Press Release
November 8, 2005

Two New Board Members

TORONTO – Ernie Daniels and Peter Kendall have joined CESO’s board.

Ernie Daniels became the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Aboriginal Financial Officers’ Association of Canada (AFOA) in March of 2004.

Founded in 1999, the not-for-profit AFOA is the result of teamwork between the Assembly of First Nations and the Certified General Accountants (CGA Canada) Working Group. Through its network of chapters, AFOA promotes standards of excellence that have a far-reaching impact on accountability and sound financial management in First Nations and Aboriginal organizations throughout the country.

Mr. Daniels is a Certified General Accountant and a Certified Aboriginal Financial Manager. Prior to joining AFOA Canada, he was the Director of Assessments and Finance Operation at the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. He has worked at a number of Aboriginal non-for-profit organizations in leadership and management positions.

Mr. Daniels has served as Chair of the NWT Legislative Assembly Social, as Vice-Chair of the NWT Development Corporation and as a member of the National Aboriginal Financing Task Force, as well as on a number of other voluntary positions.

Recently, Mr. Daniels joined the Board of Directors of the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business.

Peter Kendall is a consultant with SunOpta Inc., a high-growth natural, organic and specialty food manufacturer and distributor.

Prior to joining SunOpta, Peter was the President of the Schad Foundation, a private funder of environmental projects.  As President, Mr. Kendall was instrumental in the development of major innovative projects, including Earth Rangers, whose mission is to help children to build a better future through in-school environmental education, hands-on action projects, summer leadership camps and extensive teacher training; and Niigon, a $23 million partnership with Ontario’s Moose Deer Point First Nation to create a role model for sustainable development within an aboriginal community. Niigon, is Ojibway for "the future".

Prior to joining the Schad Foundation, Mr. Kendall was the vice president of Helios/Oceana Ltd., a leading systems integrator of computer systems. He also has several years of experience working with youth as a teacher and a camp director.

In May of 2005, Mr. Kendall was named one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40, a prestigious national award program to celebrate the leaders of today and tomorrow and to honour Canadians who have reached a significant level of success but have not yet reached the age of 40.

Founded in 1967, CESO (pronounced KESSO) is a volunteer-based, not-for-profit development agency operating in Aboriginal communities across Canada and in 40 countries around the world, including Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas, Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

CESO is supported by its principal funders, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), as well as scores of corporations and foundations and hundreds of individual Canadians.

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Media Contact:
Josie Marchese
Communications Coordinator
416-961-2376 Ext. 253
jmarchese@ceso-saco.com