The Fields Institute Turns Twenty-Five 170725 Final book with covers | Page 75

From Seedling to Maturity
53
Who Would Want to Be the Director, or
Deputy Director, for that Matter?
When I was appointed to the Fields Board, Don Dawson of
Carleton University was in the process of picking up the reins
as the Institute Director. I believe Bradd Hart had been,
or was about to be appointed Deputy Director. The initial
Toronto management team was in place.
A recurring challenge during those early years was securing
the services of qualified individuals who would serve as
Director. After all, the Institute was new and had no track
record. It was still a start-up with respect to staffing and
premises, and could offer at most a five-year term with
no possibility of further extension and thus no employment
security.
We ran for a period without a Director. Bradd Hart,
who had been Deputy Director, stepped into the breach as
Acting Director, and did a great job. We kept trying to entice
someone to take on the role. I don’t know who twisted Ken
Davidson’s arm so hard that he stepped forward and pulled the
Institute forward. By then, the Institute had gained a degree
of credibility and when it came time for a search, potential
candidates would step forward at their own initiative: Barbara
Keyfitz, Ed Bierstone, Water Craig, and Ian Hambleton.
Curiously enough, while initially it was tough sledding
persuading individuals to take on the Director role, we seemed
to have much less difficulty attracting very high quality
Deputy Directors: Bradd Hart, Tom Salisbury, Juris Steprans,
Matthias Neufang, and Matheus Grasselli.