Dr Peter Nicholson is stepping down as president of the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) at the end of 2009 after nearly four years at the helm. Nicholson, 67, says it's time to step away from full-time responsibilities but plans to stay engaged on a selective basis, adding that with eight expert panel assessments now complete, the timing is good for a transition to new leadership. Nicholson has enjoyed a long and diverse career at the forefront of industry, government, finance and academia. With a PhD in operations research from Stanford Univ and a BSc and MSc from Dalhousie Univ, he worked in various government departments between 1973 and 1995 before joining BCE Inc as its chief strategy officer. That was follow