2025 ANNUAL FALL DINNER: Higher Learning, Stronger Economy: Shaping Tomorrow Together

Higher Learning, Stronger Economy: Shaping Tomorrow Together

Expectations have changed for post-secondary institutions over the last few decades. They are more than the classroom, more than institutions of learning - they are building our next generation of business owners and community leaders. Universities go beyond preparing their grads for the workforce by driving important economic and social change for our region's growth and prosperity.

Join us at the Halifax Chamber's annual Fall Dinner to hear from a few of our world-class universities on their big ideas for big impact: international students staying in the province and pursuing entrepreneurship, researching and creating strong communities, and developing healthcare solutions at home.

Hear from the presidents of Mount Saint Vincent University, Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, and St. F.X. University, paired with successful alumni stories of economic impact and growth.

Presenting Partner

SPEAKERS

Dr. Hakin, a Professor in Chemistry, came to StFX in July 2020 from Alberta where he served as the Provost and Academic Vice President at the University of Lethbridge. Dr. Hakin guided StFX through the pandemic with the help of dedicated faculty, staff and students. He demonstrated outstanding commitment and resilience, leadership, and care, to ensure the university continued to deliver the best educational experience possible.

In 2023, he introduced StFX's five-year strategic plan "Building Our University The Way It Is Meant To Be" wrapping the path forward around the core values of being academically driven, EDIA and community-focused, responsive, and sustainable. He introduced initiatives such as the President's Action Committee on Anti-Racism, tasked with moving beyond identifying problems to crafting a solution-focused action plan to advance equity and anti-racism across campus. He continues to lead new initiatives such as the creation of the Victor and Mona Dahdelah Institute for Innovation in Health, designed to address the shifting health needs of rural Nova Scotians through collaborative and community-responsive teaching, learning, and research. Dr. Hakin has also been instrumental in developing strong working relationships with the leadership and people of the Town and County of Antigonish, appreciating that StFX plays such an integral role to the success of the community, and vice-versa.

Dr. Hakin was reappointed for a second term as President and Vice Chancellor by the University's Board of Governors. His second term began on July 1, 2025.

He currently serves as the Chair of Council of Nova Scotia University Presidents (CONSUP), Vice Chair of the Atlantic Association of Universities (AAU), board member of Research Nova Scotia, and is a director on the Board of Universities Canada.

Dr. Hakin was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal and the King Charles III Coronation Medal for services to education.

Dr. Michael Khan brings a distinguished record of academic leadership and research excellence to his role as President and Vice-Chancellor of Saint Mary's University.

A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Khan holds a PhD in Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia, an MA in Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario, and a BSc in Geophysics from McGill University.

His research explores the cognitive processes underlying movement control, with a focus on the visual control of manual movements. He has published extensively on topics such as skill acquisition, selective attention, dual-task interference and rapid decision making.

Prior to joining Saint Mary's, Dr. Khan served as Provost and Vice-President Academic at Trent University, where he led academic planning and development. He was previously Dean of Human Kinetics at the University of Windsor and Head of the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences at Bangor University in Wales, UK.

Dr. Khan is recognized for his collaborative leadership style and commitment to student success, research, and community engagement. With a commitment to innovation and excellence, he consistently champions strategic growth while enhancing research productivity, forging industry and public sector partnerships, and expanding academic programming. Dr.
Khan is a strong advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion, reflecting his belief in investing in and empowering people.

A former intercollegiate squash champion, international athlete, and coach with over 25 years of experience, Dr. Khan also has a strong interest in talent identification and expertise development. His diverse background and global perspective position him to lead Saint Mary's into its next chapter of academic and community excellence.

Dr. Kim Brooks began her five-year term as Dalhousie's 13th President and Vice-Chancellor in August 2023, after serving as Acting Provost and Vice-President Academic. She previously served as Dean of the Schulich School of Law from 2010-15 and as Dean of the Faculty of Management from 2020-22. 

A 3M Teaching Fellow, Dr. Brooks has held the H. Heward Stikeman Chair in the Law of Taxation at McGill University and the Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law at Dalhousie in addition to academic appointments at Queen's University and the University of British Columbia. Prior to entering the academy, she worked as a tax lawyer with Stikeman Elliott in their Toronto and London (UK) offices. Among her numerous board and professional roles, she has been Chair of the Halifax Public Libraries Board, President of the Canadian Centre for Legal Innovation in Sexual Assault Response, President of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, and Chair of the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund. She is currently Chair of the Canadian Research Knowledge Network Board.

