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Melissa Blake has been the mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (Fort McMurray) for the past six years. She was re-elected in October 2010 after having already serving two consecutive terms as mayor and two terms as councillor, which makes her the municipality's top elected professional. She is highly regarded by her community and is recognized on an international level. Melissa Blake currently call Fort McMurray home, and obtained a Bachelor of Administration degree from Athabasca University which lead her to diverse corporate work opportunities. Her career path before becoming mayor included positions in public affairs, materials and services, and human resources. She was even a former oil sands worker herself. With Fort McMurray being at the center of Canada's oil industry, it is often under scrutiny by the media and officials all over the world. Melissa has proved able to rise to the challenge in the face of controversy and promote extensive progress in her community. She received worldwide recognition and accomplishments for her work as mayor. In July 2010 she was invited by the U.S. Consulate to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program. The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is a professional exchange program where foreign leaders visit the United States so they can experience leadership in the U.S and broaden their network to U.S leaders. Some of the attendees of this prestigious leadership program include: Zimbabwe's Morgan Tsvangirai, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Melissa has also been crowned as one of the top 50 most influential people by Alberta Venture Magazine. She was also named a Woman of Vision by Global Television. She received the Woman of Achievement award from the Canadian Hadassah-WIZO organization, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Athabasca University. She was also awarded received the Community Recognition Award by the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce Sustainable. While Melissa is not serving her time as mayor, she participates in various committees related to development, protective services, community services and affordable housing. She also continues to work on her project, Future Forward, which she launched in 2006. Future Forward's main objective is to involve the public in the creation of a community-based vision for Fort McMurray's future. Residents envision what it will be like to live, work, learn and play in Fort McMurray two decades from now. Everything from work life to recreation to housing and accommodations Fort McMurray is up for consideration. They brainstorm effective strategies on how best to meet the challenges of growth in Wood Buffalo caused by massive industrial expansions in the oil sands. Melissa is a shoo-in for re-election, but in a recent statement she announced that she may not run for mayor again in an effort to spend more time with the family. Melissa stated, "the family has been sacrificed repeatedly in terms of being able to fulfill the mandate that I have, so I'm thinking about everything." Articles focused on providing useful information on lifestyle, employment, and accommodations for those moving to Fort McMurray. For information on furnished apartments for rent in Fort McMurray, please visit us.
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