Advisory Board

	Anna Redden, Ph.D Dean, Research & Graduate Studies, Acadia University Dr. Anna Redden has been appointed Dean of Research and Graduate Studies effective September 1. Redden is a two-time Acadia graduate (BScH and MSc) who returned to campus in 2005 from an academic appointment in Australia to assume a full-time faculty position in the Biology Department. She is recognized internationally and nationally for her research in the ecology of coastal/estuarine systems and marine environments and was the Director of the Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research (ACER) as well as Director of the Acadia Tidal Energy Institute and Executive Chair of the Fundy Energy Research Network. Redden earned her Ph.D. from Memorial University and has over 30 years of research experience with students and collaborators within and outside Acadia. She has supervised 35 research students at the Ph.D., Masters, and Honours levels, as well as numerous technical and administrative staff, research assistants and coop interns.
	Darcy Benoit, Ph.D Director, Jodrey School of Computer Science, Acadia University Dr. Darcy Benoit is an Associate Professor in and Acting Director of Acadia’s Jodrey School of Computer Science. He earned a BSc in Computer Science from St. Francis Xavier University and his Ph.D. in Computing from Queen’s University. Dr. Benoit joined Acadia University in 2002. Since then, he has received several research grants from groups such as NSERC, inNovaCorp, a Nova Scotia Productivity and Innovation Voucher. He is the author or co-author of over 30 publications. Dr. Benoit’s research areas include large-scale data collection, database management systems, and mobile computing.
	Jeff Hooper, Ph.D Department Head,  Mathematics & Statistics, Acadia University Dr. Jeff Hoper joined Acadia in 2001 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and since 2009 has served several terms as Head of the Department. He has a BSc and MSc from the University of Windsor and earned his Ph.D. from McMaster University. In 2007, he was awarded the Community Leadership in Teaching Award by the Acadia Students’ Union. Dr. Hooper is currently the Head of the Acadia Math and Statistics Department.
	Leigh Huestis Director, Office of Industry and Community Engagement, Acadia University As Director of Acadia’s Office of Industry and Community Engagement (formerly the Office of Technology Transfer and Innovation), Leigh is responsible for commercialization and industry liaison activities, intellectual property management and preparation and negotiation of a wide variety of research and commercialization agreements. Leigh has been a recipient of the Acadia President’s Award for Innovation and a team finalist for a Nova Scotia Discovery Award. She also sits as an Advisory Member on several Boards, including the Acadia Center for Social and Business Entrepreneurship (ACSBE) and the Jodrey School of Computer Science, and is actively involved in coordinating activities of the Springboard Network as a member of the Network Coordination Committee and the Technology Assessment Committee.
	Martha Casey Vice-President, Operations and Business Transformation, International Institute for Sustainable Development Martha is the International Institute for Sustainable Development's (IISD) Vice President of Operations and Business Transformation where she oversees the Institute's global administration. Martha joined IISD from Volta, one of Canada's largest innovation hubs, where she served as its Chief Executive Officer. At Volta, she undertook and executed a new strategic plan to ensure the organization's success through the COVID-19 pandemic, managed multi-million-dollar budgets, and advanced initiatives on diversity, equity, and inclusion, among other responsibilities and achievements. She was previously Volta's Chief Operating Officer.
	Paul Richards Regional Manager, Innovacorp Paul Richards is an accomplished economic development professional with a proven track record of accelerating business growth. As Regional Manager for Innovacorp, Nova Scotia’s early-stage venture capital organization, Paul focused on enabling knowledge-based companies to accelerate the commercialization of their technologies and to create a dynamic high-growth entrepreneur culture in Nova Scotia.
	Suzie Currie, Ph.D Dean, Pure and Applied Science, Acadia University Dr. Currie is currently a full professor and Head of the Department of Biology at Mount Allison University. She describes herself as “a proud Acadia alumna who was inspired by many Acadia faculty and staff.” She holds a BSc (Honours) from Acadia and an MSc, as well as a Ph.D. from Queen’s University, supervised by Acadia alumnus, Dr. Bruce Tufts (’82). Shortly after completing her Ph.D., she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Cambridge, UK, working with Dr. Robert Boutilier (’76, DSC ’96). Dr. Currie has been awarded over $1.5 million from NSERC, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, and the NB Environmental Trust Fund. She worked collaboratively with Advancement at MTA to use some of these funds to leverage a generous private donation from the Harold Crabtree Foundation to design and build the University’s Crabtree Aqualab Centre for Aquatic Sciences.
	Matt Cooper Chief Executive Officer, Volta Matt Cooper has been building and marketing products for over 25 years. He is a multi-time founder and was Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Swept, and led Product and Marketing at two other Venture-backed startups. He holds certifications in Product Management and Digital Marketing disciplines and is an alumnus of both Propel and 500 Startups accelerators. As the CEO of VOLTA, he leverages his unique experience in Product, Marketing and Growth Operations to lead the team in delivering 1:1 hands-on support for early-stage, high-growth Startups throughout Atlantic Canada.
	Chris McIntyre Director, Product Management, Intelljoint Surgical For over 15 years, Chris McIntyre has been leading teams that are leveraging technology in meaningful ways to solve important problems and bring these solutions successfully to market. He has done this in a variety of senior product and strategy roles for both large multi-national companies and scaling start-ups in medical imaging, orthopaedics, sports biomechanics and hearing healthcare. In recognizing the key role that data analytics and artificial intelligence will play in so many areas of society in the future, Chris also took some time away from the private sector to become the first Managing Director for the University of Waterloo’s Artificial Intelligence Institute, Waterloo.ai. Chris is currently the Director of Product for Intellijoint Surgical, the top company on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 companies list in 2020.
	Scott Olszowiec Student Services Advisor & Indigenous Supports Kingstec Campus Nova Scotia Community College Scott has had a diverse and varied career in creative services and technology for over 20 years. He is currently a Student Services Advisor at the Nova Scotia Community College where he practices inclusive, student-centered approaches to academic and personal success in post-secondary education. As a creative technologist and with an interdisciplinary approach and broad skills in applied media, visual design & communications, he has worked in a variety of artistic, technical and consultative roles that contributed to the success of projects for tourism, business, economic development, and education organizations.
	Tamea Queensborough Jr. Ocean Programmer, Jr. Data & Information Advisor (at Pisces RPM) Tamea recently completed her studies at Acadia University, where she earned a Bachelor of Computer Science Degree. She is currently working as a Jr. Ocean Programmer and Jr. Data & Information Advisor at Pisces Research Project Management Inc., where is working alongside individuals who are passionate about making lasting impacts within the Ocean sector.  She is interested in exploring data and learning more about data management and data management tools, but as this is the beginning of her career, she is also looking forward to building her skills in computer science in general, where she can then branch off and focus on other areas that appeal to her.