Daryell Nowlan
Meet our Team
Daryell Nowlan, Vice President of Policy, Programs and Communications, Moncton, N.B.
Although he was born in Lahr, Germany, Daryell Nowlan grew up in Summerside, P.E.I., and has spent his life working in Atlantic Canada. He has a personal commitment to the region – and a professional one. “ACOA is headquartered here. That is very unusual. Ninety-five percent of our employees call Atlantic Canada home.”
That hands-on presence offers a distinct advantage. “Decisions are made here, by people who live here. We know the impact of our decisions. It’s about living and working in the community,” says Daryell, who joined ACOA in 1994 as a management trainee in the evaluation/policy unit.
For the ACOA team, the work we do is not theoretical, he adds. “I can drive around any community in the region and see the results of our work – businesses we’ve helped, important community projects. When I meet businesses or community leaders, they all have a story of how someone at ACOA helped them.”
As vice-president of policy, programs and communications, Daryell’s branch oversees all the design, development and management of ACOA’s programs, and is the lead for the Aerospace, Defence and Marine sector. The branch also coordinates all the direct support to the federal minister’s office. “My role is to have one foot in the region and one in Ottawa, and to bridge the two worlds,” explains Daryell. “Most ACOA decisions are not made in Ottawa. It’s important for us to be at the table.”
Daryell, who received his MBA from the University of New Brunswick, believes ACOA’s key strength is its ability to adapt – and quickly. “Whatever is needed, we find a way to be there and make it happen. The more challenging the situation, the more our teams find ways to work together to deliver.”
He points to the pandemic as an incredible example of ACOA’s flexibility. “We doubled our budget during COVID-19. It’s about being responsive. We shifted to where we needed to be.”
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