By UNB Associated Alumni
The podcast currently has 40 episodes available.
In this special episode as the finale to Season 3, we turn the tables on UNBeknownst host Katie Davey (BA’17). In her day job, Katie is a public policy expert and social innovator, currently serving as the Pond-Deshpande Centre’s (PDC) Executive Director at the University of New Brunswick. Previously, she was the Director of Policy & Media at the Public Policy Forum, and also served as senior advisor in the Office of the Premier of New Brunswick. Armed with a degree in political science from UNB and master’s in applied politics from Wilfrid Laurier University, Katie has the perfect mix of academic and real-world savvy to tackle socio-economic challenges through social innovation, entrepreneurship, and public policy. Selected as a top innovator by Atlantic Business Magazine in 2023, Katie is a go-to voice in political commentary and opinion writing, making waves in major publications and as a regular on CBC New Brunswick and Atlantic. She is the Founder and Principal of Femme Wonk and serves on the Board of Directors for the Human Development Council, Action Canada, and other community groups.
In this episode:
Katie’s origin story and how she got her start into politics, public policy and advocacy.
The impact of UNB’s Pond-Deshponde Centre and what exactly social innovation and social entrepreneurship means on the ground.
The social innovation lab – and how that’s shifting things in New Brunswick.
Problem-solving through the lens of social good.
The growth of ventures working on social innovation and social good in New Brunswick.
The information/communications challenges of our current environment.
How New Brunswick is stacking up against other jurisdictions around the world for social innovation and growth.
Links and resources:
Katie’s LinkedIN
Pond Deshpande Centre
Thanks to:
Our alumni host, Katie Davey
Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden
Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife
To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.
Nicole LeBlanc (BBA’00) is a partner with Woven Capital in Tokyo, focusing on investments in mobility, energy, and sustainability that support and accelerate Toyota’s mission to build the safest mobility in the world. Prior to that she was a partner in Denmark with 2150, an urban tech & sustainability fund focused on supporting the growth of sustainable cities. She’s held previous positions as director of investments for Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs in Toronto, and as director at BDC Capital and at the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation.
Nicole is also a founder and investor in Sandpiper.vc, a women-led venture fund based in Atlantic Canada aiming to support women as both founders and investors. She’s a huge proponent of encouraging and supporting women in the venture capital sector, and I’m very excited to talk with her about why that’s so important, as well as why she feels so strongly in investing in technology for our collective future.
In this episode:
How Nicole first started in venture capital and the opportunities around the world that led her to becoming an expert in the field
Her position in Toronto at Sidewalk Labs that hooked her on green cities and urban tech.
Why corporate companies have growth/venture capital firms.
How companies can implement sustainability implement solutions in their systems – and why Nicole is excited about startups providing those solutions.
The role of corporate venture capitalist
How smaller municipalities can have a great impact on lives and drive change.
The Copenhagen urban model.
How engaging everyone in communities is key to finding solutions and capital sources.
Why there is a low rate of women in venture capital and how more women can break into it.
How Atlantic Canadian communities can be successful in building smart, sustainable places to live and work, even with fewer resources.
Links and resources:
Nicole’s LinkedIN
Woven Capital
Sandpiper Ventures
Thanks to:
Our alumni host, Katie Davey
Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden
Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife
To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.
Dr. Jennifer Woodland (MA’09, PhD’15) is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at UNB’s Saint John campus and an Integrated Health Initiative researcher who teaches within the Bachelor of Health program at UNB. She has a PhD in experimental psychology from UNB, with a focus in multisensory perception. Jen has over 10 years of experience in health research – as a research methodologist for Horizon Health Network and Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick. Before her academic appointment, she spent 5 years working in the private health sector as the director of Human Health Factors at Canadian Health Solutions where she led a development team toward multidisciplinary medical innovation products. Her research interests are in multidisciplinary health research on medication adherence and combining the use of evidence-based psychological principles to inform the development and improvement of health product usability.
In this episode:
An explanation of experimental psychology in multisensory perception
How research, clinical and technology areas can work together and are critical for healthcare solutions
A detailed look at what integrated health and integrated health research really means
The Integrated Health Initiative (IHI) at UNB’s Saint John campus, and the benefits of an intentional health cluster
How to translate research into meaningful health policy
Health literacy for health adherence
Links and resources:
UNB Integrated Health Initiative
Thanks to:
Our alumni host, Katie Davey
Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden
Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife
To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.
