The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI), an Indigenous organization that promotes economic and workplace development to 15 First Nations communities throughout New Brunswick, Stanley Barnaby brings a wealth of experience and familiarity with the organization to his role.

Completing his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and concurrently obtaining his First Nations Business Administration certificate, Mr. Barnaby joined JEDI as an intern and established himself as a finance and operations specialist. Following his internship, Mr. Barnaby would become JEDI’s financial manger in 2017 and, in 2019, he became senior project manager, completing his master’s Certificate in Project Management at UNB’s College of Extended Learning the same year. Elevated to acting CEO in February 2022, JEDI announced his official appointment as CEO in May 2022.

Based in North Fredericton, JEDI services a range of industries and sectors including the innovation economy, and its program offerings include both a start-up accelerator and incubator. Mr. Barnaby, who is from the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation near Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, is motivated by his desire to support Indigenous people and communities and views his youth an asset which helps him better understand the needs of young entrepreneurs. Mr. Barnaby also serves as a board member of Dialogue NB, a non-profit organization with the mandate to help the Province of New Brunswick be a more socially cohesive community.

Mr. Barnaby also holds a Professional Aboriginal Economic Development designation and a Technician Aboriginal Economic Developer (TAED) certificate from the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO) – the national Indigenous organization which promotes economic development and has served as the organization’s President and Director since 2018.

The President and CEO of the Port of Belledune, Denis Caron has a proven track record of building successful partnerships with business, government, and community leaders. A senior executive with more than 35 years’ experience working in across all levels of government, Mr. Caron has demonstrated an ability to successfully negotiate dozens of projects and initiatives with provincial, federal, community and industry leaders while supporting various mandates. He has also delivered, throughout his career, on the transition from strategy to tactical execution by developing and sustaining effective dialogue with and among stakeholders and key decision-makers. A business administration graduate of the Université de Moncton, he went on to complete his accreditation in the Banff Centre’s program of Executive Leadership Development.

Mr. Caron’s public sector experience includes almost ten years as a Deputy Minister to several departments such as Environment and Local Government, Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Fisheries, and Economic Development. After retiring from the provincial government, Mr. Caron returned to northern New Brunswick in 2015 to accept the role of President & CEO of the Belledune Port Authority, where he continues to deliver results from a vision of growth and successful regional development. He is passionate about the region and works relentlessly to support local.

Alicia Roisman Ismach heads Atlantic Fintech, where she contributes more than 20 years in technology entrepreneurship and financial innovation to support the growth of the fintech sector in Atlantic Canada.

Alicia immigrated to Canada in 2018 and heads, bringing with her broad expertise and global professional network. In 2015, Alicia joined Amaryllis to define the product and marketing strategies of its End-to-End Payments Platform for Complex Payments Models, which is today deployed by leading global payment acquirers and service providers. In 2007, she founded Seergate, a company that developed the first real-time account to account banking payments system, deployed by UBA (United Bank for Africa) in 16 countries in Africa. In Atlanta, Georgia, Alicia served as Board Member of the America Israel Chamber of Commerce Southeast region. In Israel, Alicia was director of the Founder Institute, a leading global early stage accelerator headquartered in Silicon Valley, and founded The Founders Café, a social network for founders to share ideas and get support from peers, with over 2,000 members in Israel.

Alicia holds a master’s degree in enterprise innovation from Swinburne University of Technology in Australia.

Ms. Webster has over 25 years of senior management experience in business development, operations and administration management within the technology industry. Her first-hand experience with start-up companies and turnaround experience enables her to be a part of ultimately growing businesses to the next level. Ms. Webster has extensive experience in the innovative technology markets in health and learning, working in bothdomestic and international markets. Her strengths and experience in North America and abroad add to the value that she brings to an organization. She brings skills in the area of strategic focus, corporate planning, client management, administration, and high-level positioning for team members and clients. She is a true customer centered executive. She possesses a bachelor of science from Dalhousie University and a master’s of business administration from the University of New Brunswick.

Ms. Webster sits on (or has previously been on) a number of provincial and regional boards in economic development, technology, government, community and health. Ms. Webster was recognized by her peers and colleagues in 2003 with the KIRA Industry Person of the Year Award for her efforts and commitment to the New Brunswick Knowledge Industry. When she gets involved with an organization, she is committed to leaving it stronger than when she started.

As the leader of Fredericton-based LuminUltra, Pat Whalen brings considerable experience in turning ideas into reality. While earning his bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from UNB, Pat worked as a laboratory technician to bring the idea of next-generation molecular diagnostic testing to the environmental and industrial sectors. From its official founding in 2003 to today, LuminUltra has grown into the international leader in comprehensive biosafety monitoring for environments, industries and individuals. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the company answered the call for a made-in-Canada COVID-19 testing solution, producing and delivering 500,000 tests per week for a year.

In addition to having led LuminUltra’s global operations in 6 countries serving thousands of customers since 2008, Pat is active in the local entrepreneurial community including as a board member and past chair of BioNB as well as a coach for several local business leaders. He has also published dozens of technical papers, received several patents, and is a member of a variety of professional organizations including AWWA, WEF, NACE, ASTM, and IWA.