Hello, my name is Duane Nicol and this is my website. Let me take a moment to introduce myself.
I am currently the Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Selkirk in Manitoba. Prior to this I was a City Councillor in Selkirk for almost 12 years. I was first elected at the age of 24 and my interest and passion for local government has grown ever sense. Politics and world issues were always a topic of discussion at my family table growing up. I studied political science in university and am currently completing a masters degree in public administration at the University of Victoria.
I have worked in the non-profit and private sectors as well. Prior to my current role, I worked for Assiniboine Credit Union as their manager of Corporate Social Responsibility and then their Manager of Marketing and Communications. Here I got to work with many wonderful people and participated in the development of many innovative and exciting projects and programs, including leading the initial development of their greenhouse gas tracking program, overseeing the expansion of their AssetBuilding program, launching ACU Anytime, their first mobile banking app, and developing MoneyFit, their practical financial advice program. I also developed their Community Grant program and led their Fair Trade and co-op development initiatives. In 2011 I was recognized with a National Young Leader Award by Credit Union Central of Canada and was asked to join their National Young Leaders committee. Exposure to credit unions and co-operatives has developed in me a deep appreciation for the co-operative business model and in the concept of the co-operative economy. In 2012 I was invited by the United Nations to participate in the closing ceremonies for the International Year of Cooperatives at the UN Headquarters in New York City.
I am intrigued by leadership in all of its many forms, but have grown especially interested in “local leadership“, which is the practice of demonstrating leadership on global issues locally, in your daily life. I love to travel and take just about every opportunity to do so. I love to learn about local history and culture. When I was on city council, I wrote a white paper that led to the creation of the Selkirk Heritage Endowment Fund which will eventually support the creation of a community museum in Selkirk.
I am an advocate of environmental sustainability and social justice, a son, brother, husband and friend. I consider myself an aspiring optimist, meditator and polyglot.
The purpose of this blog is to explore the concept of local leadership in practice, to record my efforts to live a more environmentally sustainable life and to tell stories about the community that I love. It’s also a personal journal and creative outlet. I don’t post as often as I like – but I do try and post a few times a month. If any of the above interests you – please subscribe and stop by regularly. You can also follow me on twitter, my social media of choice (@duanenicol ) or any of the other social media accounts I have below. If you read something that sparks a thought – please share it in the comments section of the page. I enjoy getting feedback.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to hear from you soon.
Tumbler: www.duanenicol.tumbler.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CouncillorDuaneNicol
Instagram: @duane_nicol
Pinterest: pinterest.com/duanenicol
LinkedIn: /DuaneNicolCAO
