Meet the board

Annika Voltan (Chair)

Annika is a systems thinker, connector and changemaker. She is currently Assistant Professor in social and sustainable entrepreneurship at Saint Mary’s University. Previously she was Executive Director of Impact Organizations of Nova Scotia (IONS), where she was a driving force in elevating the importance of the community sector in the province. She also worked with stakeholders to champion social justice and equity. Annika has published research on social innovation, entrepreneurship, networks and impact. She holds an MBA from Dalhousie University and a PhD in Business Administration and Management from Saint Mary’s.

Bradley Daye

Bradley is co-founder and co-CEO of Placemaking 4G, a Nova Scotia-based group that focuses on creating more equitable and inclusive workplaces. With a deeply rooted history in Nova Scotia, Bradley was born and raised in Halifax and is a community leader, coach and member of the African Nova Scotian community. As the grandson of the great Delmore Buddy Daye, Bradley is intrinsically grounded in community development led with empathy. The Halifax Chamber of Commerce named Bradley the 2024 Business Leader of the Year.

Diane Obed

Diane is an Inuk woman mixed with English settler ancestry, originally from Hopedale, traditionally known as Arvetok, the place of bowhead whales in Nunatsiavut, Labrador. She currently lives in Mi’kma’ki/Nova Scotia and is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Foundations PhD program at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her dissertation research explores the intersections between Indigenous land education and contemplative ecological studies,  drawing on ancient wisdom that helps cultivate the inner resources needed to face, and engage in dialogue about, the current climate crisis.

Sylvia Parris-Drummond

Sylvia is the CEO of the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute. Her work in education and the community is rooted in core Africentric principles. She has been actively involved across a broad range of community initiatives and organizations, such as Akoma Family Centre and Holdings, Feed Nova Scotia, the NS Early Childhood Intervention Services, the Black Business Initiative Community Investment Fund and the NS Mass Choir. She has worked for both municipal (Halifax Regional Municipality) and provincial governments (Departments of Education and Justice) as well as the  Nova Scotia Community College. Sylvia holds a Masters of Arts in Life-long Learning – Africentricity (MSVU), a Masters of Education – Curriculum (St. Mary’s), and a Bachelor of Science, Home Economics / Education (St. Francis Xavier).

Frances MacEachen

Frances is Program and Development Officer in the Nova Scotia Department of Sports and Recreation. She lives in Little Judique, Cape Breton, and has spent much of her adult life reconnecting with, and championing, her Gaelic heritage, language and culture. She published a Gaelic cultural publication for 10 years and worked in Mabou for the Province’s Office of Gaelic Affairs. She was also a cofounder of How We Thrive’s Air Chélidh, or Gaelic Narrative Project. Frances enjoys singing Gaelic songs with friends, and is passionate about the importance of Nova Scotia's heritage languages and cultures in building vibrant and thriving communities.