Chris Bryant has worked on development issues since 1965. He taught as a CUSO volunteer in Grenada then joined the CUSO staff, working in the Caribbean, the South Pacific and finishing as Executive Director in Ottawa. He managed the International Program of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and served as President of Holland College. In 1994 he came to Nova Scotia to work at the Department of Economic Development where he led teams that developed two economic development strategies and the NS Community Development Policy. He then worked at the provincial Office of Policy & Priorities and the Halifax Regional Municipality’s Government Relations and External Affairs Office. During his career he has been both a seeker of government grants and a decision maker on who gets government funding. He has also been a member of a variety of non-profit boards, including United Way of Halifax, the Canadian Council for International Co-operation, and the University of Prince Edward Island. In retirement, he is on the Kingswood Ratepayers Association board and the Parish Council of St. Paul’s Church in the Grand Parade.

Jane Allt, MPA(M), has a background as a competent public administrator, educator, facilitator and human resources leader with extensive public service experience. She worked for the Nova Scotia public service for 30 years and held senior positions in both central agencies and line departments giving her a comprehensive understanding of organizational structures, their systems, and their many nuances. A life-long Nova Scotian, Jane attended Mount Saint Vincent University and graduated from Dalhousie University with a Master in Public Administration degree. She is also a graduate of the Queen’s University Executive Program for HR Leaders and the provincial government’s Executive Leadership Program. A certified 360 Feedback Coach and a graduate of Erickson College’s Coaching Certification Program, Jane has demonstrated her commitment to life-long learning. She believes in giving back to the community and has lived this belief through her volunteer work. Her consultative style and pragmatic approach to getting the job done have gained her a reputation in both government and not for profit sectors as a “go to” person for advice on how to tackle and resolve challenges and opportunities.  Her professional career is guided by a passion and commitment to guide individuals and organizations to improve their performance and potential in increasingly competitive environments. Right away, clients and colleagues are struck by her positive attitude and disarming sense of humour, essential attributes for any leader.

Jill Provoe is a bi-racial woman from Cape Breton Island and holds a degree in Public Relations, along with two Master’s Degrees in Human Ecology and in Education from Mount Saint Vincent University. She joined Nova Scotia Community College in 2006 where she led the launch of the first Africentric adult learning program in Canada and, since then, she has held progressively senior roles within the College. Jill currently serves as the Acting Vice-President, Academic and, prior to that, she was Executive Director of the newly formed department of Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion and she has held several other senior leadership positions within the Academic portfolio including Academic Chair, Dean of the School of Access and Senior Advisor to the Vice-President on Educational Equity. She joined the Executive team in December, 2021, and in her role as Acting Vice-President, she has responsibility for academic planning, programming & quality, teaching & learning, enrolment, registrar & student services, applied research, innovation & international, as well as the human rights, equity and inclusion team. Jill brings a substantive understanding of the importance of using equity as a lever in ensuring that all tenants of the academic experience are designed to support genuine inclusion so that all Nova Scotians have the opportunity to access the jobs of the economy of tomorrow.

Lynn Hartwell joined NSCC as its Vice President, Campuses and Communities in the summer of 2019.   In this role, Lynn oversees the operations of all 14 campuses and supports the important role NSCC campuses play in communities across the Province. Prior to her work at the College, Lynn had an accomplished 20-year career in the provincial public service. Starting at the Department of Justice, Lynn worked on several projects ranging from jury administration to justice of the peace reform, eventually becoming a Director of Court Services.  She moved to the Department of Community Services in a policy role, leading work in several complex policy areas such as domestic violence, poverty reduction and disability support reform.  From there, Lynn spent several years at the Department of Labour and Advanced Education as Senior Executive Director, responsible for Skills and Learning, a division with responsibility for a wide range of labour market and training initiatives.  Lynn returned to Community Services, first as Assistant Deputy Minister and then Deputy Minister, with responsibilities for all Department of Community Services programming, plus oversight of Housing Nova Scotia and support of the Advisory Council of the Status of Women. In her role as Deputy Minister, Community Services, she led a transformational change at the department; change that placed client needs at the center of planning, programming and service design while ensuring service delivery reflects the unique context of the communities where services are provided. Now at NSCC, Lynn is interested in creating opportunities for individuals and communities to support the economic and social prosperity of Nova Scotia.

