Meet Our NLOWE Board

Caroline Watton is a leading business lawyer with McInnes Cooper in St. John’s. She provides strategic legal advice to start-ups, SMEs, and large corporations, assisting business owners, partnerships, and corporations on a wide range of corporate matters, including incorporation, corporate structuring, reorganization, mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, asset and share purchases, commercial leasing, and corporate governance and shareholder matters.

Charlene Brophy is President and CEO of FONEMED. For 20 years Charlene’s dynamic leadership style has resulted in stellar company growth domestically and internationally. Charlene led the development of Fonemed’s Health Management Platform embracing technology as a means of providing scalable, sustainable, and accessible care.

Charlene has been the recipient of seven Business Excellence Awards from The St. John’s Board of Trade, awarded the CBC Innovator of the Year by Atlantic Business Magazine in 2017, recognized in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 as a Top 50 CEO and in 2021 she was inducted into the top CEO Hall of Fame. In 2020, Charlene was also awarded the NLOWE Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.

Under her leadership Fonemed was selected as one of the 10 best US Healthcare Solution Providers by Industry Era in 2017. She has authored and co-authored multiple publications and abstracts and has been a recognized speaker at the American Academy of Telemedicine Conference and other international events.

In addition to her business commitments, Charlene has a profound sense of community. She supports and is an active board member for several non-profit organizations and is a member of two government innovations advisory councils.

BJ Danylchuk is the Artisan Owner of Island WoodTurning, based in Champney’s West, NL.  BJ works with native NL wood to create one-of-a-kind bowls and other objects that are beautiful, functional and tactilely seductive (and often translucent, too).  BJ also works with folks who have wood from trees that mattered to them, and creates personal treasures for clients.

BJ’s background includes the practice of law and work in bankruptcy & receivership, advertising, sales & sales management, labour relations (from both sides of the table), broad HR and business consulting inside a global business of businesses.  BJ has worked with leaders and teams to address multidimensional challenges and opportunities in businesses of various types, sizes, industries and lifecycle stage, and applies what she has learned from others to her own business, and others when appropriate.

BJ welcomes opportunities to give back and support communities and initiatives that make a difference, and so is very pleased to be able to serve as an NLOWE Board member.

Janice is the President and CEO of Rudy’s Transportation Services Inc based in Deer Lake. After a storied 21-year career in the seafood sector Janice decided to take the plunge and became an entrepreneur in 2020 by acquiring Rudy’s Courier Service. Tapping into her extensive “food” network she used the courier service as a springboard for Rudy’s Food Movers, “Your LOCAL Food Distribution Solution”. In 2022 Janice secured several government and private industry cleaning contracts to help grow the business and strategically use the revenue growth as leverage to secure the resources necessary to implement infrastructure required to grow a sustainable local food industry for Newfoundland and Labrador. Janice’s most recent business pursuit has taken her back to her roots in the NL tourism industry, as operator of The Tides Inn, a luxury boutique inn located in the heart of Gros Morne National Park in the Town of Norris Point.

In addition to her professional life, Janice is active in the local business community with her role as Vice President of the Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade. She is a member of the Employers Council of NL and Food and Beverage Atlantic. As an active member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE) she was recognized in October 2022 with the “Momentum Award”, awarded to a woman entrepreneur who’s demonstrated the fastest growth in a short time period and has the most potential for future growth. Janice is a firm believer in “women supporting women” and volunteers as a mentor with NLOWE for women just embarking on their entrepreneurial journey.

Janice holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Geography and a Master of Marine Studies from Memorial University. However, her greatest learning experience happened at the age of 25 when she embarked on her own “Deadliest Catch” adventure as a Certified Alaskan Shellfish Fisheries Observer on a King Crab Boat in the perilous Bering Sea!

Jess is the owner of ethree Consulting, an organizational effectiveness consultancy that specializes in helping organisations handle the ‘tough people stuff’ like developing strategy and culture, leading change, increasing engagement levels, driving workforce performance, improving leadership skills and more.    In 2019 Jess started a second business, ethree Online that develops and delivers custom online and virtual training for all sizes of organization.

With a background in HR, organizational performance, learning and development and training in neuroscience; and, over a decade of experience working in different countries, a variety of industries, and with some of the largest organizations in the world,  Jess has a unique combination of skills and experience that is hard to beat.

Jess leads the ethree team helping companies engage, enable and empower their people. Known for her ability to “read minds”, deliver creative yet practical solutions, and “just get it”, working with Jess and ethree is an all-round “phenomenal experience” according to their clients. 

Hailing from Great Britain, Jess moved to Canada in 2005 and settled in Newfoundland in 2007.  She lives in Torbay with her partner, Mike, two stepchildren, Liam and Logan and dog, Molly.

Jacqui has more than 25 years’ experience within HR management, project coordination, communications, consultation, training, labour relations, industrial/provincial benefits agreements, community development, stakeholder engagement and socio-economic impacts. Her industry expertise spans the heavy industrial environment, construction, oil and gas, mining and non-profit sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Memorial University, as well as a Masters Certificate in Project Management.
Jacqui received the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Momentum through NLOWE and Top 50 CEO in 2020 and has grown a business that is apt to successfully leverage opportunities for growth.

Eileen Balsom Matthews was born in Heart’s Content.  The Heart’s Content Lighthouse is the subject of one of her paintings. (The Keeper’s Mistress)

Eileen’s paintings are based on strong connections to the landscape, the culture, the people, and the way of life in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Eileen’s affinity with the heritage of the province has given her a deep commitment to preserving history, both tangible and intangible for future generations In fact, she has been recognized for her heritage work in many newspaper articles, interviewed by Heritage NL and was presented with the federal government “Making a difference”  award by Judy Foote, then the MP for Trinity Conception. Eileen believes our history and tourism go hand in hand.

Eileen lives in New Perlican where she and her husband William retired. Art is her second career after banking from which she retired in 2008.  It is in her home that she creates best, where she’s surrounded by love and able to see the harbour and fishing stages every day.  She welcomes people from all over Canada daily to her home from May to October months and after that, by appointment. She tells everyone to “watch for the signs on the road through New Perlican” to find her.

Eileen is deeply involved in Tourism promotion for her area as she believes our history and tourism go hand in hand.  Involved with many groups, she presently sits on the Board of Heart’s Content Community Development Corporation; Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation; member of the Mizzen Society of Heart’s Content, member of Heritage New Perlican group, member of Craft Council, Legendary Coasts, Guide to the Good, Baccalieu Coastal Drive tourism group.