Mi’gmaq entrepreneur Victoria LaBillois (BA’91, MBA’04) is the owner of Wejipeg Excavation Inc. and co-owner of Wejuseg Construction Inc, and oversaw the completion of a major wind park in Gaspesie, Quebec, where the companies trained and engaged over 100 Mi’gmaq tradespeople.
Victoria has served both the First Nation and federal public service, working at the Band, regional, and national levels. She is currently serving as Vice-Chair of the National Indigenous Economic Development Board, and represents the National Indigenous Economic Development Board in the development of Canada’s first National Indigenous Economic Strategy. In addition to advocating for and facilitating conversations at the highest levels around economic reconciliation, she is all about giving back to her community, serving as a mentor and coach to Indigenous women and helping youth build skills around financial literacy. In 2019 AND 2020, Victoria was honoured by the WXN as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
In this episode:
How Victoria went from Arts graduate to owner of a construction and excavation company
Context around why we need to talk about economic reconciliation for Canada’s Indigenous peoples
What economic reconciliation practically means
The process of drafting a National Indigenous Economic Strategy for Canada and creating a strategy to advance economic reconciliation – and highlights from this important document that guides government, academia and corporate Canada
The 4 essential ingredients to economic prosperity for Indigenous peoples in Canada
How all of us can help further economic reconciliation
Links and resources:
Victoria’s LinkedIn
National Indigenous Economic Strategy
Wejuseg
UNB story on Victoria
Thanks to:
Our alumni host, Katie Davey
Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden
Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife
To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.
Social and technology entrepreneur Tosin Ajibola (MEng’20) moved from Nigeria to Canada to earn a Master of Engineering degree in Technology Management and Entrepreneurship from UNB. Out of that hands-on program, he and other newcomer classmates co-developed Welkom-U, an innovative online platform that puts newcomers, immigrants, and international students in touch with the things they need to survive and thrive. As CEO of Welkom-U, Tosin is focused on solving problems through technology AND making a social impact.
He is a member of the Atlantic Growth Solutions team, and he serves on the board of Venn Innovation, on the board of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce and on the advisory board at Social Enterprise World Forum. He also leads the Atlantic Canada Chapter of BlackBoysCode, a non-profit organization that aims to improve the future of young black boys through Computer Science and Technology. And he’s been getting noticed: he was named a Top 30 under 30 Innovator in Atlantic Canada in 2021, a Top 25 Canadian Immigrant in 2022 & Top Youth Immigrant in Canada 2022.
In this episode:
Tosin’s personal experience starting a new life in Canada and how that helped inform his startup idea
The challenges that newcomers to Canada face, and how Tosin and Welkom-U are working to reduce or eliminate those.
Why retention of immigrants is important to Canada and the Maritime region and what we can do to increase that retention.
How leveraging technology and entrepreneurship can be used for a larger social purpose – and how that makes all the difference in Canada.
Links and resources:
Tosin’s LinkedIn
Welkom-U
Canada’s Top 25 Immigrants
Thanks to:
Our alumni host, Katie Davey
Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden
Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife
To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.
H. Wade MacLauchlan (LLB’81) is a well-known Canadian legal expert, academic, university administrator, politician and community leader. As premier of Prince Edward Island from 2015-19, he led an expansion and diversification of PEI's economy and the growth and rejuvenation of the province's population, while contributing to historic, regional initiatives in immigration, infrastructure and economic growth. Prior to politics, MacLauchlan was the longest-serving president of the University of Prince Edward Island from 1999-2011, and dean of law at the University of New Brunswick from 1991-1996.
In this episode:
How MacLauchlan got into academia and then politics
Insights into Atlantic Canadian policy on immigration and growth
The housing crisis and the solutions needed now
How higher education and university can do the most they can in a time of growth
The role of universities with respect to growth and immigration
Links and resources:
Wade MacLauchlan
Announcement of MacLauchlan as UNB Chancellor
Thanks to:
Our alumni host, Katie Davey
Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden
Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife
To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.
Mohamed Bagha (BAMHT'05, MIDST'13) is the managing director of the Saint John Newcomers Centre and chair of the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce. Originally from Kenya, he arrived in Saint John in the early 2000s to complete his post-secondary education at UNB and has been part of the newcomer support scene in the Port City for over a decade.
Mohamed is interested in helping grow and strengthen the community and is passionate about helping newcomers be part of that growth. He’s worked on initiatives to help newcomers settle more easily in their new home, and to help everyone see the value of community-building work to grow the services available to newcomers. Join us for a conversation about community-building and the role that both newcomers and long-time community members have in working together.
In this episode:
What experiential learning programs do to help students, especially newcomers, build a network and become engaged in their community.
