Davey often reflected on the refrain of his father when faced with decisions about how to best serve his community and become a person of substance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the more difficult thing to do?\u201d his father would ask.<\/p>\n
As Davey told the attendees of the fourth annual Indigenous Leader Speaker Series on June 20, \u201cThat\u2019s where the magic is \u2014 where you don\u2019t want to go and what you don\u2019t want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jon Davey (BA \u201905), Chief of Staff to the President and CEO of Scotiabank, was the selected speaker for Brock\u2019s 2024 Indigenous Leaders Speaker Series, which took place online on June 20.<\/p><\/div>\n
The community webinar took place in the lead up to National Indigenous People\u2019s Day, which recognizes the heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and M\u00e9tis people across Canada.<\/p>\n
Hosted by Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement Robyn Bourgeois, the speaker series is a partnership between the Office of the Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement and the Goodman School of Business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want us just to focus on the hard things Indigenous people go through \u2014which we have to \u2014 I also wanted to celebrate indigenous excellence,\u201d Bourgeois said. \u201cJon embodies the spirit of Indigenous excellence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davey is a proud member of the Lower Cayuga of Six Nations of the Grand River. A lawyer by trade, the Brock graduate and Board of Trustees member is currently the Chief of Staff to the President and CEO of Scotiabank. He also spent a decade working with the Federal Crown counsel in the Aboriginal Law Division of the Department of Justice Canada.<\/p>\n
As a young person beginning his academic journey, however, Davey admits he was nervous to leave the comforts of his home in Hamilton, Ont., where he felt acceptance of his culture and heritage as the son of a Haudenosaunee father and non-Indigenous mother.<\/p>\n
When he arrived on campus, however, he said he found a community where he could \u201cstand tall and be proud\u201d of who he was while completing a Bachelor of Arts in Business Communication\u00a0in an environment that both supported and challenged him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrock\u2019s probably had the most integral impact on me becoming a person, becoming a young adult, and taking responsibility, and I\u2019m very grateful for the support I received throughout my time here,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen my four years was up, I didn\u2019t want to leave; I was comfortable again, like I had been before I left home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with that strong sense of community, Davey has also looked to the traditional teachings of his ancestors to guide his career decisions, noting that he approaches challenges and opportunities with a \u201cgood mind and good heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ties this back to the messages of the Two Row Wampum belt, <\/em>the symbolic record of an agreement made in 1613 between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Dutch settlers. It features two parallel beaded rows that represent two boats, reflecting two entities that progress side-by-side in mutual respect.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you think about the Two Row Wampum <\/em>there is this idea of harmony and peace and I want to see that more and I want to be that change,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is harmony, but there still needs to be shared understanding, there still needs to be a bridge from time to time.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the common thread woven through his work \u2014 whether with the federal government, in the financial sector or directly with the community \u2014 is understanding and sharing \u201cthat value of partnership and working together, and, at the same time, exemplifying it.\u201d<\/p>\n He also stressed that it is crucial to thank those who supported and charted a path forward before him, and that he hopes to do the same for future generations who will continue to do the work after him \u2014 including his two young children.<\/p>\n Although he joked that lawyers are often taught to give \u201crecommendations\u201d rather than \u201cadvice,\u201d he also left new and future graduates with some parting words from his father, which he said have always served him well.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have something of substance to say, you\u2019re always going to have an audience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n