| Gerald Butts | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 Canada |
| Residence | Canada |
| Nationality | Canada |
| Alma mater | McGill University, York University |
| Occupation | CEO, WWF-Canada |
| Spouse | Jodi (Heimpel) Butts |
Gerald M. Butts (born 1971) is the President and CEO of the global conservation organization, WWF-Canada (World Wildlife Fund Canada). The official announcement of his appointment was made on June 25, 2008 and he became President and CEO on September 2, 2008.[1]
Butts was also a former aide in the Government of Ontario. He was Policy Secretary and then Principal Secretary in the Office of the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, in Ontario, Canada. He was a major architect of its platform in the 2003 Ontario provincial election.[2][3]
Butts has published articles in the Boston Book Review, the Literary Review of Canada and Gravitas. He has also appeared on television on programs such as W5 and TSN's Off The Record.
He is married to lawyer Jodi (Heimpel) Butts and has two children, Aiden and Ava.
Butts grew up in Canada. He received a B.A. and M.A. in English literature from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec before entering the Ph.D. program at York University in Toronto, which he left to pursue his career in politics.
While attending university, Butts was one of Canada's most successful competitive debaters. He was president of the Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate and the McGill University Debating Union, and was a two-time Canadian National Debating Champion.
Butts was also a delegate at the 2007 Bilderberg Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, 31 May - 3 June 2007. He was in the company of other notable Canadians: Jason Kenney (Member of Parliament) and Heather Reisman (Chair and CEO, Indigo Books and Music Inc.)[4] Butts was a torch bearer for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.