Ian Thomas, director of innovation policy with Alberta's Department of Advanced Education and Technology, is retiring from public service after a 33-year career. Thomas has worked in several provinces, initially as a teacher in London and Alberta before moving into civil provincial service. Since 1988, he has worked with the governments of British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta. This included stints as senior administrator for the BC Premier's Advisory Council for Science and Technology and for the Ontario Science and Innovation Council. Thomas's knowledge and experiences have been utilized by the Conference Board of Canada, Industry Canada, the European Union Research community, the Alliance for the Commercialization of Canadian Technology (ACCT) and WestLink. He has indicated an interest in continuing to work to enhance the innovation agenda across the country….