McDowell Foundation Award Recipients

Donald W. Black, C.M., S.O.M

2007 McDowell Foundation Award for
Contributions to Educational Research

When the McDowell Foundation was created as a charitable organization in the early 1990s, it immediately needed and sought the support of well-known people who were widely respected for their sound judgment and breadth of vision. Don Black has been among the foundation’s most ardent and vocal supporters from the beginning. In no small part, the Foundation’s reputation as a solid, well-run organization, and its contribution to the teaching community is due to Don’s work.

In every sense of the word, Don Black is an eminent member of our society. For more than 40 years, his stellar career in the world of business has merged with a unique sense of community responsibility to benefit the Foundation, along with many other Saskatchewan institutions.

Over the years, Don has been President and Chief Operating Officer of the investment firm of Houston Willoughby, as well as President and Chief Executive Officer of both Saskatchewan Government Insurance and Pioneer Life Assurance. After a brief pause to pursue a lifelong interest in the automobile business, he took on his largest challenge and found his greatest success in 1992, becoming President and CEO of Greystone Capital Management and its subsidiary Greystone Managed Investments. Under Don’s leadership, Greystone has grown its assets under management by more than seven times; its annual revenue by more than fifteen times; its employee count by four times; and, has gone from being a local investment manager to one that is greatly respected on the national stage and ranks among Canada’s largest independent investment management firms, with $32 billion of assets under management on behalf of more than 200 clients from coast to coast.

Whether they know it or not, Saskatchewan teachers have a personal connection with Greystone, and have shared in its success. Greystone has skillfully grown the Saskatchewan Teachers Retirement Plan Fund for nearly 20 years – to the point where teachers are among Greystone’s largest clients.

Don chose to relinquish his operational and management responsibilities in July, 2006, continuing in the role of Executive Chair of the Greystone board of directors. While continuing to play a key role in mentoring the next generation of leadership at Greystone, Don now has time to concentrate on his other passion, that of volunteer involvement.

To give just a few examples, he is currently honorary co-chair of the Tomorrow Fund for United Way of Regina; chair of the Protect & Preserve Capital Campaign for the RCMP Heritage Centre; and, a director and former chair of the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation. His leadership, hard work and dedication on so many fronts and for so many years have won him some of the highest honours that our society can provide, including the Order of Canada in 2002 and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2005.

Tonight we recognize Don for hearing the voice of Saskatchewan teachers among the many voices clamoring for his time and support. From the outset, Don understood the value of investing in teacher-led research to improve teaching and learning in our schools. He not only accepted a seat on the McDowell Foundation board of directors during its formative years, but he personally became involved in the Major Gifts Track to help build the endowment fund that supports substantive and continuing teacher-led research.

Together with the president of the foundation, Don visited corporate head offices across Canada to convince his colleagues in the business world to consider making donations to the McDowell Foundation. Always believing in leading though example, Greystone not only to contributed $100,000 to the fund, but also donates its services as the foundation’s investment manager. The fact that the McDowell Foundation Fund passed the $2 million mark in 2007 is due in large part to the work on its behalf by Don Black and Greystone Managed Investments.

Teachers owe a debt of gratitude to Don Black, and his behind-the scenes contributions must be recognized. Tonight we are pleased to honour him for his outstanding support of educational research by presenting him with the 2007 McDowell Foundation Award.

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