Executive Director Heather Spratt earned a BA and BEd at Memorial University, and an MEd from the University of Sydney as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. Before joining A Dollar A Day, Heather enjoyed 15 years with the Loran Scholars Foundation, and taught in Ontario and New York City. She served as a Stability Leader with The Stability Network, speaking publicly and proudly as a professional living successfully with a mental illness. Heather serves on the board of the End of Life Doula Association of Canada, and enjoys volunteering on a number of scholarship selection committees.
Jess comes to A Dollar A Day with international experience in the charitable, non-profit, and public sectors, ranging from development and communications to data management and volunteer coordination. Jess holds a BA from the University of Exeter and is currently working towards their MA at Memorial University. They currently serve as a board member with the Association of Fundraising Professionals NL Chapter, Quadrangle NL, and It Gets Better Canada, and are an active volunteer with the YWCA. In their spare time Jess volunteers with 2SLGBTQIA+ causes and enjoys hiking, knitting, and spending time with their two cats.
Brendan Paddick holds a Bachelor of Commerce and MBA from Memorial University of Newfoundland (Alumnus of the Year, 2013), and graduated from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University. He is the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Columbus Communications Inc.
Amongst his numerous public, private, and not-for-profit affiliations, Brendan is a member of the board of directors of Liberty Latin America, MDA Space, Team Broken Earth and World Energy GH2. He is the former Chair of the board of Nalcor Energy. He is a member of the Junior Achievement Newfoundland & Labrador Business Hall of Fame.
Hailing from Petty Harbour, NL, Alan Doyle is a musician, actor, producer, author, and is best known as the lead singer for Great Big Sea. With three solo albums, Doyle has been touring the world with his own band for the last 10 years and has sold well over 1 million records globally. He has released three books Where I Belong, A Newfoundlander in Canada, and All Together Now, all of which have been instant best sellers. He has appeared in television series, including CBC’s Republic of Doyle, Murdoch Mysteries, and This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and in major motion pictures, including 2014’s Winter’s Tale and 2010’s Robin Hood. In 2022 Alan took to the theatre, creating and starring in the original musical Tell Tale Harbour which debuted at the Charlottetown Festival and quickly became their fastest-selling show in over 50 years. Alan was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2017.
Former President of Rogers Sports and Media, Rick Brace was responsible for driving strategy and overseeing operations for the company’s portfolio of media assets, the Toronto Blue Jays, and Rogers Centre. Prior to joining Rogers, Rick was President of Bell Media/ CTVglobalmedia, including President of CTV and President of Specialty TV. Rick was a member of the founding executive team at TSN serving as President from 1998 through 2000. Rick continues to serve on the Board of the Jays Care Foundation and previously held a Board position with the Rick Hansen Foundation.