Sylvia Parris-Drummond

Sylvia Parris-Drummond is president of Parris Consulting and CEO of the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her work in education, strategic facilitation, and the community is rooted in core Africentric principles. 

She is a proud member of the Black/African Nova Scotian community; a nanny, mother, sister, auntie, godmother; and blessed with special and dear friends. 

As CEO of the DBDLI, Sylvia provides leadership to the organization through through identifying opportunities, building awareness and capacity, and implementing initiatives designed to improve the education environment for African Nova Scotian learners and educators.

Sylvia has more than 30 years of experience in the field of education. Additionally, she has extensive public-sector involvement through which she has gained a deep understanding for what it takes to conduct meaningful policy analysis, implement research-informed initiatives, strengthen community engagement, and develop relevant education and capacity-building projects.

As a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal (2022) and an RBC Social Change Award (2020) and an entrepreneur named one of Atlantic Business’s Top 50 CEOs in 2022, she has influenced change in the corporate and private sectors.