EXPERIENCE SPEAKERS

David was born and raised in Fredericton New Brunswick and attended High School at Ecole Sainte Anne in 2013. After graduating he moved to New York for University where he graduated from Siena College in 2017 with a bachelor’s in finance and a minor in Information Systems! In 2019 he returned to his hometown to complete a master's in engineering in Technology Management and Entrepreneurship from the University of New Brunswick. Itoafa joins the McKenna Institute after 3 years of work with LifeTrack Safety Systems where he worked as the Chief Financial and Operations Officer.

David is passionate about soccer and speaks French, Romanian, and English, and loves learning about how emerging technology can positively impact the world.

Dan Smeby is an advocate for ‘mental health’ through the arts. He facilitates mindfulness and arts

programming for the dis/ability community as a support worker for Key Industries in Saint John, NB. He has

completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University in Art Education and Psychology. And most

recently has completed Transformative Mental Health Core Curriculum Training with the Institute for

Development of the Arts (IDHA) in New York City.

Dan’s film #Kreyzee, co-directed/produced with Robyn Badger, was distributed by the Canadian Mental Health

Association (Halifax-Dartmouth Branch) during Mental Health Awareness Week in 2022. The film was

presented as a workshop during the 24th Annual Collaborative Mental Health Conference in Vancouver, BC, in

2023. And most recently, has been awarded official selection at the Tokyo International Short Film Festival and

the New York Tri-State International Film Festival upcoming this year, in 2024.