This month, we’re featuring Jordan Barrett, Manager of Partner Programs at Northern Development Initiative Trust. Driven by the people she collaborates with and the places she’s able to visit throughout the region, Jordan remains motivated by the opportunity to help communities with meaningful projects.
Can you share a bit about your background and what brought you to the Trust?
I graduated in 2020 from UNBC with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Political Science and Environmental Studies with a minor in Human Geography (it’s a mouthful I know). Originally, I was placed with the Village of Masset, but unfortunately due to the pandemic I was not able to complete my placement there. I ended up working for the North Coast Regional District for one-year focusing on corporate administration and economic development, and learned valuable skills to take with me wherever I ended up post-internship. Towards the end of my placement, Northern Development was hiring for a Partner Programs Coordinator and I guess the rest is history.
What has been a professional highlight of the past six months?
A bittersweet professional highlight over the past six months has been the completion of two Partner Programs, the BC Hydro GO Fund and the Northern Healthy Communities Fund. These were the first two programs that I worked on when I joined the Trust in 2021, and seeing both come to a close is exciting and sad. There have been some incredible projects come through both funds and I have been fortunate to see the impacts of the projects in communities during some of my recent travels. While I am sad to see these funding programs close, it highlights the approval of just over $1 million towards supporting vulnerable populations in the Peace region with the BC Hydro GO Fund and over $25 million towards communities impacted by LNG and Coastal GasLink development with the Northern Healthy Communities Fund, and the work and connections I have been able to form that helped make it possible.
What initially drew you to non-profit economic development work in Northern BC?
When I was nearing graduation and was thinking “so what can I do with my degree?”, my one guiding principle was that no matter where I ended up I wanted to make sure that what I did made a positive impact for the community. Being able to work for Northern Development and help provide grant funding to communities to undertake necessary and worthwhile projects that will leave a lasting impact to residents of Northern B.C. has been incredible. Being able to work with so many different organizations across the North is one of the highlights of my role at the Trust, and what I look forward to each day.
Is there something about you that might surprise your colleagues or people in our region?
I absolutely love animals! No matter the situation or where I am, I am the person pointing out that there is an animal and likely staring at it. If I had the time (and the resources) to properly take care of them all, I would buy a large piece of land and take in as many animals I could; farm animals, traditional domestic animals, wild or exotic animals you name it I would probably take it (other than snakes, never could get on board with snakes). I recently went to the Miami Zoo on a vacation, and I took way too many photos and wanted to cuddle with them all – even the ones that would eat me.
What keeps you motivated in your daily work?
What keeps me motivated is the people I get to work with, both within the NDIT Team and throughout the region, and the places I have been fortunate enough to visit. One of my favourite aspects of the job is being able to get out into the region and see projects and people in communities where funding has helped make a difference. There are so many places within the Trust’s service region that I would have never thought I would go to that for one program or another I have now been able to visit. Being able to see the communities and connect with people in person, takes it from seeing a project come in on paper and connecting with applicants over the phone or through email, to seeing the real people and places that the work I do has an impact on.
