Presenters and Speakers – 2025 MNL Conference, Trade Show and AGM
This page lists speakers and presenters at the 2025 MNL Conference, Trade Show and AGM.
Alex Howell
Alex Howell leads Airbnb’s public policy work in Canada. Her team’s focus is on building strong, cooperative relationships with communities and their leadership across the country while working to strengthen Canada’s tourism economy. Prior to joining Airbnb, Alex spent more than a decade working in federal politics, including as a chief of staff to a federal cabinet minister.
Bahareh Hashemibeni
Bahar coordinates NVOLVE, a province-wide program that matches newcomers with meaningful volunteer roles aligned to their skills and goals. She partners with nonprofits, municipalities, and employers to co-design inclusive roles, streamline onboarding, and measure outcomes. With a background in program design, community engagement, and data-informed evaluation, Bahar focuses on practical tools organizations can implement quickly, micro-volunteering, volunteer-to-hire pilots, and simple dashboards that track impact. She’s committed to building welcoming pathways that strengthen teams and communities across Newfoundland and Labrador.
Charles Beaudet
Charles Beaudet is Vice President of Government Relations at Xplore Inc., an ISP delivering connectivity across rural Canada. During his 17 years with Xplore, he has led major broadband initiatives, including LTE and fibre deployments in Newfoundland and Labrador, helping connect over 80,000 rural households. Xplore bridges the digital divide between rural and urban with Fibre, 5G Fixed Wireless and Satellite.
David Dextraze, CET
Dave Dextraze, General Manager of National Partnerships, has been employed with the Rural Municipalities of Alberta for over eight years and brings an eclectic mix of experiences and skills that has helped RMA grow their business functions from Alberta-centric to a national leader in public procurement. Dave oversees the relationships between the Canoe Procurement Group of Canada and its partnered organizations across Canada and the U.S. Prior to joining Canoe, Dave has garnered experiences in truss design, Grade Forman for twinning the railway tracks over the Obed Summit, Surface Forman at a gold mine in the Artic Circle and 26 years as Director of Public Works at the City of Wetaskiwin, City of Swift Current and County of Wetaskiwin, overseeing its utilities, road infrastructure, bridges, waste management, and fleet management. Dave previously served as President of the Alberta Municipal Supervisors Association (AMSA), on the Board of Directors for the Alberta Municipal Health and Safety Association, and Chair of the RMA Trade Advisory Committee. Dave lives and breathes procurement and has spoken at conferences across the world.
Doménica Lombeida
Doménica (Dome) Lombeida (they/them) holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography with a minor in Oceanography from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (MUNL). Dome collaborates with organizations like the Anti-Racism Coalition Newfoundland & Labrador (ARC-NL) where they lead a project addressing barriers in healthcare for migrants. They are active in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, conducting research on healthcare barriers and working with groups like Quadrangle NL and the YWCA. Passionate about creating inclusive community spaces. Dome envisions a better future for marginalized individuals in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Don Hearn
Don Hearn is the CEO and Executive Director of the Municipal Assessment Agency (MAA), which provides property assessment services to 236 municipalities across Newfoundland and Labrador. In this role, Don leads the Agency’s operations and stakeholder engagement strategies, guiding a dedicated team committed to excellence in service delivery and client relations.
With over 30 years of experience in the property assessment field, Don brings in-depth expertise in valuing residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional properties. His leadership is built on a strong foundation of technical knowledge and strategic organizational management.
Don holds the M.I.M.A. designation from the Institute of Municipal Assessors (IMA) and currently serves as 2nd Vice President on its Executive Committee. He is also an active member of the Canadian Directors of Assessment (CDA), the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO), and the International Property Tax Institute (IPTI).
A dedicated advocate for governance excellence, Don holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), reflecting his ongoing commitment to leadership development and the promotion of best practices in the public sector.
Gary Murray
Gary Murray is President and Chief Executive Officer of Newfoundland Power Inc.
Newfoundland Power employs over 600 people and serves approximately 278,000 customers throughout the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Gary joined Newfoundland Power in 2002 and has been a member of the Executive Team for over ten years. Prior to becoming President and CEO in 2020, Gary was Vice President, Customer Operations. He has extensive engineering and utility experience within North America. Over his career, he has gained a comprehensive understanding of the provincial electricity system and in-depth industry knowledge. Before joining Newfoundland Power, he worked in the offshore oil and gas and hydroelectric industries.
Gary holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Memorial University and was inducted as a Fellow of Engineers Canada in 2019.
Gary serves on the Board of Directors of Newfoundland Power, Maritime Electric, Fortis Belize, Electricity Canada and is Chair of the Board of the Cancer Care Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador. He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Gary has been instrumental in building a safe and inclusive culture at Newfoundland Power that is focused on customer excellence, operational efficiency, sustainability and innovative thinking.
