Jim Prentice names former Liberal as chief of staff

Premier-designate Jim Prentice has named two key staff members.

Former Liberal MLA Michael Percy will be Prentices new chief of staff while Patricia Misutka will serve as his principal secretary.

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Percy isa former dean for the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta.

Mike is an esteemed former legislator who earned the respect of colleaguesof all political stripes, and is one of Albertas pre-eminent financial figures who has advancedfiscal policy in Alberta, said Prentice in a statement. His experience will bring a steady hand to the Office of the Premier."

Misutka previously served as a chief of staff for former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel, who was named as a member of Prentices transition team on Sunday.

Patricia Misutka brings to my office experience in senior leadership positions in both thepublic and the private sector, said Prentice. She will be a valuable addition to my office.

Prentice won the PC leadership Saturday evening in a landslide first ballot election held in Edmonton.He plans to announce his new cabinet next week.

Edmonton connections

Originally from Banff, Alta., Percy is an economist and a professor of strategic management at the Alberta School of Business. He served as the MLA for Edmonton-Whitemud from 1993 to 1997during which time he was the finance critic for the Liberal opposition.

In the pasthesat on a number of advisory panels for both the federal and provincial governments, including the Advisory Committee for the Provincial Energy Strategy of Alberta and the federal panel on Equalization and Territorial Funding Formula.

Prior to being named chief of staff on Thursday, Percy had been serving on boards for Epcor and the Alberta Treasury Branch.

Misutka worked closely with Mandel during his three consecutive terms as mayor of Edmonton from 2004 to 2013. In the past year, she has been consulting on corporate communication, policy and stakeholder issues for the Edmonton International Airport, the City of Edmonton and Waste RE-solution Edmonton, among others.

She is currently working towards her PhDin strategic management and Solutions at the Alberta School of Business.