VOLTA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Events and Operations
Amy is Volta's Senior Manager, Events and Operations. She manages the planning and logistics of both internal and external events, and plays a role in the day to day operations at Volta. From an early age, she developed a passion for event planning. She has an appreciation for the positive impact that each event can have for its guests, and she takes pride in being part of a space and team that provides every person that enters it a welcome feeling and unique experience. Amy is a graduate of the Tourism Management program at NSCC Lunenburg Campus, and has organized events and meetings in a managerial role since 2010 at hotels, restaurants and event venues.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chief Strategy Officer With Communitech
- Chief Strategy Officer, Communitech
Avvey Peters is Chief Strategy Officer with Communitech. She focuses on strategic planning, communications, advocacy, and partnership development to advance the Waterloo Region tech sector. Avvey is also cross appointed as Managing Director of the Canadian Digital Media Network - a group of 26 innovation hubs across Canada, which focus on supporting the growth and success of small and mid-sized digital companies across the country.
Chris is Volta's Office Coordinator and joined the team in 2021. He is responsible for general office and facilities management and is the key support person for those visiting Volta. Chris also coordinates external contract work and manages the front desk. Having worked in a number of fields - including wildlife conservation and research, and operations - Chris looks forward to ensuring Volta is a positive, accessible and welcoming place to do business. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science degree (Major in Environmental Science) from Acadia University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Founding Partner, CDL - Atlantic Former CEO President, Emera Inc
Chris Huskilson is recognized for his leadership, technical acumen, and extensive experience in many aspects of the energy sector. He has held the positions of Superintendent of Hydro Production at the Mersey Hydro System, Senior Operations Planner at the Energy Control Centre, Plant Manager of both Lingan and Glace Bay Generating Stations, Vice President of Transmission & Distribution, and Executive Vice President of Operations. He was made COO of Emera and Nova Scotia Power in 2003 and President and CEO of Emera in 2004. Chris serves on many for-profit and not-for-profit boards. He holds a BSc and MSc in Engineering and Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa from the University of New Brunswick.
Job Titles:
- Senior Programming Startup Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Managing Director and Co - Founder, Two Small Fish Ventures
Eva is a well-respected entrepreneur-turned-investor in Canada. Before starting Two Small Fish Ventures, she was Wattpad's Head of Community and Content. She helped nurture and scale the Wattpad community from its infancy to become one of the largest online communities with tens of millions of monthly users around the world. Eva is also involved in many incubators and accelerators, such as Creative Destruction Lab at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto's Entrepreneurship Hatchery, Ryerson's DMZ, University of Waterloo's Velocity and Techstars.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Programming Startup Services
Gillian is Volta's Senior Programming + Startup Services Manager. She is responsible for welcoming new startups to the community, and creating programming for Volta Residents. Gillian also leads Volta Gear, a partnership between the Emera ideaHUB at Dalhousie University and Volta. Through this partnership, hardware companies at both hubs gain access to programs and resources focused on developing hardware, including a physical space to build products. In 2019, Gillian completed a two-year fellowship with Venture for Canada, a not-for-profit that recruits, trains and supports top recent graduates to work at Canadian startups. While attending St. Francis Xavier University, Gillian received a Bachelor of Business Administration with an Advanced Major in Marketing and completed three Co-operative Education work terms.
Job Titles:
- Senior Accounting Coordinator
Harvinder is Volta's Senior Accounting Coordinator. He is responsible for managing Volta's full-cycle accounting which comprises accounts receivable, accounts payable and other day to day financial activities. He has 21 years of experience with a strong understanding of accounting procedures. He worked with private companies, not for profit organizations and provided financial accounting services through his accounting firm before moving to Halifax. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, Major in Accounting from Guru Nanak Dev University, India.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chairman ) Co - Founder, GoInstant, Manifold
- Co - Founder and CEO of Manifold
Jevon MacDonald is Co-Founder and CEO of Manifold. He is also an experienced entrepreneur and angel investor who has founded six companies. In 2013, Jevon co-founded Volta Labs; in 2011, he co-founded co-browsing startup GoInstant, which sold to Salesforce.com in 2012; and in 2007, he co-founded Startupnorth.ca. Jevon is a Fellow of Creative Destruction Lab Atlantic, a Board Member of npm, Inc. and a former entrepreneur-in-residence at Innovacorp.
Laurie is Volta's Vice President, Finance + Administration. She has more than 25 years experience working with public and private mining and technology companies, providing financial, corporate, investor relations and administrative services. Laurie served as Treasurer and a Director of the Mining Association of Nova Scotia from 2009-2015 and was a Director of the Mining Society of Nova Scotia from 2010-2012.