Jamie Mullins
Jamie Mullins, VP Customer Operations, joined Newfoundland Power in 2011 and brings deep expertise in grid modernization. A safety-focused leader, he plays a key role in emergency response and operational innovation. Jamie is a Professional Engineer with a passion for coaching and community volunteer service.
Janet Morrison
Dr. Morrison believes post-secondary education fuels human, economic and social development.
For more than 35 years, she has been proud to lead at colleges and universities renowned for their unwavering commitment to academic quality and student success. On Aug. 11, 2025, she began her new position as president and vice-chancellor of Memorial. Previously, Dr. Morrison served as Sheridan College’s eighth president since 2018.
Before joining Sheridan in November 2016 as provost and vice-president (academic), Dr. Morrison spent 17 years at York University, where she worked in various roles focused on learning, discovery and engagement. Specifically, she served as vice-provost (students); project director, Student Experience Transformation; faculty executive officer, Faculty of Health; and director, student programs, in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, where she taught undergraduate and graduate students. She served on York’s board of governors and in 2010 was awarded York University’s President’s Leadership Award.
Dr. Morrison has extensive governance experience as a board chair and member of executive, governance, accountability and quality committees across the non-profit sector, including developmental services, child welfare, education and health care. She is the former chair of the board of trustees at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and previously chaired the board of directors for the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto.
Dr. Morrison earned her PhD in higher education at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and holds a master of arts (history) as well as a bachelor of arts, specialized honours (history) from the University of Guelph, and a bachelor of arts (history) from the University of Western Ontario.
She and her partner, Ken, have two children, both of whom are student-athletes competing at the highest level of their respective sports.
Maria Dussan
Maria Dussan (she/her) is currently the Project Development Facilitator with Community Justice Connect (CJC), a conflict resolution service within the NL Human Rights Commission that serves racialized, Indigenous, and religious minority communities in Newfoundland and Labrador. Maria is also an anti-racist activist and organizer with the Anti-Racism Coalition NL.
Michelle Cluett-Fizzard
Michelle Cluett-Fizzard is Director of Investment Attraction at the Department of Industry, Energy and Technology, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. She leads a team focused on attracting investment in high-growth sectors and brings over 25 years of experience in economic development and innovation.
Mylène Vincent
Leveraging her years of commitment to housing and community development, Mylène has emerged as a visionary leader, grounded and fearless, with unparalleled development skills. She has earned a reputation for thinking outside the box and consistently crafting innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of each project and client she supports.
Mylène’s top-notch analytical skills, adaptability, creativity and focus on solutions have made her into a development professional with the ability to turn projects from concept to reality.
To make these projects happen, Mylène is a strong advocate at community development policy tables, including the consultation for the National Housing Strategy (2017) and more recently those in relation to the development of Build Canada Homes, launched on September 14th.
When you work with Mylène, you have a true partner in housing and community development: whether you need support with capital project development, strategic partnerships, contract management, or anything in between.
Sobia Shaheen Shaikh
Sobia Shaheen Shaikh (she/her) is a social work educator and community-engaged scholar at Memorial University in St. John’s NL. She is also an activist, mother, creative writer, and playwright who has deep ties with anti-racist, Indigenous, arts, women’s/gender diverse, queer, disability, youth/student, transformative and environmental justice communities across Canada. She serves as co-chair of the Anti-Racism Coalition NL, co-lead of the Addressing Islamophobia in NL project, and co-president of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women-NL. As well, Sobia is a founding member of The Quilted Collective of Racialized NL Writers and of The Creators’ Collective NL: Indigenous, Racialized and Migrant Artists and Arts Workers.
Stephen Penney
Steve practices labour and employment and municipal law (predominately on the litigation side). He has acted for municipalities in a wide array of disputes including: – Labour arbitrations, wrongful dismissal cases and labour board matters; – Municipal tax cases, included leading cases heard by the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal including Eastern Demolition v Long Harbour and Happy Valley-Goose Bay v Cabot; – Leading municipal liability cases, including the recent flooding class action (Dewey v Kruger, et al.); – Numerous Appeal Board hearings and statutory appeals on planning and development issues; – Cases on constructive taking (including the recent Index v Paradise). Steve also routinely provides counsel on internal municipal matters including on Code of Conduct investigation, conflict of interest, and the creation of policies.
Tasha Blumenthal, MBA
Tasha is the Executive Officer of External Relations and Strategy at the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA). Within the scope of this position, she oversees the organizations’ advocacy function, and provides oversight for internal operations, including information services and human resources. Tasha has voiced that the best part of her role is the people she gets to engage with; both the internal team, RMA members and the various stakeholder and partners the organization works with. Outside of the office, she commits her time to her family, primarily spending endless hours on the sidelines of basketball courts.
