It is my pleasure to invite you to be a delegate to the inaugural Palmer Conference on Public Sector Leadership, which will take place in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, from August 26-27, 2010. This invitational, bilingual Conference, hosted on the beautiful and historic University of Prince Edward Island campus, will bring together a diverse group of leaders from across Canada to address issues of high priority to the public sector. The theme for the 2010 Palmer Conference is ‘Public Servants and Their Relationships with Politicians and the Media’.

The Palmer Conference is unique in many respects. It will bring together participants from all levels of government, as well as influential leaders from other sectors. The Conference will be intimate in scale, limited to approximately 75 delegates, to promote a high level of participation and interaction, and encourage the development of on-going networks and professional relationships. This event is, first and foremost, designed to be a high caliber public sector leadership development opportunity. In keeping with this goal of public sector renewal, you may register one additional ‘up-and-coming’ public sector leader from your organization.

The 2010 Palmer Conference on Public Sector Leadership will have an outstanding cast. Kevin Lynch, former Clerk of the Privy Council, is this year’s Conference Chair; John Manley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Council of Chief Executives, has been invited to deliver the opening keynote address on August 26th; and former federal cabinet minister David Emerson will be the luncheon speaker on August 27th. The preliminary program provides more details on the invited panelists and moderators.

The Palmer Conference is named in honour of James S. Palmer, C.M., A.O.E., Q.C. James Palmer is a founding partner of the Calgary law firm Burnett Duckworth Palmer. His ancestors include two Prince Edward Island Premiers, a representative at the 1864 Charlottetown Conference, and several jurists. Mr. Palmer’s dedication and passion for public policy is demonstrated through the James S. and Barbara A. Palmer Chair in Public Policy at the University of Calgary.

I encourage you to register as soon as possible for the 2010 Palmer Conference on Public Sector Leadership, as space is limited. I need to hear back from you on or before July 26th or your seat will be released to another delegate. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the Conference, please feel free to contact me by my conference email palmer2010@upei.ca.

I look forward to seeing you in Charlottetown this August.

Sincerely,

H. Wade MacLauchlan, C.M.
President and Vice-Chancellor
University of Prince Edward Island