Robert has been a life science technology start-up entrepreneur for over 25 years, and understands the issues related to new business creation and the health of resilient local economies. As the Co-Director for the Centre for Local Prosperity, Robert has extensively tracked the international development of new tools and initiatives in community economics. He has been a member of the E.F. Schumacher Society for over 25 years, and has attended numerous international economics conferences with a focus on rebuilding economic resilience at the local and regional levels. Robert is Chair of Transition Bay St. Margarets, and sits on the Board of the St. Margarets Bay Stewardship Association and several green-tech companies. Robert manages a one-acre vegetable farm at his home in St. Margarets Bay.

Will Martin loves exploring and innovating the dynamics between rural communities and the natural resources they depend on.  Will has co-founded WoodsCamp Technologies Inc. to build healthier markets and cooperation for family woodlands, Co-chair the Medway Community Forest Co-op to reimagine the model for public resource management, and served as President of the Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association to foster leadership and shared learning amongst landowners.  His experience also includes developing the Windhorse Education Foundation, being a lead auditor for FSC certification, and as the manager of a small wood products business.

Gordon Slade is a leader in the sustainable economic development of Newfoundland and Labrador. After an early career in fisheries conservation, in 1975, he was appointed the provincial Deputy Minister of Fisheries. In 1982, he was appointed the Federal Economic Development Coordinator, Newfoundland Region. In 1987, Mr Slade became Vice-President, Newfoundland Division, for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). He also served as Co-Chair of the $300 million dollar (CAD) Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Development Fund. In 1988, Mr Slade established The Battle Harbour Historic Trust to protect the history and culture of the intact salt-fishing village of Battle Harbour. Mr Slade has been awarded the Order of Canada for his community work. The Battle Harbour initiative has earned numerous awards, including the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s Gold Medal. Mr Slade’s latest project is the renaissance of the remote region of Fogo Island and Change Islands with the Shorefast Foundation. He is developing partnerships with governments, communities, and local residents to preserve local traditions, while developing a model for the sustainable management of rural communities internationally.

Krysta is the Executive Director for La Bikery co-operative, a community bicycle centre that seeks to foster a sustainable, bicycle-positive environment in Moncton, NB. She has a strong passion for connecting communities through environmentally sustainable projects and initiatives. Krysta grew up in Vancouver, BC where she developed communications strategies and projects for many non-profits including Living Oceans Society, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Vancouver Youth Food Policy Council. She enjoys using online communications to drive an audience to action and started working in community engagement and member management for a community supported fishery. Krysta now brings her experience and skills to Moncton, where she is growing the cycling community two wheels at a time.

In three decades, Sue has worked as a coordinator and writer, she has participated in provincial task forces on early childhood, the school system, affordable housing, the non-profit sector, and the poverty reduction strategy engagement process. In community development, she worked for 8 years in disadvantaged rural communities, both delivering housing programs and developing employment opportunities in social enterprises. She has done work for several non-profit organizations throughout New Brunswick, focused on youth, poverty reduction and social enterprise. As an educator, she has taught a course on community practitioners as agents of change at UNB and courses on community organizations at Renaissance College (UNB) and St. Thomas Univ. Sue is a founder and Board member of SPADE (Sunrise Partnership for Agriculture Development and Education), a charitable non-profit dedicated to offering diverse learning opportunities and work in all aspects of the farm sector. In collaboration with the NB Department of Social Development and private sector partners, SPADE’s Gateway to Farming program has graduated some 12 farm trainees from social assistance to employment in farming or a related business in the last 18 months.  

Paul is a storyteller & musician from Miramichi, NB who has over 20 years experience in the tourism industry. His philosophy is that "Every story is an experience and every experience is a story" and he is considered to be a leader in experiential tourism. He has been delivering workshops to national audiences on how businesses and individuals can use the power of the story in building experiential tourism products that are market driven and how stories can be utilized in not only building, but also managing and marketing businesses. In 2011 the Ottawa Citizen chose his tourism product, The Miramichi Kitchen Party, as one of the “top five musical tourism products in Atlantic Canada for the travel trade industry”. Paul is a fluently bilingual Acadien who cherishes his Acadian and Irish heritage. His enthusiasm for tourism is unrivalled and this passion transcends itself into his presentations and workshops.

