Penny Ballem

Penny Janet Drury Ballem, was the city manager for the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 2008 to 2015 and served as a member of the VANOC board of directors, corporate director for Bentall Capital G.P. Ltd., as well as a senior adviser to RPO Management Consultants. She is a physician and clinical professor at the University of British Columbia Medical School in the department of hematology and bone marrow transplant.

Ballem grew up in the Westmount area of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She was one of five children of a Montreal engineer and his wife.

Ballem completed her undergraduate studies at McGill University and her Masters in Immunology at the University of Western Ontario. She received her medical degree in 1978 from the University of British Columbia, and completed her specialist fellowship at the University of British Columbia as well.

She was recruited by British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell to be the deputy health minister of the Province of British Columbia in 2001, and subsequently abruptly resigned from the position in 2006 after giving no notice, not seeking severance, and criticizing the government's plans for the health ministry as unsound.

Ballem was Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson's top choice to head Vancouver's civil administration, to provide a "fresh start" after coming to power.Vision Vancouver, Mayor Robertson's political party, had concerns that the previous city manager had too much power. Within one week of Gregor Robertson taking office, former Vancouver city manager Judy Rogers, a 25-year veteran of Vancouver City Hall, was replaced by Ballem. Ballem was selected without the government conducting a candidate search. Rogers received $572,000 severance in the transition.

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