Rosalind Penfound served as solicitor with the Council of Maritime Premiers, Land Registration and Information Services, where she was one of the team working on the migration from a Registry to Land Titles system in the Maritimes. She served as Executive Director of the Association of Nova Scotia Land Surveyors before joining the Nova Scotia Public Service. After several years with the Land Services Branch of the Department of Natural Resources she served as Deputy Minster with a number of departments (Environment and Labour, Agriculture and Fisheries, Public Service Commission, Status of Women, Seniors, Immigration and Education). Rosalind was a member of the part time Faculty of Dalhousie Law School for almost 20 years. Upon retirement from the Public Service she served as Vice President, Academic and Vice President, Organizational Development with the Nova Scotia Community College. She is a recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Excellence in Public Administration. Rosalind currently serves as Chair, Nova Scotia Forestry Innovation Transition Trust, Past Chair, Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) Board of Directors and Chair of the Nova Scotia Accessibility Advisory Board and Education Standards Development Committee.

Sharon Davis-Murdoch C.M., is a social justice champion. Sharon’s political science background and public policy experience informs her work in community. Among her public policy accomplishments was the development of the first Provincial Guidelines for Culturally Competent Primary Health Care in Canada. She received Premiers Awards of Excellence in 2007 and 2015. Since retirement from the Provincial Government in 2015, Sharon was appointed and served as Commissioner on the Independent Commission on Effective Electoral Representation of Acadian and African Nova Scotians. In 2018, Sharon received the Inspiration Award from the Dalhousie School of Public Administration. She is a founding member and the Co-President of the Health Association of African Canadians and now serves as Co-Manager to the Association of Black Social Workers and Health Association of African Canadians, COVID-19 Response and Impact Team. She is also an Advisor to the Halifax Immigrant Partnership and Secretary of the Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation Board. In December, 2021 Sharon was named to the Order of Canada for her dedication to improving the health equity and inclusion of racialized communities in Nova Scotia.

Sylvia is President of SVPARRIS CONSULTING and the CEO of the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute. Her work in education, strategic facilitation and the community is rooted in core Africentric Principles. She has a successful history of collaboration with the communities and stakeholders with whom she has worked. Through her extensive public sector involvement, Sylvia conducts policy analysis, developed and implemented education products, and built anti-racism and social equity transformation programs.  As an entrepreneur, she has influenced change in corporate firms and with leaders seeking to transform their practices.  She offers a business affectiveness and profit analysis model that integrates measuring program impact and system change. She was the recipient of the RBC Women of Influence 2020 Social Change Award, recognized by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and Who’s Who in Black Canada. She has been featured in such publications as the Chronicle Herald, Amplify East and Share News (Ron Fanfare).

Tracey Jones-Grant grew up and obtained her schooling in Halifax, graduating from Mount Saint Vincent University in 1984 and a Masters of Library Sciences at Dalhousie in 1986. The daughter of Joan and Burnley “Rocky” Jones, Tracey grew up at the height of the efforts to define Black identity and fight for civil rights. Tracey has worked in the area of diversity from being the Diversity Manager for Halifax Public Libraries to Coordinator of Diversity Management for the Halifax Regional School board to most recently as the Managing Director, for the Halifax Regional Municipality in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion/African Nova Scotian Affairs. Tracey’s current work focuses on creating an inclusive municipality through impacting service deliver, policy development and community engagement.

Wyatt White is from the Mi'kmaq First Nation of Listuguj, Quebec but has lived in Nova Scotia for 20 years.  Since joining the Nova Scotia public service, Wyatt’s career has spanned First Nations community development, intergovernmental relations, crown-Indigenous affairs and for the past eight years, his attention has turned towards Indigenous education.  In the fall of 2021, Wyatt joined the faculty of L’nu, Political and Social Studies at Cape Breton University but after one term, he realized his passion for teaching lies in helping to reshape the mindsets of public sector and not-for-profit employees in our collective work of the indigenization and decolonization of organizations and institutes through a lens of Treaty Education. Now back in Halifax and working with the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre and in a Participatory Cities project called Everyone Every Day, he is working to help the rest of the world recognize the brilliance that exists in neighborhoods like Halifax's North End and promote participatory action as a means for Reconciliation.  Throughout his career, public policy decision-making has been at the heart of his work.  Wyatt is always proud to continue calling Mi’kma’ki, the traditional and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq, home.