We’re Melvin and Janna Hines. In 2022 we came to visit Halifax and bought a home here in 2023. We live in Downtown Dartmouth with Journey, our sweet Jack Russell Terrier.
Both of us grew up in the Southern part of the U.S. and have always been committed to racial equity through our careers.
- Melvin is CEO and Co-founder of Upswing, an edtech company with a mission to help more non-traditional and historically marginalized students graduate college. By partnering with colleges and universities, Upswing makes holistic student support resources accessible to all student students through our online platform and virtual SMS assistant.
- Melvin grew up in South Georgia, attending a high school with limited resources, funding, or access. He was 1 out of only 68 to graduate out of a class of 250. He then went to the University of Georgia and found that he was underprepared for college and behind his classmates. He graduated from UGA despite the odds and founded Upswing based on the belief that where you’re from shouldn’t dictate your success in life. Every student should have access to the same support resources regardless of who they are, where they come from, or where they live.
- Janna is founder and CEO of Janna Allen Hines Consulting, a firm focused on moving diversity, equity, and inclusion from aspirations to operations.
- She grew up in Northwest Arkansas and navigated cultural differences early in life when learning how inclusion requires intention. Janna’s experience in diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) is rooted in her desire to create holistic and accountable approaches to advancing equity within organizations. She has nearly a decade of experience managing DEI strategy development and implementation, programs, and community engagement, as well as delivering impactful keynotes and training. She holds a BA in Social Work and is a CQ® Certified Facilitator in Unconscious Bias and Cultural Intelligence.
From entrepreneurship to moving to Canada, we’ve taken quite a few risks. Now, we want to share how leaving the U.S. has been worth the risk and all the reasons we love Nova Scotia!