Rachel is the healthy eating and social entrepreneurship coordinator at the District scolaire francophone Sud, in South Eastern New-Brunswick. She is the initiator of the entrepreneurial cafeteria concept, a community project that brought local food in the school cafeteria since 2011 and a new wave of opportunities to collaborate with the school food provider. This initiative is the envy of many at the provincial and national level through the Réseau des cafétérias communautaires inc. and has a important economic impact in the province. Throughout her career, Rachel was recognized on numerous occasions, including the Teaching Excellence Award of the Ministry of Education of New Brunswick (2012). She lives in the rural community of Cocagne with her husband and their two daughters, a family of foodies. For Rachel, nothing is impossible, you just have to believe it!

Seth co-founded the Saint John Community Loan Fund, an organization that uses an entrepreneurial approach to fighting poverty. As its general manager, he has diversified its services to include individual and social enterprise financing, savings, financial and business training, and mission based real estate. In 2009, he convinced the board to purchase and renovate a building for offices and housing. Shortly thereafter, he began buying land for the Social Enterprise Hub. It is a 15,000 square foot three story building which houses micro-entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, and enterprising non-profits. Seth has also led national and regional networks devoted to community finance and community economic development, and chaired the provincial committee on social enterprise. Seth believes strongly in building a culture of entrepreneurship, which at its very core is taking a risk to start something that creates positive change. Seth is also passionate about being a father to his two boys, coaching soccer and when his body allows; playing hockey.

Justin is the Sustainable Seafood Specialist with Afishionado Fishmongers. He has a passion for promoting local and sustainable food systems, having spent his master’s living and working on ten organic farms across Canada and back, and three years with the Ecology Action Centre and Off the Hook Community Supported Fishery connecting community-based fishermen with high value markets. With cross-sectoral working experience spanning the non-profit and for-profit worlds, Justin has a specialization in creating transparent, traceable value chains that support small-scale sustainable producers. Visiting his tiny off-grid cottage in a rocky fishing village on the Bay of Fundy since his youth, Justin has always had a deep connection to the sea.

Tom Best is an inshore fisherman from Petty Harbour,NL and has been President of the Petty Harbour Fishermen's Co-operative for over 30 years. Tom has been a local leader in community economic development and an activist in promoting sustainable fishing and fisheries management locally, nationally and internationally. The Newfoundland fishery has experienced many challenges. The Petty Harbour Fishermen's Co-operative has successfully navigated these challenges while continuing to promote the sustainability of coastal fishing villages and their surrounding fisheries resources. Under Tom's leadership, the co-operative has and continues to diversify to meet the changing realities of the fishing industry. 

Jeff works for the New Brunswick Financial and Consumer Services Commission (FCNB) where he researches the capital markets, provides educational sessions on capital markets topics and works with stakeholders to build the infrastructure required to develop and support emerging, on-going and growing businesses in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Jeff also participates in FCNB’s corporate finance activities related to the continuous disclosure requirements of private and public companies.

Alen helped in the creation of a sustainable shrimp trap fishery 20 years ago.  He works with environmental groups like the Ecology Action Centre and Ocean Wise to spread the message of sustainable fishing.  He supports local Nova Scotia business to strengthen relationships between consumers and fishermen and he works closely with the Bedford Institute of Oceanography to maintain a healthy trap fishery.  Alen lives in rural Nova Scotia where he continues to work to add greater value to our natural resources with environmentally friendly fishing methods to ensure long term viability for his community.

Karen is Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Rural Futures for Atlantic Canada. She is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Dalhousie University, where she teaches about work, economy and gender. Her research spans economic sociology, the sociology of work, and the history of economic thought.  Karen is the Principal Investigator on a study that is underway in the Atlantic region on the economic value of import replacement, sponsored by the Centre for Local Prosperity and ACOA.  Her forthcoming book, Productivity and Prosperity (University of Toronto Press, 2016), examines the meaning and measurement of “productivity” in Canada.  She is a founding member of Basic Income Nova Scotia, an avid cyclist, partner to Brian Foster and mother to two wonderful girls.