Ted Cadigan
Ted Cadigan is the Director of CNA Foundation. Over the last 10 years Ted has worked with some of Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest charities and charitable organizations. Sectors of focus include higher education, entrepreneurship, newcomer support, and poverty reduction. Ted completed his Master of Science at Memorial University and his MBA (Sustainability) at the University of Guelph.
Rob Nolan
Rob Nolan is Chief Executive Officer at Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador.
Rob is passionate about municipal affairs and governance, serving on the Board of Directors for Happy City St. John’s 2015-2020 (including two years as Chair), co-founding the municipal advocacy group Citizens’ Assembly for Stronger Elections in 2017, and managing and advising on multiple municipal campaigns.
Rob holds an MBA and Master of Arts from Memorial University, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Public Policy and Governance from University of Victoria.
During his Master of Arts studies in Political Science, Rob completed a thesis on local governance in Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition to municipal affairs, Rob is passionate about climate action and contributed to the Generation SDG Summit and Blueprint led by the Waterloo Global Science Initiative in 2018. Prior to joining MNL, Rob worked at Memorial University for over 10 years with the Office of the Registrar and the Centre for Institutional Analysis and Planning.
In addition to leading the Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador team as CEO, Rob currently sits on the Board of Directors for End Homelessness St. John’s.
Ty Smith
Federation of Canadian Municipalities Senior Director, Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion | Corporate Services
For more than 20 years, Ty Smith has recognized the workplace as a key site for social change and growth. As the Senior Director for Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion at FCM, Ty brings a passion for facilitating individual and organizational growth and development in fostering a culture of belonging and equitable inclusion.
Ty excels at facilitating groups to identify and address barriers to embedding and advancing equity and inclusion policies, practices, and programs – and he has drawn on his vast experience to develop and launch FCM’s first in-house Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion unit. Employing a participatory systems-based approach, he has facilitated equity-based organizational change for not-for-profit and public sector organizations in Canada and internationally. Prior to joining FCM, Ty has helped to lead Equity and Inclusion practices for leading Canadian institutions, including the Toronto Police Service.
Ruth Trask
Ruth Trask is a partner at Stewart McKelvey. Ruth’s practice focuses on labour and employment law and administrative law, including judicial reviews. She has advised municipalities on employment issues, union relations, and procedural fairness, as well as Code of Conduct, conflict of interest, human rights, and harassment matters. She is no stranger to helping a client navigate thorny legal questions. During 2025, she litigated several novel Municipal Conduct Act matters, resulting in decisions from the Supreme Court of NL defining the law in this developing area. She also works in professional regulation, advising regulators and adjudication tribunals. She is a frequent presenter in the community and regularly appears before administrative tribunals and at all levels of Court. Ruth has been named as a Best Lawyer in Canada annually since 2023 for Labour and Employment and holds a Lexpert ranking in Employment Law.
Holly Scott-Walsh
Regional Manager, Municipal Support – Western/Labrador Region, Department of Municipal Affairs and Community Engagement
Holly Scott-Walsh brings nearly four decades of public service to her role as Regional Manager of Municipal Support for the Western/Labrador region. Holly began her career in the Department of Finance’s Audit Division where she spent 28 years in responsible roles including auditor, compliance officer and collections officer. In 2014, Holly joined the Department of Municipal Affairs and Community Engagement as a Municipal Affairs Analyst, and in January 2018, became the Western/Labrador Regional Manager. Holly also served her hometown of Massey Drive, for 12 years, as both councillor and mayor.
As an advocate for professional development, Holly believes that every training session offers an opportunity to learn. The value of networking and collaboration among peers is one of the essential tools for growth and effective governance.
“The best place to serve is in local governance, where you are closest to the community, and where you truly make an impact.” – Holly Scott-Walsh
Chris Torraville
Chris Torraville has been serving the Town of Peterview as the Town Clerk/Manager for seven years. Before that, he spent 25 years in the business world. Chris has been a PMA Board Member as Central Director and now is serving on the Executive as Treasurer for PMA. During his time as a PMA Board Member, he has served on and chaired many committees including Professional Development, Finance and Convention and has also served as a member of the MNL Convention Committee for the past 3 years. Chris has attained his professional designation as a Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) through the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) and he also serves as Vice Chair on the International Relations Committee for the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.
Connie Reid
Connie Reid, President of PMA, has held the position of Town Clerk/Manager for 16 years in her hometown of Reidville – a small community on the West Coast of the province. She has been on the PMA board for seven years, previously holding the role of Treasurer, and currently represents the organization on the Municipal Assessment Agency Board. Connie has served on many school and sports-related boards and committees that her children were involved with, but now that they are older, she has shifted her focus to volunteering on Boards within her professional capacity. Connie is married with two children. In her spare time, she loves to hike, snowshoe, read and spend time with family and friends.
