Episode 12: Olive Ozoemena on promoting diversity and inclusion through employment initiatives and economic development

Feb 3, 2022

Olive Ozoemena is Director of Programs and Operations for the New Brunswick Multicultural Council. Olive is from Nigeria and came to New Brunswick in 2015 to study in the MBA program at UNB Saint John. She stayed in the community and has been an integral part of helping to build a multicultural society that is welcoming and inclusive for newcomers and people from all backgrounds. She is also a member of UNB’s Alumni Council, and is passionate about building inclusive communities and moving beyond unconscious biases. 

In this episode: 

• The experience for international students 
• Why Olive is optimistic about breaking down societal biases 
• What individuals can do to break down and eliminate our own biases 
• How organizations can intentionally include more people and build more representative teams 
• The challenges of moving the needle and the reward of positive change 
• What employers can do to recognize experience and enhance their workforce 

Links and resources: 

New Brunswick Multicultural Council: https://nbmc-cmnb.ca/ 

Olive’s LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliveozoemena/ 

UNBSJ 1-year MBA program: https://www.unb.ca/saintjohn/business/mba/ 

Thanks to: 

Our alumni host, Shauna Cole: https://www.unb.ca/alumni/alumni-news/unb-alumni-podcast-hosts.html 

Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/beats-of-burden/1451387846 

Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance, Manulife, and MBNA Mastercard: https://www.unb.ca/alumni/benefitsandservices/index.html