Charlie MacLean – Chair

Charlie MacLean grew up in North Sydney, and spent many hours working in the family garden. Upon completing high school, he attended Acadia University and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration. During the time at Acadia, he also worked in the Food Service Department to help make ends meet. Upon graduation he was employed with Saga Corporation as a Food Service Manager at Acadia, and later as Food Service Director at St. F. X. University, Saint John General Hospital, Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton, and back to Halifax at University of ...

Lindsay Lamb – Treasurer

Lindsay A. Lamb CPA, CA Experienced Financial Accountant & Advisor With expertise in not-for-profits, agriculture-based businesses, real estate & automotive dealerships  CPA designation – 2006 | Bachelor of Public Relations – current (part-time study) Fifteen years managing a portfolio of small business, non-profit & farm clients.  Accustomed to multi-tasking and wearing many hats; can work remotely at a home location or at clients’ locations. Approximately 50% of client interactions consists of fractional CFO/Controllership and senior accountant advisory roles. I’m passionate about helping clients get organized and I thrive in complicated bookkeeping scenarios. I have developed ...

Linda Best, Executive Director

Founding Member, Co-chair and Treasurer of FarmWorks,  Chair Friends of Agriculture in NS, Medical Microbiologist  Linda Best grew up on a farm in the Annapolis Valley. Since graduating from Acadia University in 1966 she has been involved with the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Halifax as a Medical Microbiologist (1966 – 1995), Medical Researcher and author of peer-reviewed Gastroenterology papers and presenter at Research Conferences (1995 – 2012) and as a Director of the Capital District Health Authority (2001 – 2005). For twelve years she operated Alderbrook apple orchard ...

Robert MacEachern – Independent Director

Joe grew up in the Antigonish area and has moved back to New Glasgow with his wife and children after working for a year in Yellowknife. Previously he worked in Halifax as the Indigenous and Diversity Program Manager, Global Health Office, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University. Previously he was the Non-Insured Health Benefits Navigator / Policy Support for the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs, and Culture Program / Department Coordinator for the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health. Joe has served on the Executive or as a member of many Boards and was the ...

Stephen Read – Director

I was raised in Sydney Nova Scotia, spending my early years both in the city and in the rural forest. Summer jobs were working in a wholesale building supply yard. I then spent five years in a forestry degree program at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. During the next five years I worked in sales for wholesale building supplies and became manager of branch operations. In 1983 I started my own forestry consulting company and quickly added silviculture and harvesting crews and a sawmill. The crews also tackled ...

Jean Kelly – Director

I was born a farmer’s daughter and have tried to live my life being aware and honourable in my efforts and values to preserve and support nature’s gifts to mankind.  My father basically lived by the word of the trees. His first job was at that age of 17 where he spent the winter in a lumber camp. He purchased his sugar woods in his early twenties, then his farm and he lived his life by the earth and her gifts for his whole life. Even in the fall each year he managed a huge ...

Robin McAdam – Vice-chair

Robin McAdam has worked in business development for most of the past 20 years with a focus on renewable energy.  He is currently Vice President Major Developments with Emera Inc., while previously Executive Vice-President Sustainability for Nova Scotia Power and President of Emera Brunswick Pipeline.  He was a consultant with KPMG Management Consulting specializing in market and financial analysis and a Lecturer at the Wilfrid Laurier University School of Business.  As a volunteer, he has chaired the Greater Halifax Partnership and the Municipal Affairs Committee of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.  He is currently ...

Natalie Ibbott Smith – Director

While president of the board of directors of Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia, Natalie promoted the province’s farmers markets’ expanding opportunities for economic development, rural livelihoods, community growth, and a thriving sense of place. Natalie led the Yarmouth Façade Program “What the façade program was intended to do is, number one, to make the town in general – which is a micro-economy – safe and inviting. If people are there, then the lights are on when the business is open. It’s safe, it’s walkable, Number two is to make it inclusive, so that people feel ...

Hélène Branch – Director

I'm an Acadian originally from Fredericton, New Brunswick.  I met my husband in Ottawa where I lived for 12 years and we moved to his hometown of Shelburne NS in 2005.  I fell in love with living in a small town and the sense of community that I found here.  We are currently living in Wentzell Lake and go back every summer to Shelburne.  Over the years, I’ve worked for the federal government as both a public servant for the Canadian Transportation Agency and as a consultant for Shared Services Canada in the past and currently ...

Independent Director