Job Titles:
- Interim Chief Executive Officer
Matt is Volta's Interim Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for leading initiatives to directly support Founders and the growth of their companies. Matt has been developing and marketing products for over 20 years, and most recently served as the Director of Product at QRA. He was the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Swept, an innovative software for commercial cleaning companies. He holds certifications from Pragmatic Product Management, Google Adwords, Google Analytics and Hubspot Inbound Marketing. An alumni of both Propel and 500 Startups, Matt will be leveraging his unique experience in Product, Marketing and Growth Operations to help Startup teams uncover insights and drive growth by building solutions for their customer's most important problems.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- General Partner With Build Ventures
- Partner, Build Ventures
Patrick Keefe is General Partner with Build Ventures. He has more than 15 years of investment and entrepreneurial experience, previously working with Innovacorp as Vice President of Investment. In this role, Patrick oversaw the organization's seed and early-stage venture capital activities and worked with portfolio companies to assist them in accelerating their growth, achieving milestones and securing additional financing. In 2004, Patrick founded CVAI to launch Starbucks Coffee in Atlantic Canada, which was acquired by Starbucks Corporation in 2008. Patrick has also held senior positions with Boston-based venture capital firm Atlas Venture and the Boston Consulting Group, which provides strategic advisory services for leading companies around the world. Patrick holds an M.Phil from Oxford University and an MBA (Distinction) from Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
A native of New Brunswick, Rhiannon has over 22 years of experience as a leader in international business spanning Europe, Asia, South and North America. Rhiannon believes in the need to support entrepreneurship and innovation to deliver meaningful change in business, community and social development. She actively supports this belief by serving as a mentor and angel investor. Rhiannon recently returned to Canada to live in Halifax and is working with a group of women to build a venture fund in the region to promote diversity in the early-stage ecosystem.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Co - Founder, Crate
- Digital Marketing Strategist
Ross Simmonds is an Entrepreneur, Digital Marketing Strategist and Speaker. He's the Co-Founder of Crate, a content curation tool for marketers and Hustle & Grind, an online community and store for entrepreneurs. Ross has worked with both startups and Fortune 500 brands and has been published in Venturebeat, Forbes, Elite Daily and many more, to share his perspective on entrepreneurship, marketing and tech. In addition to Volta, Ross is on the Board of Directors of the Black Business Initiative. Ross graduated from Saint Mary's University Sobey School of Business with a BComm and a major in Marketing.
Job Titles:
- Senior Strategic Projects Coordinator
Sahil is Volta's Senior Strategic Projects Coordinator. He works with the Partnerships and Innovation team to plan and launch programs for the community such as Volta Academy. Through this role, Sahil also works with Volta's Corporate Members and Partners to ensure that they are engaged in the community. Sahil graduated from Saint Mary's University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, majoring in Accounting and Finance. Sahil is currently part of Venture for Canada, a not-for-profit that recruits, trains and supports top recent graduates to work at Canadian startups.
Job Titles:
- Director of Culture Strategic Initiatives ( on Leave )
As Volta's Director of Culture + Strategic Initiatives, Sarah works alongside the executive team to put people first, elevating the Volta experience for staff, residents and network members. With a unique 20 year background in tech, beauty and finance, her diversified skill set allows her to cultivate meaningful relationships with people across many industries, understanding people and companies' growing needs while always staying current with the ever changing social culture. Before relocating to Nova Scotia, Sarah worked in two major cities: Toronto and Melbourne. Sarah supported the senior leadership team at OMERS Ventures in Toronto as an Executive Assistant and in Melbourne, Australia, she worked with both ME bank and the Australian Leading and Investment Centre. Prior to joining Volta here, she ran the Halifax office for Manifold, supported CEO Jevon MacDonald and arranged all local and international events for their remote and local staff to promote stronger workplace relations.
Job Titles:
- Director of Strategic Partnerships
Sean is Volta's Director of Strategic Partnerships and joined the team in 2022. He works with corporate, government, and academic partners to build solutions that help the ecosystem thrive. This includes the development and execution of corporate memberships and innovation, sponsorships, and other partner initiatives that achieve our mutual goals and support the growth of Atlantic Canada's technology startup community. Prior to joining Volta, Sean was with Nova Scotia Business Inc., where he supported the mentorship of Founders through the Scotians Global Advisors program and led NSBI's international partner program. He also spent 10 years in marketing and communications roles at various academic institutions in Alberta and Ontario. An avid outdoor enthusiast, Sean is on the board of directors for the Nova Scotia Nature Trust. Outside of Volta, you'll find him hiking, taking nature photography, and talking about why Atlantic Canada is amazing to anyone who will listen.