Former U.S. Marine Captures National Indigenous Economic Development Award

Although he’s not seeking a third term as a councillor for Millbrook First Nation, James Stevens is still one busy guy. While he now has only one ‘main’ job as the director of commercial operations for his First Nation, Stevens still has plenty of other responsibilities at home. “My family is getting older,” he said. “My [three] kids are into [various sports].” His older two children are enrolled in hockey, baseball, and tae kwan do, with the eldest also playing football. As a result, Stevens is thinking of taking classes so he can volunteer as a coach for his children’s teams. “I’m there all the time anyways,” he notes. But being busy isn’t new for Stevens. He is accustomed to having very little spare time, as work responsibilities have kept him busy around the clock for years. As a councillor, he was attending several Millbrook council meetings each month, and he often had to utilize his vacation days to fulfill his responsibilities. And this was on top of his other jobs: Stevens was hired as Millbrook’s economic development officer in 2019, and a year later, he was named Millbrook’s director of commercial operations. “During the day, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., it’s all economic development,” Stevens explains. “And it does go into the weekend sometimes.” Economic development is his priority. “I just want to focus on that,” Stevens said, partly explaining his decision not to seek another term as a councillor. Though he is a Millbrook First Nation member, Stevens was born in the United States, in the New Hampshire city of Manchester. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 2000-2004. He believes many of the skills he acquired during his military life are transferrable to his current position. “It definitely helped me with my discipline and my people skills,” he said. “I can speak in front of people.” Stevens added that his time spent in the military helped prepare him for the commitment required in his post-secondary studies, and he graduated in 2010 with a commerce degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax. Stevens’ current responsibilities include serving as his First Nation’s leasing agent for its properties. He’s also in charge of property and client relations management, meaning he frequently meets with tenants to ensure things are running smoothly and to address any concerns. And sometimes he just pops in to say a quick hello to tenants, maintaining a constant friendly presence. Happily, Stevens’ efforts have not gone unnoticed. In fact, he was chosen as the winner of the 2023 Economic Developer of the Year award handed out by Cando, a national organization that promotes economic development in Indigenous communities across Canada. He received the award at the Cando Conference, which was held last June in the Nova Scotia community of Membertou. The other finalist for the award was Thomas Benjoe, who was serving as the president and CEO of File Hills Qu’Appelle Developments, a Saskatchewan corporation representing the economic interests of a tribal council comprised of 11 First Nations in the province. Stevens and Benjoe both gave presentations about their careers at the conference, although Benjoe was forced to do a virtual presentation due to travel difficulties. “It was a pretty good experience,” Stevens said of his participation at the event. “At the end of the day, to get to present in front of your peers and to be in the presence of all these other economic development officers from across the country was pretty great.” And while Stevens had previously won a regional award for his economic development efforts, “it’s nice to win the national …