ABOUT
Aging Pro Actively is an initiative of the not-for-profit Aging2 Halifax - Assisting Seniors to Age Well. We are committed to helping older adults to age/live/thrive in their own homes surrounded by friends family and community. With the 100-year life on the horizon, middle age has been extended by roughly 20 years. With this increased longevity older adults have the potential to be a value add to economic growth, not a challenge.
Meet the Team
DR. ED LEACH
Dr. Leach has mentored lead entrepreneurs during the start-up phase of their technology businesses, including two IPOs. His research interests lie in the field of entrepreneurship and specifically the role of creativity in triggering innovation.
He served as the director of the Norman Newman Centre for Entrepreneurship at Dalhousie University from 2009 until 2017, is a past president of the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (CCSBE) and director of Education for the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development.
JOHN HAMBLIN
John worked for many years in the Technology and IT sector performing a wide variety of technical and managerial functions. His primary interests include mentoring, advising and investing in startups in the technology and medical devices sectors; promoting “Senior Entrepreneurship”; and finding ways to use new technology to help seniors and those with disabilities to live more independently and have better lives. John founded the Halifax chapter of Aging2.0 in 2017.
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John serves as a member of the Age Well National Industry Advisory Committee and am currently he is developing a course for home care workers for Age-Care Technology in the UK which will be offered as part of an internationally certified care worker program.
GLEN HOUGAN
Glen Hougan is a designer whose background is in the area of user experience, product development, and design thinking. He is principal of Wellspan Research and Design. a design consultancy focuses on healthcare issues and Bluezone Design, a design studio focusing on designing for an aging population.
He is also an Associate Professor in design at NSCAD (Nova Scotia College of Art and Design) University. His current research is focused on the issues of designing for dignity and ageism in design.
DR. NIKKI HUYER
Dr. Huyer is an international executive committed to delivering business results through change and transition programs.
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II help organizations find solutions, change and transform. I LOVE research and data, strategy, change and transformation , CX and UX (Customer Experience and User Experience) and marketing.
DR. CHRIS HILLIER
Dr. Chris Hillier is a passionate entrepreneur with deep experience in the medical community. One of his interests is the use of digital humans to support healthcare.
From nursing to academia, I focused on clinical research. As a Professor I led a large successful research group launching two companies: Biopta, a CRO, and Sistemic, a biotech. I moved to the University of the West Indies to grow revenues from IP across campuses in Barbados, Trinidad, and Jamaica. I was then hired by GuideWell (formerly Florida Blue), a $16B healthcare company, as Sr. Dir of Business Innovation. Next I was hired as Exec. Dir. of Innovation in a major U.S. hospital system in North Carolina. In 2021, I was hired as Head of Innovation for a UK Finance Company to create new business in areas like wellness, healthcare, and smart communities.
DR. MARY KILFOIL
Dr. Kilfoil served as the Director of the Norman Newman Centre for Entrepreneurship at Dalhousie University and academic lead for the Centre’s Launch Dal entrepreneurship programming. She received the National Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year award by Startup Canada in 2014.
Dr. Kilfoil also has more than 20 years’ experience in the private sector and held the position of senior economist specializing in economic analysis. She has extensive experience as a researcher in the field of innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic analysis and policy, with over 80 major reports and publications. She currently serves as executive director of the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (CCSBE), and is currently the council’s executive director.