For over 25 years, Andy has been helping people use entrepreneurship for positive change. He got his start working in rural Nova Scotia, providing coaching and training to help people start their own small businesses. In the mid-1990s, Andy started working with local non-profit organizations, helping them to start and grow social enterprises that used a business model to directly address important community issues. Since then, he has gone on to consult, train and volunteer with 100s of social entrepreneurs throughout North America. He is a regular speaker at national conferences, and is the vice chair of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada, and founding director of the Social Enterprise Network of Nova Scotia. In 2012, Andy co-founded Common Good Solutions (CGS), which has become one the leading social enterprise development firms in the country, offering a full range of enterprise consulting, training, and marketing services. Andy and his family live in beautiful Kingsport, Nova Scotia.

Phil Ferraro, is the CEO of the PEI ADAPT Council and Director of Bioenterprise Maritimes. His work includes mentoring, advising and coaching agri-entreprenuers with new business start-up, expansions and product development. In 1995, Phil founded the Institute for Bioregional Studies Ltd. (IBS). The Institute offers services in Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (CSR), and Community Development. Phil lives in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island with his wife Nancy; where he also manages the Farm Centre and the ‘Legacy Gardens.’ The Gardens are home to 150 community gardeners plus a Goodwill Garden that produces food for charitable organizations.

Dale Prest's work at Community Forests International is to reimagine forest management for the 21st century, positioning our rural communities to lead in the fight against climate chance. Growing up in rural Nova Scotia, Dale worked in family forestry operations on family owned land: an experience that cemented in him the struggles small landowners face to compete in global commodity markets. Applying his experience in the woods to a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Masters of Science in Earth Science, Dale's academic work has focused on forest nutrient cycling under differing management regimes.

Wendy has been involved in community economic development (CED) for over 35 years…although she swears she was only 4 when she started. She has been the Executive Director of the Co-operative Enterprise Council of New Brunswick since it opened in 2007 and has been a CED consultant since 1989. Over the years, Wendy has worked with nearly 300 organizations and businesses with social, environmental or cultural goals, helping them with everything from start-up and incorporation through to governance, management, capitalization and evaluation. She was a leader in bringing the new CEDC tax credit to New Brunswick and works closely with the Financial and Consumer Services Commission and other government departments to bring about new social finance opportunities for co-operatives and community enterprises. Wendy has a special passion for renewable energy and has lived completely off-the-grid for the past 11 years. She is the co-editor of Off Grid East Coast – the first and only magazine dedicated to showcasing the many pioneers in Atlantic Canada who are leading the way in sustainable living.

Adam Lordon, a media producer/director, marketing consultant, and proud Miramichier, has been writing, producing, and directing creative content for national broadcast and corporate marketing for over a decade. His production experience has ranged across non-scripted formats including documentary, lifestyle, and reality. Lordon directed the adventure travel series Far and Wide / Infiniment Canada, a bilingual digital series for MuchMusic. Previously Lordon spent several years as a producer, director and project manager inside CTV- BellMedia in Toronto, including five years as a senior producer for The Marilyn Denis Show. Upon returning to his native New Brunswick 2 years ago, Lordon lead a provincial government team which studied the economic and cultural impact of the film industry in the province, and used their findings to develop the current provincial film industry funding program: The New Brunswick Multimedia Initiative. He is one of the founders and Creative Vice-President for Miramichi based production company, Ninen Productions Inc. Adam is also the former Deputy Mayor of Miramichi and the Vice President of MYPIE (Miramichi’s local young professional and entrepreneur association).

