teachers in this province at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the Faculty of Education.  Throughout his career, he has been both an ambassador for education in the province and an advocate for change, speaking about our educational promise and potential at provincial, national and international conferences and gatherings.

Dr. O’Leary’s work around the importance of aligning curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment has been vetted and awarded three prestigious Canadian Tri- council Awards, offering possibilities for student and teacher development, as well as the development and improvement of educational outcomes broadly conceived.

Dr. O’Leary holds B.A. (Hons) and B.Ed. degrees from Memorial University, as well as an MA and a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. He also completed the province’s first national post doctorate in education funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

 

Tracy King
Tracy King is the Deputy Minister of Labrador Affairs and the Office of Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation.  She has previously served as the Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment and Deputy Minister of Transportation and Works. Prior to that, her roles included Assistant Deputy Minister, Government Renewal Initiative Secretariat, Executive Council, Assistant Secretary to Cabinet, Social Policy, and Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy and Planning, with the Department of Health and Community Services. Ms. King has also held a variety of policy-related positions with the Departments of Justice, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs, Health and Community Services, the Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat and Cabinet Secretariat.

Ms. King holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a certificate in public administration from Memorial University.

John McGrath
John McGrath began his career with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2009. Since then, he has held a number of progressively responsible positions in several departments, including Children, Seniors and Social Development, Education and Early Childhood Development, Treasury Board Secretariat and Finance. He most recently served as the Associate Deputy Minister with the Department of Health and Community Services.

Mr. McGrath is a graduate of the Chartered Accountant School of Business and has a Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. He is an active member of both the Chartered Professional Accountants of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta. He currently sits on the board of The Chartered Professional Accountants’ Education Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, and is a recipient of the Public Service Award of Excellence.