Clint Davis

Chair

Clint grew up in Happy Valley- Goose Bay. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Acadia University, a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.

Clint is the CEO of North35 Capital Partners, an Inuit-owned company that works with Indigenous governments and economic development corporations across Canada to achieve growth by maximizing their inherent competitive advantage.

Clint has a diverse professional background in Indigenous business development, including past President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Aboriginal Business, National Director of Banking for BMO, and most recently, VP, Indigenous Banking at TD.

Isabella Pain

Isabella was born and raised in Nain, Nunatsiavut. She graduated from Memorial University with a Bachelor of Arts degree (Political Science), and a minor in Business.

In 2000, she was appointed as the co-chief negotiator of the Nunatsiavut land claims negotiation team. A year later, she became the chief negotiator of the Impact and Benefits Agreement (IBA) with Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company (VBNC). Isabella became Aboriginal Affairs Superintendent for VBNC in 2004, and was part of the team responsible for ensuring that the Inuit and Innu IBAs were properly implemented.

Isabella went to work for the Nunatsiavut Government in 2009. Her current roles are Deputy Minister of the Nunatsiavut Secretariat, Secretary of Executive Council, and senior negotiator.

Natan Obed

Natan has a Bachelor of Arts in both English and American Studies from Tufts University.

Natan grew up in Nain. He is currently President and CEO of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the organization which represents Canada’s 60,000 Inuit. In his previous role, he was Director of Social and Cultural Development for Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated in Iqualuit, where his work focused on issues such as health, education, language, justice, research, and suicide prevention.

Kristy Sheppard

Kristy resides in Rigolet. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Acadia University, and a Master of Arts in Tourism Management from Royal Roads University.

Kristy is a senior manager with the Nunatsiavut Government. Her career spans ten years and has been focused on community development. As Nunatsiavut’s first Director of Tourism, she helped establish the region as a tourism destination. Kristy has recently transitioned into the role of Director of Economic Development. At the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference in June 2017, she was recognized as one of 250 up-and-coming leaders in Canada.

Kristy is an active member with industry organizations, including SmartICE and the Atlantic Aboriginal Economic Development Integrated Research Program.

Garry Best