Mary Jane Rodger is the general manager and forester at the Medway Community Forest Cooperative, a new organization aiming to change the way we see and treat our public forests. Mary Jane holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Development and Environment and a Masters in Forest Conservation from the University of Toronto. In academia, her research was focused on community-based resource management, social forestry and re-inventing modern silviculture, which stemmed from her experience as a tree planting forewoman. From a short career in the silviculture industry on the West coast, she personally planted over 500,000 seedlings and millions more were planted under her supervision. Since moving to the Maritimes and joining the MCFC, Mary Jane has succeeded in bringing Nova Scotia’s first community forest project into its second year of operation and is continually seeking new, innovative ways to diversify forest management on the land base and implement a true multi-value governance system. Mary Jane sits on the Mersey Woodlands Advisory Committee and is also a member of the development team for a new woodlot owner services cooperative in Western Nova Scotia.

Rankin has served as president of New Dawn Enterprises, a not-for-profit social enterprise in Sydney, Nova Scotia for twenty years. Rankin has witnessed and sought to influence the rapidly changing social and economic Cape Breton landscape. In an effort to move towards its vision of a self-reliant people in a vibrant community, New Dawn today administers a Real Estate company, a Health Care company, a Community College, a Meals on Wheels program, a Community Engagement and Education division, the New Dawn Centre for Social Innovation, and a multi-million dollar Community Economic Development Investment Fund.  Rankin has served as a Founding Director of Island Community Justice, Chair of the Cape Breton Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, and a Founding Director of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network. He is engaged in the follow-up to the One Nova Scotia Report as a One Nova Scotia coalition member.

Don has been the General Manager of Larch Wood Enterprises Inc. since 2004. The company acquired a building, located on the banks of the Margaree river, NS, which has proven a valuable location. Don has a 35+ year career as a designer builder and cabinet maker. He started working as a restoration carpenter in Port Hope, Ontario while attending Trent University. He moved on to building 19^th Century style homes in rural Ontario then spent a few years with a small company making electric guitars. He moved to Cape Breton in 1985, where he worked building Gampo Abbey in Pleasant Bay. Don continued building, designing and renovating in Halifax and the South Shore until he returned full time to Margaree Cape Breton in 1995 where he worked as an independent carpenter contractor until he joined Larch Wood in early 2004. As with many small businesses, Don has had many responsibilities with Larch Wood. His main focus in the last few years has been on marketing and design. Larch Wood currently has 14 full time employees and continues to grow at a modest but steady rate.  Larch Wood currently exports their products the US, Europe, China and Vietnam.

Dr. Susan Machum is Chair of the Department of Sociology of St. Thomas University, Fredericton. Raised in Jones Creek, New Brunswick (now Central Greenwich) in the lower St. John River Valley on a subsistence farm, she has devoted her career to the study of women’s role in agriculture, alternative food systems and rural-urban relations. Her Ph.D. is from the University of Edinburgh in the Scotland, her M.A. from Dalhousie University in Halifax, and her B.A. from St. Thomas University in Fredericton. A staunch public defender of rural interests she has just completed her ten year tenure as Canada Research Chair in Rural Social Justice.

Genevieve is a marketing & technology consultant who focuses on helping small and medium sized business achieve their goals. After graduating with a double major bachelor degree in English and Theatre from Dalhousie University, Genevieve Coates started working in Customer Service focused roles across various industries. Now over seven years later, she has worked in small businesses, start-up culture and for one of the largest global corporate enterprises, Salesforce. Her experience ranges from roles in Customer Service, Onboarding, Support Operations and Community Management.  Outside of her professional work, Genevieve is passionate about the wonderful province of New Brunswick that she lives in. Two projects she is involved with are the documentary film The Millennial Dream and Maritime DevCon both of which focus on building stronger opportunities in the Maritimes and starting discussions of what is possible in the region.

Leon is the Sustainability Planner for the Town of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.  He will be discussing the Town's initiative: Energize Bridgewater - Toward Local Energy Resilience, an ambitious, game-changing goal of transformation toward a completely fossil fuel free future. The key to "fuelling" the change - framing the transition not as a cost and a burden, but as an unparalleled opportunity for renewed investment in the local economy. The town's Community Energy Investment Plan will establish a practical vision for a 100% renewable energy future, and establish fully costed strategies for developing new industries, plugging economic leaks, and taking advantage of the rapidly changing technological, market, and regulatory landscape.  Mr. de Vreede will describe the innovative and practical planning, energy modelling, behaviour change, and community engagement tools the town is using to drive the project.

