#43: KJ Conyers-Steede on community-centric innovation and creating sustainable policies for rural Atlantic Canada

Kjeld Mizpah “KJ” Conyers-Steede (BA’18) is director of strategy and partnerships for Inspiring Communities, a nonprofit working to build collaborative relationships for social change in Atlantic Canada. 

A UNB political science alum, KJ is a seasoned systems thinker with a strong focus on areas such as community-centric strategic planning, human-centered design, organizational culture, and governance reviews. From executive director of the New Brunswick Student Alliance to operations manager at the Spring Garden Area Business Association, to director of change management for Hockey Nova Scotia, to his recent work on projects that drive community-centric innovation, KJ has never backed away from big challenges. In fact, he excels at crafting solutions for what he refers to as the “big hairy policy challenges” and collaborating on community projects that tackle the most complex and pressing issues in society.  

Host Katie Davey (BA’17) chats KJ about a wide range of challenges and solutions for Atlantic Canadian communities. 

In this episode:   

• The journey for KJ from Bermuda to New Brunswick 

• Regional and community collaboration 

• The opportunity for rural economic development in Atlantic Canada 

• Why KJ is running for Mayor of his regional community in Nova Scotia 

• How communities need to prepare for climate change, especially in rural areas of Atlantic Canada 

• How community-centric innovation and creating ecosystems can lead to problem-solving 

• How policy development needs to be built outside of election cycles, and how it can be done by empowering people and community champions. 

• How academic research is allowing KJ to test social incubation projects.  

Thanks to:   

• Our alumni host, Katie Davey 

• Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden  

• Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife 

  To listen to past episodes of UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.