Why building a network is so important for engagement and success.
The important work of the Saint John Newcomers Centre – to both newcomers and the community.
Why Mohamed believes Atlantic Canadian cities are the best places to live.
His optimism for growth for the future, and why newcomers are central to that growth.
How to employ DEI to help overcome challenges for employers recruiting a talented workforce.
How we can create opportunities to make the city the best place to do business.
Links and resources:
Saint John Newcomers Centre
Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce
Mohamed’s LinkedIn profile
Thanks to:
Our alumni host, Katie Davey
Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden
Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife
To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.
Barbara Wasson (BScCS’82) is the director for SLATE - The Science of Learning and Technology, the Norwegian national centre for learning analytics. She is one of the founders of Kaleidoscope, a European Network of Excellence on Technology Enhanced Learning and has been the principal researcher on numerous Norwegian and international projects. She is also member of the Norwegian Ministry of Education’s Expert group on Learning Analytics and the Council of Europe Expert Group on AI in Education.
Barbara is passionate about learning analytics, AI and education, learning games, e-assessment, teacher inquiry, and data literacy. Host Katie Davey chats with her about the future of data and technology in learning design.
In this episode:
Barbara’s experience growing up around computers at UNB and how she got into learning analytics and AI
Policy around learning analytics and AI in the classroom and how privacy and ethics policy is crucial.
How much data can we use to aid in learning without harming children’s privacy?
The astounding amount of important data all around us, and the dilemmas this causes for teaching and learning in schools.
The importance of data literacy and AI and how to prepare people for how AI will be a part of daily life soon.
How to learn with AI, and empowering students at an early age to use technology and AI.
Who decides what knowledge is? How does that affect creativity and innovation?
Barbara’s thoughts on future trends in technology in learning.
Links and resources:
University of Bergen
AI and Education paper by Barbara Wasson
Thanks to:
Our alumni host, Katie Davey
Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden
Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife
To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.
Sara Taaffe is a senior project manager with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership in London, England. After graduating with a leadership degree from UNB’s Renaissance College, Sara began applying her passion for social innovation in Atlantic Canada’s technology sector, but after four years began to feel disillusioned with the push for economic growth without putting value on sustainability, ethics, local business and consumer experience. She disconnected off-grid and began to understand the significant agency that individuals hold in creating positive changes through our day-to-day decisions. Indeed, the compounding effect of these decisions has tremendous influence on that of the wider economy. Now working in nature-related finance at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, she explores the intersection of economic progress and sustainability to better understand how to synergize the two.
In this episode:
Sara’s experience diverting from the corporate world to go off-grid for three years.
What are the roles of consumers vs corporations and governments and other stakeholders in driving the change that’s needed for a sustainable economy?
What nature-related finance means.
How nature and climate are showing up as macroeconomic risks with various financial institutions.
What consumers and citizens CAN do to help and why Sara is optimistic for our future.
Links and resources:
Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
UNB Renaissance College
London School of Economics
Thanks to:
Our alumni host, Katie Davey
Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden
Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife
To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.
Mike Corey (BSc’08) is a biology graduate turned travel host who never turns down an adventure. His curiosity has sent him searching out cultures, creatures, and locations that most people avoid – with the aim of facing – and even chasing – fear. This intense passion has led him to grow his YouTube Channel “Fearless & Far” to over 2M subscribers, receive 2 Emmy nominations for his Adventure Travel TV program "Uncharted Adventure", and an Ambie nomination for his podcast "Against the Odds".
Mike’s career began after receiving his Bachelor of Science from UNB, then backpacking the world for five years volunteering as a research assistant for scientists studying ocean conservation. Bringing a camera along for these trips allowed him to capture the material he needed to win several international travel video competitions and begin his YouTube Channel.
Now a top travel influencer, Mike enjoys teaching others how to face their fears to become happier.
In this episode:
The adventure that gave Mike the travel bug and what made him realize the world is gentler than we think.
How his obsession with animals and nature turned into a passion for people.
Lessons he’s learned from people he’s met in his exotic travels.
Why humans need a challenge and purpose to thrive.
What fearlessness and conquering fear actually means.
The quiet fears that sneak up on you.
He says “fear is the compass” is his life and directs him in his actions.
How everyone can start to face their fears.
The importance of stories – and how they’re told everywhere.
Where to listen:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Libsyn
Google Podcasts
Links and resources:
Fearless and Far
Mike’s YouTube channel
Mike’s Instagram
Thanks to:
Our alumni host, Katie Davey
Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden
Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife
To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.
The podcast currently has 40 episodes available.