Marjorie Scardino was voted the world’s most powerful woman in business for two consecutive years by Fortune Magazine.

After working as a journalist and lawyer she and her husband, Albert Scardino ran the Pulitzer-Prize winning Georgia Gazette newspaper. She was the publisher from 1978-1985. In 1985, she became the managing director of the North American division of The Economist. Circulation and profits increased under her direction. In 1992, she was named CEO of The Economist Group. Five years later, she became CEO of Pearson, a $3.5 billion international media conglomerate and major shareholder of The Economist. Scardino is the first woman to head a top 100 firm on the London Stock Exchange. She lives in London with her husband and three children.

Dr. Sara Basson is recognized as one of the most influential people in the field of speech science. As IBM’s Global Services, program manager, accessibility services, Basson advances programs that are improving the way that speech technology is used by individuals with disabilities. She has contributed to the development and marketing of ground breaking speech recognition technology in a technical, operational, and managerial capacity. She holds a B.A. in Classical Studies from New York University (NYU), an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the City University of New York (CUNY), an M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business, NYU and a Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from The Graduate Centre of CUNY. Basson has had an integral role in the development of IBM’s speech recognition technology used in Saint Mary’s University’s Liberated Learning Project.

Burris Devanney is a visionary, an accomplished educator, community leader and Saint Mary’s alumnus. He established the Nova Scotia Gambia Association (NSGA), a non-profit development assistance organization which for the past 16 years has been connecting Canadians and Gambians to improve the health and education of youth in the west African country. From 1995 – 2000, Devanney was coordinator and administrator of the Saint Mary’s project that assisted with the establishment of the University of the Gambia. He has developed exchange programs for university and high school students. He established the Peer Health Education Program on HIV/AIDS. There are now over 2,500 peer educators working in 120 Gambian schools. There have been 25 successful development projects in The Gambia through the NSGA. The Health Education Program has been extended to Sierra Leone. Devanney was principal of J.L. Ilsley High School from 1988 to 1993. He holds an arts degree from Saint Mary’s University, a BEd from Dalhousie and a master’s degree in English from the University of Ottawa. Last year, he received the Lewis Perin-bam Award for his grassroots work in improving life in a developing country.

Graham Dennis represents the third generation of his family to run Halifax’s Chronicle Herald newspaper. Born and raised in Halifax, he began working at The Herald selling newspapers as a boy in 1934 and began working for the newspaper full time in 1949 after graduating from McGill University.
The Chronicle Herald continues to be the longest serving, independently owned, controlled and operated newspaper in Canada. Dennis has been honoured for his leadership. He is a member of the Order of Canada and holds honorary degrees from Acadia University and King’s University. He has received the IWK Award of Distinction and is an officer of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John Jerusalem. He was awarded the Queen’s Coronation Medal and the Jubilee Medal and was the Red Cross Humanitarian of the year for Nova Scotia in 2003. Two of Dennis’ children achieved Masters of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University.

Dr. Frank J. Hayden was a member of Maclean’s magazine’s 1994 Honour Roll of 12 Outstanding Canadians for his lasting contributions to the lives of people with disabilities through sport. In the early sixties, Dr. Hayden shattered assumptions about the ability of children with mental disabilities participate in sports.
Dr. Hayden, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Kennedy Foundation in Washington, D.C. created the Special Olympics in 1968. The Special Olympics is now a worldwide movement involved 140 countries and a million mentally disabled participants. Dr. Hayden was the Director of the Kennedy Foundation for seven years.
He has served on the faculties of the University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario and is a Professor Emeritus at McMaster University. He has received the Royal Bank Award which honors Canadians for significant contributions to human welfare and the common good. Dr. Hayden is an Officer of the Order of Canada. He is an honorary and permanent member of the Canadian Olympic Association and has received honorary degrees from McMaster University and the University of Calgary. Dr. Hayden holds a PhD from The University of Illinois.