Laurie Cook is a facilitator and community organizer based in Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia.  In 2006, she chaired a community visioning process in Musquodoboit Harbour. Some of the local initiatives she helped co-found based on that vision include: The Old School Community Gathering Place (an old school that is now a recognized heritage property and community hub), Musgo Rider (a cooperative transportation service), The Eastern Shore Cooperator (a new community newspaper), Eastern Shore Mental Health and Firefly Women’s Association which focuses on economic empowerment for women. Laurie is also a convenor with the Community Sector Council of Nova Scotia, and has worked as a community developer with the city of Halifax.  She is on the Neighbourhood Council for the United Way Halifax, and recently led a convening project around building the capacity of a variety of neighbourhood hubs in Halifax.  Laurie is also on the board of the Community Economic Development Network (CCED-Net) which is a national organization supporting policy development and support for local, community economic development. Laurie has a Masters of Adult Education specializing in community development from St. Francis Xavier University, and a journalism degree from the University of King’s College.

David believes that entrepreneurship can be a powerful tool for societal change. He blends his experience in business, community development and the social economy to help entrepreneurs and organizations launch and grow businesses that are committed to doing well by doing good. As a founding partner of Common Good Solutions he works tirelessly to promote the value of double and triple bottom line businesses.  David is an active volunteer. He is a founding member of the Social Enterprise Network of Nova Scotia and sits on a number of national committees to further develop policy for investment and capacity growth in the sector. He is a regular panelist and presenter at conferences and symposia on entrepreneurship and community development in Canada.

Aaron and his family moved from BC to an abandoned farm in Southeastern NB in 2010 to try and live out the change that they want see in rural Canada.  A long time hobby of volunteering with community groups, food banks, homeless shelters, organic farms and trying to grow/glean half of his family’s groceries has cemented his passion for community food. As Community Coordinator for Our Food Southeast NB, Aaron works alongside regional coordinators and their networks of partner organizations in the counties of Albert, Westmorland and Kent.  Aaron’s work is guided by a highly engaged steering committee made up of key community leaders. His energy is centered on connecting change makers in our food system with each other and the resources they need to conduct community food actions. Through Our Food Southeast NB, Aaron is working in the following areas: Food Charter for Southeast NB, Nutritious Food in Our Schools (food literacy in our school system), Seeds for Life (seed saving), Cost share Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in partnership with local food banks and food centers, and working with District 5 Food Banks moving towards the Community Food Center model.

Troy Jerome is a citizen of the Mi'gmaq Nation, residing at Listuguj, Quebec. Since 1989, Mr. Jerome has served the Listuguj Mi'gmaq Government (LMG). From 2004, Troy became involved in the Wind Energy industry in Gespe'gewa'gi. As Quebec was undertaking to install over 40% of its 4,000 MW of wind energy ($4.0 Billion in new investments) in the territory of his people, he was instrumental in having the Quebec Assembly negotiate with the Mi'gmaq on a Nation-to-Nation basis. After discussions to achieve a major wind energy project for the Mi'gmaq, Mr. Jerome was asked to serve as Executive Director and Nutewistoq (Speaker) for the Mi'gmaq of Gespe'gewa'gi's political lobbying office, the Mi'gmawei Mawiomi Secrétariat (MMS).  With the success of the strategy employed at the MMS, the Mi'gmaq achieved a twenty-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for a 150 MW wind energy project. Troy was asked to serve as the Chairperson of the Mesgi'g Ugju's'n Wind Farm Corporation which is overseeing the development and construction of the $360 million project. As a member of Council from 1999 to 2004, he has assisted the Nation in raising awareness of the Mi'gmaq rights to natural resources, the acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and the Mi'gmaq right to self-determination. Troy quotes findings from the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. “When tribes make their own decisions about what approaches to take and what resources to develop, they consistently out-perform non-tribal decision-makers' . . . ‘the lesson is that those tribes that build governing institutions capable of the effective exercise of sovereignty are the ones that are most likely to achieve long-term, self-determined economic prosperity."

