Board Candidates

Brandon Clowater, CPA, previously served as Chair of the Audit Committee at Progressive Credit Union and currently serves as Chair of the Audit Committee and Vice‑Chair of the Board at Brunswick Credit Union. He brings eight years of experience as a credit union director, with a strong focus on audit oversight, enterprise risk management, and effective board governance. His experience includes providing rigorous financial oversight and supporting informed, risk‑aware decision‑making at the board level. Brandon holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick and is a Chartered Professional Accountant in good standing with CPA New Brunswick, maintaining a strong commitment to continuous professional development. In his professional career, he has held senior finance and program leadership roles within large, regulated organizations, supporting financial planning, audit, regulatory reporting, and strategic decision‑making. He is deeply committed to the credit union system’s role in supporting members, communities, and long‑term financial resilience.

I am a former employee of the credit union and gained meaningful insight into its operations and commitment to members and community. My experience strengthened my appreciation for the importance of responsible governance, financial stewardship, and member-focused service. In my current professional work, I focus on workplace culture and wellbeing and helping to build supportive and collaborative environments. I value cooperative principles, responsible governance, and thoughtful decision-making, and I would welcome the opportunity to support the credit union’s continued success.

Cory Allen, is a seasoned technology entrepreneur and governance leader with over 30 years of experience in strategic management and systems engineering. A veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, Cory founded CloudNetCanada Inc. in 2010, growing the firm to serve nearly 3,000 users across 86 organizations before its successful sale in 2023. His professional career is defined by a commitment to fiscal responsibility, having built two high-redundancy data centers while maintaining a 0% staff turnover rate through a culture of innovation and collaborative leadership. Beyond his technical career, Cory has a deep-rooted commitment to the credit union system and community safety. He has served on the boards of Capital, Progressive, and Brunswick Credit Unions since 2004, serving on the Amalgamation Committee during the merger of Bayview, Advance, and Progressive. An active volunteer with the Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) and the Amateur Radio community, Cory combines his passion for strategic planning with a hands-on approach to building strong, resilient local organizations.

Gar Conklin has been a dedicated member of the credit union system since 1995 and has a long history of service and leadership within the organization. He first joined the Board of Directors in the spring of 2011 and served in a variety of leadership roles, including President beginning in 2014. Over the course of his tenure, Gar served a total of ten years as President, with a brief break in service, continuing in that role until the amalgamation of the credit unions in 2023. Throughout his time on the board, Gar was actively involved in strategic discussions and planning that supported the vision of bringing like-minded credit unions together to strengthen services for members and communities. He completed the Credit Union Director Achievement program in April 2018, further strengthening his knowledge of governance, financial oversight, and cooperative leadership. Professionally, Gar is an Information Technology Instructor at NBCC Woodstock, where he is currently in his fifth year of teaching. He brings more than 30 years of experience in New Brunswick government IT systems, along with extensive private-sector and educational experience. At NBCC he teaches a range of technical subjects including cloud computing, PC systems, programming, command-line systems, virtualization, and networking, as well as courses focused on employment readiness and applied studies. Gar's career has included roles with School District 18 in Fredericton, School District 17 in Oromocto as a Senior IT Technician, and NBCCD in Fredericton where he helped expand campus technology infrastructure during a period of significant growth. His experience spans system administration, network infrastructure, and emerging technologies including Docker containers, AWS, Azure, and virtual networking. In 2025, Gar was honored with the NBCC Excellence in Teaching Award, a student-nominated recognition that reflects his commitment to mentorship, education, and community impact. Gar believes strongly in the cooperative principles that guide credit unions and values the role they play in supporting local communities. His experience in governance, technology, and education allows him to contribute thoughtful leadership and strategic perspective as the organization continues to grow and evolve.

A Dutch, pensioned - but not retired - global radio and television personality, multi-national banking communications expert and entrepreneur. Someone who has really seen the whole world. A TV news anchor and correspondent for public broadcasters in the UK, Canada, Ireland, the US, Australia and New Zealand. Interviewed heads of state, men who had walked on the moon and world-famous pop-stars. Editor-in-chief of a reality TV show with unprecedentedly high ratings. Producer of global TV documentaries for Unicef. A multimedia entrepreneur with customers ranging from Hewlett Packard to Heineken who ran an outdoor advertising startup in 1996 and in 2006 became involved in the international banking industry when he was personally invited by the CEO of the biggest bank in Belgium to set up an innovative Media Lab and to both produce and host inspiring global executive conferences. Married for 58 years, a father of five, quad-lingual, came to New Brunswick in 2013, holds a Canadian PR. Recently published a 250-page book on Artificial Intelligence. A strong supporter of the Credit Union’s vision and values.

John was born and raised in NB in a back-to-the-lander household without electricity or running water and received no formal education until attending Mount Allison University, followed by the University of Glasgow, NSCAD University, and the University of Western Ontario where he received a PhD equivalent degree. In 2012 John retired from teaching (OCAD University) to found Sterling Martinique a specialized real estate development and property management corporation and investment fund which focuses on unique enterprises in the Atlantic and abroad. John, his wife Elizabeth, their daughter Freyja, and their dog Lailah divide their time between Sussex and Saint John. John has been a member of Bayview Credit Union for 30+ years and joined the board of Bayview Credit Union 6 years ago. He was actively involved in the merger and creation of Brunswick Credit Union and currently serves on the Audit and Risk Committee. John’s service began when he joined the steering committee of the Sussex Community Access Centre at 16 years of age, and since then he has served on numerous boards and committees including ArtsLink NB, AARCA, ARCA (National), and SAFE Sussex (promoting environmental advocacy). Currently he serves as the Chair of the Garden Hill Neighbourhood Association in Saint John and sits on the Board of the Saint John Union Club. John has a wide range of skills and experiences, some of which are occasionally useful. In 2024 John was independently assessed as expert in the following skills and competencies: Leadership, Strategic Planning, Critical and Independent, Informed Judgement, Courage, Decision-making, Results Oriented, Innovative Thinking, Perspective, Strategic Thinking.

John O’Neill dedicated 38 years to the City of Saint John as a firefighter, retiring as Captain of Station #7. He has been actively involved in community sport and wellness, serving as President of the Saint John Soccer Club, a Director with Soccer NB for Southern New Brunswick, and a board member with Fundy Soccer Club and Saint John Critical Incident Stress Management.

Nancy Cail brings extensive leadership, governance expertise, and financial services experience to the Board. She served as Administrator of the Rexton Lions Nursing Home for 19 years and previously worked for 14 years with the former Rexton Credit Union. Nancy has more than 19 years of experience serving on the Board of Directors for Brunswick Credit Union and its predecessor organizations. She currently serves as Chair of the Governance & HR Committee and as Board Secretary. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick, is a graduate of the Credit Union Director Achievement Program, and holds the Accredited Director designation from the Canadian Credit Union Association. A lifelong credit union member, Nancy brings strong governance expertise, sound judgment, and a thoughtful, independent perspective to Board.

Stephen Savage lives near Crabbe Mountain and is active in several community and volunteer roles in New Brunswick. He currently serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for Ski Crabbe Mountain (2015) Inc. and works with the mountain as Marketing, Communications and IT Lead in an interim role. Stephen is also President and a coach with the Crabbe Mountain Snowboard Club and serves as a Director with NB Snowboard. Professionally, Stephen has worked in the technology sector for more than 2 decades, including time with IBM Security, and technology startups. He believes cooperative financial institutions like Brunswick Credit Union play an important role in supporting local communities and businesses.