Nova Scotia Commission on Our New Economy
Committee Members
Chair
Ray Ivany, President of Acadia University
Ray Ivany is currently the 15th President and Vice-Chancellor of Acadia University which is a position he has held since April 2009.
Mr. Ivany hails from Sydney, Nova Scotia and has a long history of executive leadership and community involvement in Nova Scotia and across Canada. He was previously Chair of the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia and a Principal of the consulting firm, Ivany and Associates. Between 1998 and 2005, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) and, prior to that, served as Executive Vice-President at the University College of Cape Breton. He is also Vice-Chair of Nova Scotia Business Inc., and a board member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and Nova Scotia Power Inc.
During his tenure at NSCC, Mr. Ivany’s vision led to a period of transformation, rapid growth in enrolment, and major expansion of campus infrastructure. He has also advised various levels of government through appointments to the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, the Ontario Investing in Students Taskforce, and the Nova Scotia Premier's Fiscal Management Taskforce. His achievements have earned Mr. Ivany several awards of distinction. He was granted an Honorary Doctor of Letters from St. Thomas University in 2006; named to Maclean's Honour Roll of Top Ten Canadians Who Made a Difference in 2004; and, that same year, was the Halifax Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year. In 2011, he was inducted into the Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEO’s Hall of Fame.
Members
John Bragg, Founder and CEO of the Oxford Group of Companies
Mr. Bragg is the Chairman, President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Frozen Foods Limited.
Mr. Bragg is a native of Springhill, Nova Scotia and founded Oxford Frozen Foods in 1968 which is now an international supplier. He, also, founded Bragg Communications in 1970. Under the EastLink brand, Bragg Communications provides television services and competitive internet and wireline telephone services, serving nearly all major centres of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island as well as other areas in other provinces of Canada. EastLink is Canada’s fifth largest cable TV provider.
Mr. Bragg graduated from Mount Allison University with undergraduate degrees in both Commerce and Education. He is the former Chancellor of Mount Allison University. Mr. Bragg has received Honorary Doctorates of Law from Mount Allison University, Dalhousie University, Acadia University and St Francis Xavier. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, was appointed a Canadian Business Hall of Fame Laureate in 2003 and was one of the original four members inducted into the Nova Scotia Hall of Fame in 1993. Mr. Bragg was appointed a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors in 2008.
Dan Christmas, Senior Advisor, Membertou Business Enterprises
Mr. Christmas is Senior Advisor with the Community of Membertou. He was first elected to Membertou’s Council in June 1996, and since 1997, has held the position of Senior Advisor. He assists the Chief, Band Council and its Management Team with the day-to-day operations of the community.
Mr. Christmas has served in various leadership positions in the Mi’kmaw Nation of Nova Scotia. After serving five years as the Band Manager for the Community of Membertou, he worked for the Union of Nova Scotia Indians for 15 years, the last 10 as its Director. He was actively involved in the recognition and implementation of Mi’kmaw Aboriginal and treaty rights in Nova Scotia.
Mr. Christmas has been active in a number of international, national, provincial and local agencies in a wide range of fields including Aboriginal & treaty rights, justice, policing, education, health care, human rights, adult training, business development and the environment. He has also served as the Executive Chairperson of the Union of Nova Scotia Indians.
In 2005, Mr. Christmas was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University for his work with the Mi’kmaw people of Nova Scotia. In 2008, he was the recipient of the National Excellence in Aboriginal Leadership Award from the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada and his forward thinking earned him the Sparks Award from Novaknowledge. He is a member of the Premier’s Council on the Economy, the Board of Directors with Nova Scotia Business Inc. and the Cape Breton Partnership.
Irene d’Entremont, South West Nova Scotia Business and Community Leader
Ms. d’Entremont is the President of ITG Information Management Inc. consulting in business management.
Ms. d’entremont is from West Pubnico, Nova Scotia and for more than 38 years has been involved in several businesses including sales, service, research & development, manufacturing and retail sales. She is the past president of M.I.T. Electronics Inc. and Women’s Up-To-Date Shop Inc. and was Secretary Treasurer of Wesmar Electronics Canada Ltd. Ms. d’Entremont is a director of Nova Scotia Power Inc. and the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Nova Scotia. She is also Vice Chairperson of the American Chamber in Atlantic Canada.
Ms. d’Entremont is a past Chair of the Nova Scotia Chamber of Commerce, the Atlantic Provinces Chamber of Commerce and has served two terms on the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. She also served two terms on the Advisory Board of Revenue Canada. She is a past director Emera Inc., Marine Atlantic Inc, the Nova Scotia Business Development Corporation, The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment and The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. She served two terms on the Law Commission of Canada and the Nova Scotia Advisory Board on Colleges and Universities.
In 1994, Ms. d’Entremont was inducted into the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame and the following year, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce degree from St. Mary’s University. In 1993, she was the recipient of the Governor General of Canada Commemorative Medal and has been awarded many other accolades for her leadership in entrepreneurship and community development. In October 2001, Ms. d’Entremont was appointed to the Order of Canada and won both the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals in 2002 and 2012, respectively.
Susanna Fuller, Community and Environmental activist
Susanna Fuller currently works as the Marine Conservation Coordinator at the Ecology Action Centre, where her primary interests lie in moving towards sustainable fisheries that support coastal communities as well as a healthy, restored marine ecosystem.
Susanna has also been involved in community based planning in the North End through Imagine Bloomfield, and in advocating for a province wide network of bicycle routes as a means to achieving health, environmental and economic goals particularly in rural areas. She has a PhD. from Dalhousie in Marine Biology and A BSc. from McGill University. Growing up in rural Cape Breton, Susanna has a keen awareness of both the challenges and opportunities facing rural economies in Nova Scotia and is particularly interested in value added, innovative business opportunities that build on Nova Scotia's natural assets and traditional industries