Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman New Co-Chair of Wilson Center Canada Institute Advisory Board

WASHINGTON – The Wilson Center’s Canada Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of the Honorable Bruce Heyman, former U.S. Ambassador to Canada, as the new co-chair of the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute Advisory Board

Says Canada Institute Director Laura Dawson: “Ambassador Heyman brings an extraordinary commitment to the Canada – U.S. relationship. Together with his wife, Vicki, they have helped to strengthen our common bond during challenging times. His leadership as the new Canada Institute Advisory Board co-chair will help advance the Institute as the bilateral relationship continues to evolve.”

Ambassador (ret.) Heyman is the co-founder of Uncharted LLC, an organization that convenes and connects diverse groups of Americans and Canadians for impact. He is also the co-author of The Art of Diplomacy, which highlights the extraordinary country of Canada and takes an in-depth look at why diplomacy matters now more than ever.

Prior to his work with Uncharted LLC, Heyman served as the United States Ambassador to Canada under President Barack Obama from 2014 until 2017.

Heyman will join co-chairs Hugh MacKinnon, chairman and chief executive officer at the law firm Bennett Jones, and Gary Doer, former Canadian Ambassador to the United States.

Recognized as the #1 think-tank in regional studies, the Wilson Center is a nonpartisan public policy forum based in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to advancing dialogue and the free flow of ideas on emerging policy issues. The Canada Institute at the Wilson Center is currently the only think-tank dedicated to exploring and strengthening the Canada – U.S. relationship.  

For more information, please contact Savannah Boylan at Savannah.Boylan@wilsoncenter.org or 202.691.4301.

Biographical Notes:

Ambassador (ret)Bruce Heyman is the co-founder of Uncharted LLC, an organization that convenes and connects diverse groups of Americans and Canadians for impact. There, he works on projects involving philanthropy, storytelling, and political activism. He is also the co-author of The Art of Diplomacy, which highlights the extraordinary country of Canada and takes an in-depth look at why diplomacy matters now more than ever.

Most recently, he served as the United States Ambassador to Canada under President Barack Obama from 2014 until 2017. He continues his work strengthening the relationship between Canada and the United States by serving as a strategic advisor to Canada 2020, a Canadian progressive think-tank based in Ottawa, as a co-chair of the advisory board to the Canada Institute at the Wilson Center, and as an honorary patron to the Council of the Great Lakes Region.

Ambassador Heyman is a 33-year veteran of Goldman Sachs, where he served as partner and managing director in the Chicago office. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Vicki, where he dotes on his three grandchildren.

Twitter: @BruceAHeyman

Laura Dawson is the director of the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute. Named one of Canada’s Top 100 foreign policy influencers by the Hill Times, Dawson is a speaker, writer, and thought leader on Canada-U.S., NAFTA, TPP, and international trade issues.  Dawson currently serves as a member of Canada’s Deputy Minister’s Advisory Committee on Trade (NAFTA).

Previously, she served as senior advisor on economic affairs at the United States Embassy in Ottawa and taught international trade and Canada-U.S. relations at Carleton University. Dawson continues to serve as an advisor at Dawson Strategic, which provides advice to business on cross-border trade, market access and regulatory issues.  Dawson holds a PhD in political science.

Twitter: @DawsonCanada

Canada Institute Advisory Board

The Canada Institute’s programming, publications, and strategic direction benefit greatly from the leadership and guidance of its advisory board, which features 19 prominent businesses and thought leaders from Canada and the United States.

About the Canada Institute

The Canada Institute was founded in 2001 to increase awareness and knowledge about Canada and Canada-U.S. relations among U.S. policymakers and opinion leaders. The Institute currently stands as the only nonpartisan public policy forum in the world dedicated to exploring emerging policy issues in one of the most successful and unique bilateral relationships in the world.

Twitter: @CanadaInstitute