STANLEY BARNABY – AN ADVOCATE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES

Originally from Listuguj, QC, Stanley Barnaby is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) located in Fredericton, NB. His extensive educational background, work experience, and passion for advocating for Indigenous people and communities led him to this highly regarded position.

Barnaby became interested in this field when he was in high school, and he joined the Job Readiness program at LMDC and discovered his love for accounting. He said, “One of my job placements was at the MMS [Mi’gmawei Mawiomi Secretariat] in the accounting department and this is where my career in accounting started. I worked at the MMS for a couple of Summers during my studies and will forever be grateful for my experience there.” From here, he attended the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton, where he obtained his First Nations Business Administration.  He received a Bachelor’s in Business, Technological and Aboriginal Economic Development certifications, Management Development Program certificate, and a Master’s Certificate in Project Management.

According to JEDI’s website, “The Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) is an Indigenous organization dedicated to supporting Indigenous participation in New Brunswick’s economy.” Barnaby first joined the team as a finance intern and eventually moved up to various other positions such as Finance and Operations Manager and Senior Project Manager, up until 2021, when he was the Acting CEO, eventually becoming appointed to the CEO. JEDI focuses its work on the support of Indigenous entrepreneurs and small businesses, community economic development, workforce development, and partnerships with the public and private sector. “The thing I like most about working for JEDI is that I get the opportunity to work with all the Indigenous Communities and people in New Brunswick to create and provide opportunities that better our communities and people,” said Barnaby. You can find more information about the programs JEDI offers at their website, jedinb.ca.

Barnaby also has devoted a lot of his time doing volunteer work in several programs and organizations.  One of the volunteer roles to highlight is that as of 2021 he was elected President of CANDO (Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers) which is a national non-profit organization that strengthens Indigenous economies by offering various programs and services.

Although Barnaby now resides in Fredericton, New Brunswick, he misses his friends and family here in Listuguj, his dad’s camp, the woods, and the river. He says his future plans are to continue to create, provide and advocate for the Indigenous people and communities in New Brunswick, while raising a family with his fiancé, Megan in her home community of Sitansisk.

By Ann Marie Jacques