NSFA Staff Take on New Portfolios

Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture has announced new roles and responsibilities for three staff members; Carolyn Van Den Heuvel, Maxine MacLean, and Katherine Doyle.

Recently, NSFA went through a strategic planning process, developing a new strategic plan that will guide the organization until 2023. During this time, it became evident that in order to successfully support and engage our members, the organization had to shift.

Through the strategic planning process key issues for the organization were identified. It became apparent that NSFA was attempting to juggle multiple priorities and with the current structure, was out of balance, with many employees handling countless portfolios and projects. As an organization, the Federation has been delivering programs and services for a number of years. For example, the Environmental Farm Plan has been operating within NSFA for 20 years, and the Federation has been closely linked to Farm Safety since its’ inception. There is now a push for new initiatives such as industry led public trust and labour services. In order to balance these programs with NSFA’s core functions, adjustments were made to the internal structure.  This will afford the time for staff to focus on lobbying, advocating for policy change and managing issues.  We are excited about the opportunity to best serve our members with these essential programs and ramp up our efforts to influence and affect positive change for Nova Scotia’s agriculture industry.

With the goal of better serving membership, staff within the Federation have joined forces to focus on two core concepts – Operations and Outreach. The Operations Team, led by Associate Director; Wanda Hamilton will focus on the lobby, policy, and advocacy piece of the Federation – as well as government relations and issues management. The Outreach Team, led by Director of Outreach and Member Relations; Carolyn Van Den Heuvel – is made up of programs and communications and will be focusing on program delivery, member relations, as well as marketing, and member communication.

Below are highlights of the new roles for NSFA staff:

Carolyn Van Den Heuvel – Director of Outreach and Member Relations

 

Carolyn will be leading NSFA’s Outreach team and programs including, Farm Safety, Environmental Farm Plan, Labour and Public Trust.

In addition, she will also be managing NSFA communications, member relations, corporate members and the member benefits package.

We are confident in her leadership abilities and are excited to see where she takes our Outreach team.

 

 

 

 

Maxine MacLean – Policy and Research Coordinator

 

Maxine will be managing and monitoring industry trends, legislation, government policy, and research. As well as coordinating briefing notes, reports, papers, and adopted resolutions.

Maxine will also be lending a hand in government relations and issues management strategies, and supporting communications from an operational/policy perspective.

With Maxine’s passion for policy we can’t wait to see where she takes NSFA policy, lobby and advocacy efforts.

 

 

 

 

Katherine Doyle – Communications Coordinator

 

Katherine will be leading NSFA communication efforts including: marketing, promotions, branding and media relations.

In addition, she will be managing all websites, social media channels, organization messaging, media requests, event participation, our publications, and will to continue to provide support for Nova Scotia Young Farmers.

Katherine’s passion for the industry and her public relations background is sure to be a great asset for the NSFA!