As Director of Municipal Services, Greg brings 25 years of engineering experience and expertise to the City of Summerside. In this role, Greg directs capital projects and all operations aspects of the infrastructure for the City of Summerside municipal government including its electric, water and sewer utilities, storm drainage, and roadways.  Currently, Greg is working towards the local integration of renewable energy and implementation of a smart grid as part of the Summerside MyPowerNet initiative.  The smart grid will use electrical thermal storage and domestic hot water usage as ways to reduce peak demand and shift energy use patterns.  Prior to joining the City of Summerside, Greg held positions as microelectronics board designer, project engineer on large scale projects and consulting engineering in design and construction.  Greg holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from the University of New Brunswick in the electrical discipline.

Erika is the Director of Communications and External Relations with New Dawn Enterprises (Sydney, NS) and the editor and publisher of The Turnip – a quarterly community paper delivered to all of those who, like her, live in the Northend of Sydney, Cape Breton.  Her work with New Dawn has allowed her to learn about and participate in many different facets of the Cape Breton community – from local investment to arts and culture to immigration and post-secondary education. These experiences have in turn allowed her to meet the many bright and passionate people working to shift the course and shape the future of Cape Breton Island.

Lori grew up in a small fishing village on the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Her father was a teacher, a fisherman and a farmer. Her mother is still a traditional homemaker. Lori's family had available to them the freshest fish, homegrown vegetables and locally-grown meat and that was quite common to the families of NL. It was from this simply prepared delicious food that Lori grew her passion for beautiful produce and product. Lori went on to work with many great chefs in some of St. John’s best restaurants, leaving when she started her own personal chef business. She ran this successful business for 7 years. Lori forages the beaches and woods for the best wild ingredients that NL has to offer and sells them to many restaurants in St John's. She currently owns and operates Cod Sounds, a culinary experience company offering food culture tours. She regularly hosts travel writers to the province showing them a NL food culture experience very close to the hearts of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. She is currently developing a diverse learning program that will be offered to schools and community groups teaching children and youth how to cook and appreciate our cuisine.  She is most happy with a tableful of friends and family waiting for a meal that may last several delicious hours, and so are her guests.

Eddie Oldfield is Principal Owner of Spatial Quest, Fredericton, NB. Mr. Oldfield is passionate about building healthier, more resilient, and smarter energy communities. He serves as Co-Chair of the Open Geospatial Consortium’s global Health Domain Working Group (geospatial standards for health applications). He is a Member of the Resilient Communities Working Group under Canada’s National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction; and he is Chair for the QUEST NB Caucus (advancing Smart Energy Communities). His activities include projects funded by NB Environmental Trust Fund, including a QUEST project to engage NB municipalities on energy planning, a project to engage NB municipalities on resiliency planning, and another project helping 11 municipalities develop climate change local action plans. Previously, he worked as Director of the New Brunswick Climate Change Hub. In addition, he coordinated web-based mapping of environmental and health indicators for respiratory illness programs, climate-health monitoring, and a cross-border pandemic influenza exercise. Nominated by Federation of Canadian Municipalities, he received a Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his community-oriented efforts.

Craig Avery is a third generation fisherman and has been involved in many facets of the fishing industry throughout his life which has included owning and operating a fish mart and Avery’s Deep Sea Fishing Charters.  Craig has been harvesting lobster for 39 years and has participated in other fisheries including Bluefin tuna, Herring, Mackerel and Smelts.  Craig served as President of the Western Gulf Fishermen’s Association for 18 years and was elected President of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association in 2014.  He now sits as President of the Board of Directors for the PEI Fishermen’s Association and numerous industry related boards and committees.  Craig is the past chair of the Northport Aquatic Days and the Prince County Exhibition and an active member of the Canadian Auxiliary Coast Guard. Craig’s hobbies include owning and training Standardbred horses.  Craig resides in Freetown Prince Edward Island with his wife, Jo Ann and their three children, Andrew, Andrea and Adam.