VISION:
Connecting communities, governments, the private sector, and research centres of excellence in a unified effort to make a difference

Founder
Edgar Kaiser Jr., OBC, LL.D (Hon)

Edgar Kaiser Jr. is an American-born Canadian businessman, entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of the Kaiser Foundation and the Kaiser Mental Health and Addictions Awareness Foundation.

Educated at Stanford and Harvard universities, holding BA and MBA degrees respectively, Mr. Kaiser’s career encompasses extensive business, government, and public service, and not-for-profit engagements. He is currently Chairman and CEO of the Kaiser Foundation, and of Kaiser Resources, the Kaiser Family holding company. He was the recipient of the Order of British Columbia in June 2003, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of Victoria, B.C. in June 2005.

In 1985, Mr. Kaiser established and funded the Kaiser Foundation as a separate and distinct entity from other Kaiser family endeavours. This Foundation is a national organization which undertakes initiatives designed to promote an understanding throughout Canada of the issues related to addiction and mental health. The Foundation fulfils this aim in part by sponsoring the National Awards for Excellence Program in mental health and addictions initiatives, as well as by collaborating with various partners on the Aboriginal Peoples Health Initiative.

In 2006, the Kaiser Mental Health and Addictions Awareness Foundation was established as a Federally-registered not-for-profit (NPO) to support the evidence-based best practices in the field, working with community organizations to develop effective measurements of their program outcomes and promoting knowledge exchange among service providers and with centres of excellence in related fields.

Mr. Kaiser and his family have a long history in the not-for-profit health care field through the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and through the Kaiser Permanente HMO. Kaiser Permanente was the first HMO established in the United States. Mr. Kaiser is Chairman Emeritus of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

Through the work of the Kaiser Foundations and as a respected advisor, Mr. Kaiser has provided assistance to Provincial governments and Federal governments on addictions and public health issues. Initiatives have included the development in 1987 of the British Columbia Directory of Addiction Services, the first of its kind in Canada; facilitating the Province-wide consultation that produced Weaving Threads Together, a 2001 report for the B.C. Government; chairing the B.C. Royal Commission on Educational Reform; serving as Keynote Speaker at Health Canada’s 2007 Science Forum, “Integration of Science, Regulation and Policy for Healthier Canadians”; and the sponsorship of and participation in numerous symposiums across the country.

Mr. Kaiser’s experience on addiction issues has led to his recent participation in other forums, such as:

National Press Club presentation spring 2007, with attendance by national and international press, Parliament Hill staff, and a number of MPs and Senators.

Representing Canada and CCSA at a United Nations policy consultation on drug use the fall of 2007, in Macao, focusing on Southeast Asia and the East Pacific.

Co-Chair U.S./Canada Forum on Mental Health and Productivity, November 2007 in Ottawa. The session was hosted by the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins.

Mr. Kaiser serves on the Board of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), established by an Act of Parliament as Canada’s national drug agency. He was a founding member in gathering leaders from senior addictions organizations across the country to join the Canadian Executive Council on Addictions (CECA), established to influence public policy on substance use. He was a catalyst in creating the B.C. Centre for Addictions Research (CARBC) at the University of Victoria and is a member of the Centre’s Advisory Board. Mr. Kaiser is Co-Chair of the Neuro Trust for the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health. He is also the Co-Chair of the Roundtable's Canada/US Forum on Mental Health and Productivity, established by Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Wilson. Mr. Kaiser is a member of the Executive Advisory Board of the UBC Institute of Mental Health. He is a member of the City of Vancouver’s Collaboration for Change Oversight Committee.

Strongly committed to public service, Mr. Kaiser’s contributions have included: Member of the Board of Associates of the Harvard Business School and Harvard Graduate School of Education Visiting Committee; Chairman of the Royal Commission of Education Reform in B.C.; Vice Chair of the Salk Institute; Governor, California Institute of Technology; and Trustee, Vancouver General Hospital and Foundation; and the Boys and Girls Club. He is a Director of Power Technology Investment Corporation, a Director of the Institute of the North and a Member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.

Previous business board appointments include Chairman and CEO of the Bank of British Columbia and Kaiser Steel Corporation, Chairman and CEO of the Denver Broncos Football Club, and several directorships, including Toronto Dominion Bank, Canadair (Bombardier) Ltd., and Bell Canada Development Enterprise Corporation.

Mr. Kaiser was a White House Fellow. He served as a Special Assistant to Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon and as a Special Assistant to Walter J. Hickel, U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

Recognized in all sectors for his outstanding contributions by many Canadian and U.S. organizations and associations, Mr. Kaiser’s numerous awards of distinction include the American Academy Golden Plate Award, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the American Academy of Achievement Award, and British Columbia Businessman of the Year.

Mr. Kaiser is married, with two children, and resides in Vancouver, British Columbia.