NWT TOURISM ANNOUNCES NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Dear Valued Members and Tourism Stakeholders,

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Donna Lee Demarcke to the position of Chief Executive Officer at NWT Tourism, effective January 4, 2021.

Donna Lee comes to NWT Tourism from Aurora Ford in Hay River, where she is currently the General Manager responsible for business development strategy, operations, training, marketing, sales and client relations.

Donna Lee brings thirty plus years of experience in private sector business in the Northwest Territories. Whether she is administering budgets, is overseeing recruitment and retention to build strong teams, or is building new client bases to drive sales, Donna Lee’s approach has been to work with staff, partners and governments to build winning conditions for whatever project she is leading.

Donna Lee’s experience includes serving as Deputy Mayor for the Town of Hay River for five years.  In this capacity she engaged with community members and businesses owners to understand their ideas, opportunities, challenges and concerns and has worked with all of these stakeholders and with politicians to navigate legislation and policy, advocating for change that will help business and grow the economy.

Donna Lee is currently a member of the Business Advisory Council to the Government of the Northwest Territories and she has been actively engaged in the discussions related to helping the NWT recover from the impacts of the pandemic including those discussion inputs coming from NWT Tourism.   She serves on a number of other boards, brings experience in establishing and operating non-profit organizations and is a contributor to community as a volunteer.

Donna Lee is looking forward to starting the new year on a journey with our industry that will be aimed at recovery.  Please join me in offering a warm and spectacular NWT welcome to Donna Lee. She will be joining us  in Yellowknife, effective Monday, January 4, 2021.

Harold Grinde
Chairperson
NWT Tourism