"Memorial Presents" Public Forum

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Innovation Hall, Bruneau Centre for Innovation and Research

 

With both a provincial and federal election on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to contemplate the big questions facing our province and examine where we are headed and what that will mean for future generations. Our panel of leaders and thinkers as we discuss the future of economy, society, culture, environment and democracy in Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Bernadette Dwyer is a Councillor for the Town of Fogo Island. For many years she worked with the Fogo Island Co-operative, filling several roles including President of the Board of Directors. In 1997, after 25 years of service at the Co-op, she graduated in with a Masters in Management of Co-operatives and Credit Unions. Bernadette has served on several community, regional, provincial, and federal boards and committees and has attended the High Seas Fisheries Conferences at the United Nations in the early 1990’s, the Earth Summit’s Global Forum in Rio De Janeiro in 1992 and participated in the first Oceans Day sponsored by Canada.

Shannie Duff graduated as a Registered Nurse from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal and holds a BA in Sociology from Memorial University. She entered municipal politics in 1977, serving as a Councillor at Large, Mayor and Deputy Mayor, retiring in 2013. She has also served as MHA for the district of St. John’s East. Shannie has served as a volunteer member on Boards and committees related to heritage, culture, the environment,affordable housing and municipal governance at the national, provincial and community level. She has received many awards in recognition of her volunteer service including the Queen’ s Silver,Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals. In 2003, Shannie was awarded the Order of Canada and in 2014 she received an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from Memorial University.

David Freshwater is a professor at the University of Kentucky, with appointments in the Department of Agricultural Economics and in the Martin School of Public Administration and Public Policy and adjunct professor with Memorial’s Faculty of Arts (Department of Geography). During 2009 he was Head of the Rural Policy Programme at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. Prior to joining the University of Kentucky he was a senior economist on the Staff of the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress, and a member of the professional staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. He has also worked on numerous research projects through the Harris Centre, including the extensive Regional Economic Capacity Index and the Functional Economic Regions projects related to rural and regional Newfoundland and Labrador.

Kim Keating is the 2015 Chair of the St. John’s Board of Trade. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Memorial University and is a registered member of PEGNL. She also holds her Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) designation and has completed her Masters in Business Administration. With over 16 years experience in the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore oil and gas industry, Kim is currently the Director of Projects with GJ Cahill & Co. Ltd. Kim is an elected alumni representative on the MUN Board of Regents, Chair of the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee for Newfoundland and Labrador, is a past president of WISE NL and a founding member of the International Women’s Forum NL chapter.

Bruce Pearce works to develop solutions for healthy, sustainable communities. Since 2002 he has been the community development worker for End Homelessness St. John’s, guiding local planning and investments under Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy – and in 2009 his committee helped found the Newfoundland & Labrador Housing & Homelessness Network. Bruce is former President of the Canadian Housing & Renewal Association, Canada’s national voice for affordable housing, and helped lead efforts to create a pan-Canadian network of communities working to end homelessness. Between 1988-1998, he was executive assistant and policy advisor to municipal and provincial elected officials in Toronto.

Michael Walsh is the Newfoundland and Labrador Organizer with the Canadian Federation of Students. He started his student activism as an undergraduate student in biochemistry at Memorial University where he served as the Director of Advocacy and Director of External Affairs with the MUN Students’ Union. He has served on Memorial University’s Board of Regents and the Advisory Board of HomeShare NL. His passion lies in engaging youth in political action, advancing the role of post-secondary education in society, and LGBTQ advocacy.