Craig Pollett
Craig specializes in strategic, governance and organizational planning and analysis. He has over 25 years experience working directly with municipal governments to achieve their goals.
Craig has a record of leadership on critical issues such as regionalization, municipal fiscal framework, and economic development. He is the Executive Director of the Atlantic Mayors Congress.
Kevin Casey
Kevin graduated with a blistering 67% average from Memorial University with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1992. Upon graduation he smartened up and spent six years with M5 Advertising followed by four years as Director of Marketing and Sales with Labatt Breweries (Atlantic Canada).
In late 2001, Kevin Co-founded the IDEA Factory with Ed Roche. Their agency was named Progress Magazine Marketer of the Year (2009), received the Business Excellence Award from the Board of Trade (2011, 2012) and Kevin was named as one of the Top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada (2013).
In April 2016, Kevin stepped away from The IDEA Factory and joined Cal LeGrow as Senior Vice-President of Sales and Marketing as they embarked on a growth strategy in Atlantic Canada. In September 2018, Jeff LeGrow and Rod Vatcher welcomed Kevin as the newest shareholder and partner with Cal LeGrow.
He is a Paul Harris Fellowship award winner from Rotary International, has kissed Richard Simmons all in the name of raising money for breast cancer and through the Toy Factory has helped donated almost $500,000 to much needed causes in Newfoundland and Labrador.
His passion for community investment is now fueled by the Cal LeGrow Foundation with a plan to raise $1,000,000 (the current scoreboard is $363,000 and growing).
Colleen Paul
Colleen grew up in Badger, N.L. where she was surrounded by the teachings of her parents John Paul and Madonna and the love of her six siblings. Her experiences throughout childhood instilled in her a deep respect for the land and Mi’kmaw traditions, and she gained wisdom passed down through generations. Alongside her husband, Robert, Colleen continues to honor those teachings, passing them down to her children, Kelly and Emily, while inspiring others to do the same.
Collen’s life has been defined by her unwavering commitment to community service and her profound connection to Mi’kmaw culture. She has 10 years of experience in Indigenous education and member services and financial management experience. She is a Certified Gladue Writer, Trained Circle Keeper, Interim Executive Director of Empowering Indigenous Women for Stronger Communities, Peer Facilitator in gender-based violence initiatives and an Executive Administrator of the Mi’kmaq Cultural Foundation.
Colleen has visions and goals for her term on council that are rooted in listening and responding to the concerns of members from Central Newfoundland with respect and care.
She is passionate about nurturing future leaders through mentorship and succession planning, ensuring the strength of Mi’kmaw leadership for generations to come. She also strives to expand the community’s influence by fostering partnerships, enhancing collaboration, and building trust with key stakeholders.
Colleen’s heart is with her people. She is dedicated to fostering pride, resilience, and unity in her community. Her passion for diversity, inclusion, and cultural preservation is evident in her daily work and her unwavering commitment to creating a brighter future for all.
Gerry Lahey
Environmental Scientist, Department of Environment and Climate Change N.L.
Gerry is from Corner Brook, N.L. He graduated from the Civil Engineering Technology program at Cabot College in 1997. He started his career in Vancouver, British Columbia with a small shotcrete company before moving onto to work with the City of Vancouver’s Engineering Service Division in early 1998. Over the next three years he held various positions in the streets, sewer, and water works design branches.
He returned to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001 and began working with the Provincial Government’s Department of Municipal Affairs and switched to the Department of Environment in November of 2002. Since that time, he has worked as an operator trainer delivering hundreds of onsite training sessions on topics such as, but not limited to, Disinfection, Liquid / Gas Chlorination, Leak Detection, Hydrant and PRV maintenance. He also instructs the Wastewater Treatment level one and two course.
He is the Certifier for Newfoundland and Labrador and is a member of the Canadian Certification Committee.
In his spare time he is co-owner of a small CrossFit Gym, plays guitar, and loves board sports on snow and water.
Jim Pollett
Jim Pollett is an Environmental Scientist currently working with the Water Resources Management Division of the Department of Environment and Climate Change, Community Water and Wastewater section. Jim began professionally working in the civil engineering field in 1979 primarily in hydroelectric power development and later moved into fish passage systems and aquaculture hatcheries. He also worked in municipal water and wastewater system construction, providing construction inspection services prior to joining the department.
Jim is a certified Engineering Technician and is a long-standing member of the Association of Engineering Technicians and Technologists of Newfoundland Incorporated. He is a life-long learner and since accepting his current position in 2007 has completed nearly 50 specialized training courses in the water distribution field.