Springtide Team: Advisory Council
The Springtide Advisory Council provides periodic advice and support to Springtide. The council does this collectively on an annual basis, and throughout the year as individuals in their respective areas of expertise.
Graham Steele, Former MLA and Finance Minister, Author: “What I learned about politics”
Graham Steele was a member of the Nova Scotia legislature from 2001 to 2013. He was the minister of finance and minister of Acadian affairs (2009–2012) and minister of economic and rural development and tourism (2013) in the NDP government. He is the author of the best-selling book ”What I learned about politics”. Before entering politics, Graham was a lawyer in private practice and in government. He is a Rhodes Scholar and originally from Winnipeg. He lives in Halifax.
From Graham: “In my book, I offered an insider’s look at how politics really works. The problems are obvious, but the solutions aren’t. We need groups like Springtide to galvanize the public conversation and change the political culture.”
Alison Loat, co-founder and former executive director of Samara.
Alison is the founder of Samara, a non-partisan charitable organization that improves political participation in Canada through research and educational activities. She is the author the #1 best-selling book Tragedy in the Commons: Former Members of Parliament Speak Out About Canada’s Failing Democracy, published by Random House Canada in 2014.
Alison is also a fellow and instructor at the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy and Governance and a past president of the Canadian Club of Toronto. She has worked at McKinsey & Company, the Government of Canada, the MaRS Discovery District and was a founder of Canada25.
From Alison: “Samara and Springtide share similar goals and are animated by the same spirit and belief in the importance of public service and leadership.”
Danny Graham, Chief Engagement Officer at Engage Nova Scotia
Danny Graham is best known as the former MLA for Halifax Citadel and Leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. Over a 25 year period he has held senior positions in business, law, government and politics. Since leaving politics he has been the Founding Chair of organizations that are igniting a culture of civic engagement in Nova Scotia – most recently, Engage Nova Scotia.
From Danny: ”The work of the Springtide Collective represents the best hope for reforming politics in Nova Scotia. Through a fresh style of leadership, this work models the path forward – engaging citizens in deep dialogue about what’s working and what needs to change.”
Patricia Bradshaw, PhD, Dean, Sobey School of Business
Pat Bradshaw is the Dean of the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University and a Professor of Management. Pat’s research includes the study of organizational power and politics and governance of non-profit organizations. She has consulted with numerous nonprofits and her consulting projects include governance workshops, strategic planning, team building for boards and staff and training programs on change management and critical thinking skills. She is the Chair of the board of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Public Affairs.
From Patricia: “Springtide brings an essential perspective to the community dialogues that are taking place across the province. With their unique approach and stance they can ensure that critical questions about democracy and public engagement do not get lost in our drive for economic prosperity.”
Elizabeth Beale, (Retired) President and CEO of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC)
Elizabeth Beale is President and CEO of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC), a position she has held since 1996. Prior to this, she worked for 10 years as a consulting economist and was APEC’s Chief Economist from 1981 to 1986. Ms. Beale’s policy and research interests include energy, labour market, and innovation strategies. Ms. Beale has authored numerous studies and is a frequent guest lecturer. She led an Atlantic research team on an OECD-IMHE project on higher education and regional development from 2005 to 2008 and was a member of the federal-provincial Labour Market Information Advisory Panel and the Nova Scotia Economic Advisory Panel in 2009.
From Elizabeth: “Springtide’s innovative approach is helping to introduce an understanding of government and policy issues to a new audience.”
Ian McNeil, Manager of the Cape Breton Prosperity Framework
Ian McNeil is the manager (since May 2013) of the Prosperity Framework, Cape Breton’s in-depth economic development strategy, which unites partners in the private sector, municipalities, First Nations, educational institutions, government departments and agencies on teams which meet quarterly to work on sector-specific projects.
Born in Port Hood and currently a resident of Baddeck, McNeil is a former journalist and broadcaster who launched a communications company, Ian McNeil Real Media, in 2007 to provide media training, facilitation and other communication services. He is active in the volunteer sector, mainly as a master of ceremonies, and is the author of a book about the legacy of Cape Breton’s coal miners, “Pit Talk.”
From Ian: “My interest in the work of Springtide is based in the belief that, for the sake of the health of our democracy, more people need to be engaged on a range of levels.”
Mike Smit, PhD, Professor of Information Management, Dalhousie University
Mike studies the intersection of people, information, and technology. This includes research challenges in using cloud computing, tool support for research dissemination and discovery, management of cloud-scale data, leveraging IT to meet research and educational needs, and enabling open data and data literacy.
At Springtide, Mike has served as an advisor on the OpenHouseNS.ca website, which sorts information published in the Hansard – the verbatim record of the proceedings of the House of Assembly.