Nancy Knowlton (DComm '03, MBA '78) President and CEO of SMART Technologies, will be recognized at the 7th Annual Turning Points in Leadership Dinner for her entrepreneurial prowess and her commitment to the community.

Born in Quebec, Knowlton attended Bishop's University where she graduated at the top of her class in business and led the women's basketball team to appearances at the two CIAU national championship.

Moving to Halifax, she pursued her MBA at Saint Mary’s but she also continued with basketball, earning scoring titles and was named Athlete of the Year.

She briefly taught accounting and computer science at the university before co-founding SMART Technologies in 1987 with the husband David Martin.

Since then she has been instrumental in growing SMART from a start-up with the idea for an interactive whiteboard to a public company with almost US$800 million of annual revenue. SMART’s products are used in primary and secondary classrooms around the world and by some of the world’s leading corporations.

She has received numerous awards, including Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.

Past Recipients...

2011 Recipient - Dr. Richard Homburg

2010 Recipient - Fred Smithers, O.C.

2009 Recipient - Mickey MacDonald

2008 Recipient - Bob Shaw

2007 Recipient - David Sobey and Paul Sobey