Lois Mitchell

Her Honour the Honourable
Lois Mitchell
CM AOE
18th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
Assumed office
June 12, 2015
Monarch Elizabeth II
Governor General David Johnston
Premier Rachel Notley
Preceded by Donald Ethell
Personal details
Born Lois Elizabeth Boulding
1939/1940 (age 76–77)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Spouse(s) Doug Mitchell (m. c.1962)
Children four
Residence Calgary, Alberta
Alma mater University of British Columbia
Profession businesswoman, philanthropist
consultant, organizer

Lois Elizabeth Mitchell CM AOE (née Boulding; 1939 or 1940) is a Canadian businesswoman and philanthropist who is the 18th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Her appointment as Lieutenant Governor was made by Governor General of Canada David Lloyd Johnston on the Constitutional advice of Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, effective June 12, 2015. She is the viceregal representative of Queen Elizabeth II of Canada in the Province of Alberta. A former teacher and founder of a consulting firm, Mitchell is also a longtime organizer of events and active volunteer in the Calgary community, along with her husband, Doug.

Career

Mitchell was born in 1939 or 1940[1] and raised in Vancouver. She attended the University of British Columbia and studied physical education, graduating around 1961. She later worked as a teacher in British Columbia for two years before moving to Calgary.[2][3] She is the founder of and a senior partner at Rainmaker Global Business Development, a marketing and consulting firm based in Calgary and the president of Amherst Consultants.

Considered one of the most prominent people in Calgary,[4][5] she is also a member of the boards of directors of UBS Bank Canada, Mitacs and Canada World Youth, the governor of the Canadian Women’s Hockey Association, a co-founder of the Global Business Forum, and one of twelve founders of Crime Stoppers Calgary.[6] She has also been a board member of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce (also a former chair), International Institute for Olympic, Paralympic and Sport Pedagogy, Special Olympic Foundation, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and Hockey Canada Foundation.[7] Mitchell also is the Chair of the Latin American Research Centre at the University of Calgary and in 1997 was named a Honorary Consul of Colombia to Alberta by the Colombian ambassador to Canada.[4][8] She and her husband, Doug, have donated to and organized many hockey and sport-related events.[9]

The Doug and Lois Mitchell Outstanding Calgary Artist Award was established in 2012 from contributions from her and her husband.[10] She established the Hayley Wickenheiser Thunderbird Ice Hockey Endowment in 2007 to support the UBC Women’s Ice Hockey team.[9]

Lieutenant Governor

On May 20, 2015, Mitchell was appointed by Governor General of Canada David Johnston on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to be the next Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, replacing Donald Ethell.[1][11] As the viceregal representative in Alberta, she will be styled "Her Honour" while in office and will have the right to the style "the Honourable" for life.

Personal life

She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2012, when she also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 1998, she won the YMCA Women of Distinction Award, and in 2008 was named Citizen of the Year by the City of Calgary.[12] She has been married to Douglas Mitchell, whom she met while at school in British Columbia, since 1961.[3] He is a lawyer, a former football player and a former commissioner of the Canadian Football League.[13] They have four children, two daughters and two sons.[3][14] Her grandfather, Tom Mackie, served as the chief of the Calgary Police Service from 1909 to 1912. She is of Scottish heritage.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "Alberta's new Lieutenant Governor 'honoured' to follow Ethell". Edmonton Sun. May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  2. "Board of Directors". Canada World Youth. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Bacon, Dick (April 14, 1989). "New league boss brings boardroom success to CFL". The Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. p. H4. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Mr.& Mrs. Calgary:: [Final Edition] Teel, Gina. Calgary Herald [Calgary, Alta] August 13, 2005: E1 Front.
  5. Networking in Calgary:: [Final Edition] Calgary Herald [Calgary, Alta] November 6, 2003: D5.
  6. "Consulting firm founder appointed as new Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  7. "Lois Mitchell, Chair". University of Calgary. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  8. Meet Lois Mitchell: one-woman dynamo: [Final Edition] Parker, David. Calgary Herald [Calgary, Alta] December 30, 2001: B10.
  9. 1 2 "UBC Thunderbird Sports Centre named in honour of hockey builder Doug Mitchell". UBC News. August 21, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  10. "Doug and Lois Mitchell Outstanding Calgary Artist Award". mayorslunch.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  11. "Lois Mitchell appointed as Alberta's new lieutenant-governor". CBC News. 20 May 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  12. Calgary City Clerk’s Office, June 2009. The Calgary Awards 2008, accessed May 21, 2015.
  13. Football icon's cup comes home Fortney, Valerie. Calgary Herald [Calgary, Alta] November 2010: B.1.
  14. James Wood. "Lois Mitchell appointed lieutenant-governor of Alberta". Calgary Herald. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
Order of precedence
Preceded by
Vaughn Solomon Schofield
as Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan
Canadian order of precedence
as Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
Succeeded by
Frank Fagan
as Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
Preceded by
Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada
Order of precedence in Alberta
as of 2015
Succeeded by
Rachel Notley, Premier of Alberta
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