Dr. Brooks holds a PhD from the University of Western Australia, a LL.M. from York University, a LL.B. from UBC and a BA from the University of Toronto.

Ruth Lavergne is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Dalhousie University and holds a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Primary Care. Dr. Lavergne's program of research aims to address disparities in access and build evidence to ensure primary care organization, delivery, and workforce meet the needs of Canadians now and in the future.
 
She works with health system data to understand how population needs and system capacity are changing over time, and to examine the impact of policy changes. She leads interdisciplinary mixed methods primary care studies in collaboration with experts in qualitative methods, patients, clinicians, and policymakers.
 
Current projects look at primary care workforce planning, administrative workload, new models of episodic virtual care, and equity impacts of policy changes.

Dr. Joël Dickinson was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) on July 1, 2022.
 
Before joining MSVU, Dr. Dickinson was Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Laurentian University and also held the positions of Acting Associate Vice-President of Teaching and Learning (2020-2021), and Chair of the university's Department of Psychology.
 
Throughout her career, she has been focused on the impacts of decisions on students, as well as meaningful collaboration with faculty and staff colleagues. Across the many professional and volunteer roles she has held, she models inclusive leadership and a steadfast commitment to removing barriers to full participation in the university community by all. Dr. Dickinson has fostered meaningful truth and reconciliation efforts at MSVU, and furthered the university's commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
 
Dr. Dickinson has taught at the University of New Brunswick and Mount Allison University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and PhD in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick.
 
She is a full professor of Psychology with a research focus in cognitive processing during schema violations. Before making the transition to administration, she enjoyed a successful teaching and research career, winning the Laurentian University Teaching Excellence award in 2016. She was also the Principal Investigator of the Cognitive Health Research Laboratory, a CFI funded lab.
 
Dr. Dickinson is an active community volunteer and has worked with many non-profit organizations and advisory boards. She is currently a member of the boards of Research Nova Scotia and 211 Nova Scotia, a member of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, chair of Universities Canada's Governance Committee, and co-chair of the Canada Research Chair's Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
 
Dr. Dickinson is active on Instagram, her handle is @PresD_MSVU

Dr. Heather Dicks is a Postdoctoral fellow with the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging at Mount Saint Vincent University. She holds a PhD in Sociology from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador and has experience in qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods research approaches. Her research interests include aging, migration, social inequality and global development.
 
In her current research with ARC LTC, she is exploring the demographics and work life experiences of healthcare workers in the long-term care sector in Atlantic Canada, including the distinct experience of immigrant and racialized workers. She is also leading an innovative pilot project to communicate research results through a series of animated videos, produced through a user-centered iterative approach.
 
Prior to starting her PhD, Dr. Dicks spent over a decade working in the field of global development; this included work with the Canadian government, the United Nations, and several non-governmental organizations. She holds a Masters degree in Globalization and
International Development from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations from Carleton University

As Halifax continues to evolve into a hub of innovation, entrepreneurship, and global talent, few stories capture that transformation better than Ossama Nasrallah’s.  

 

Arriving in Nova Scotia as an international student just over a decade ago, finishing his undergraduate degree as President of Saint Mary’s Student Association, Ossama has since built a dynamic career spanning finance, tourism, hospitality, and real estate. Named Saint Mary’s Young Alumni of the Year in 2022, Ossama stands as a clear example of how newcomers shape and accelerate the future of Halifax. From his beginnings in business banking at Scotiabank to leading tourism and hospitality ventures including boat tours on the Halifax waterfront, a glamping resort near Peggy’s Cove, and restaurants in Cape Breton, his work embodies both community spirit and global ambition. 

 

Ossama’s journey is proof of what’s possible when education, community, and opportunity intersect. He reminds us that international students are builders, changemaker and leaders. As Halifax welcomes new waves of talent and investment, Ossama’s voice underscores both the potential and payoff of investing in people.  

Alumni Partners


     

Sponsorship Opportunities Available
Josh Creighton, Corporate partnership Specialist
(902) 481-1229 josh@halifaxchamber.com