June 22, 2009

OTTAWA -- Claude Gauthier, Ontario Region Manager of GROWMARK, Inc., has been elected president of the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA), a national organization representing more than 2,000 co-operatives and credit unions across Canada.
 
Gauthier, who joined the CCA board in 2004 and was previously the association's vice-president, is a long-time leader in Ontario's agricultural co-op community. A bilingual native of Northern Ontario, he served as president of United Co-operatives of Ontario (UCO) in the 1990s and joined GROWMARK when it bought UCO in 1994.
 
Gauthier replaces Dave Sitaram, who had been CCA's president since 2004.  Sitaram  announced at the association's annual general meeting that he would not seek re-election as president, but would remain active in the association as a director.  Executive positions are elected from among the board members following board elections at CCA's Annual General Meeting.
 
"I'm really looking forward to leading the board of CCA and working to craft our path toward a stronger, more united co-operative movement," Gauthier said.
 
"It was a wonderful experience," Sitaram said of his five years as CCA President. "I worked with a great board and great management.  I look forward to continuing to play an active role in the future of CCA."
 
The CCA board also elected two vice-presidents, Beryl Bauer, representing Federated Co-operatives Limited and Jill Kelly, representing Central 1 Credit Union's B.C. Region.  Sheena Lucas, who represents The Co-operators on the board, was elected as an executive member.
 
Sitaram, vice-president of the Auto Workers Community Credit Union in Oshawa, Ontario, was one of two incumbent directors re-elected at the annual meeting; the other was Clarence Olthuis, chair of UFA Co-operative Limited.  (Only one-third of the 13 board seats are up for election each year.)

Two new board members were also elected: Marcel Garvie, president of Co-op Atlantic and Yuill Herbert, a founding member and director of Sustainability Solutions Group Worker Co-operative.  Herbert will sit on the board as a representative of the Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation.