ABOUT

Steve Kent was born in Stephenville, and lived in Elizabeth Park in Paradise before moving with his parents to Mount Pearl in 1980. He currently resides in Mount Pearl with his wife Janet (Browne) Kent and their son, Benjamin.

Political Career

Steve was elected as a Member of the House of Assembly for the District of Mount Pearl North on October 9, 2007. He is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency.

Steve’s work in provincial politics is a natural extension of his 10 years of work in municipal politics.

In September 1997, at 19, Steve became the youngest elected public official in the City of Mount Pearl’s history. His record number of votes earned him the Deputy Mayor’s seat. His enthusiasm and hard work in that position led to his election as the eighth Mayor of Mount Pearl in October 2003. In September 2005, Steve was re-elected by acclamation and served as Mayor until he moved to provincial politics in October, 2007.

During his involvement in local government, Steve chaired a number of City committees including the Parks and Recreation Committee, the Human Resources Committee, the Finance Committee and the Planning and Use Committee. He was also co-chair of the Mount Pearl Drug Strategy Committee.

Steve also served as Avalon Director on the Board of Directors of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador. He was also an active member of the Atlantic Mayors Congress.

In 2002, he was appointed to a three year term on the Minister’s Advisory Committee to review the province’s new Child, Youth and Family Services Act.

From January 2003 to October 2004, Kent was part of the Premier’s Council on Social Development.

Education

Steve holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and Certificate in Public Administration from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and a Masters degree in Management from McGill University. He earned both degrees while working as Mayor of Mount Pearl and as the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Newfoundland.

Professional Career

From April 1999 to September 2004, Steve worked as Chief Executive Officer at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Newfoundland and the organization saw 1000% growth under his leadership. As part of his commitment to Big Brothers Big Sisters, he served as President of the organization’s Atlantic Staff Association, and in 2003 was appointed to the Organizational Development Committee.

In 2004, Steve branched from service agencies and took a position as Manager of Corporate Development with OZFM. In August 2005, he became Acting Station Manager of the top FM station in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Following his work at OZ FM, Steve began working as the Executive Director at United Way, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Early in 2006, he launched The FOCUS Group Consulting to provide management and marketing services to private and volunteer sector organizations.

At present, he and his wife Janet own Focus Driver Training, which operates four Young Drivers of Canada offices in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Community Involvement

Steve has been a dedicated community volunteer since he was a teenager. Some of his more extensive volunteer positions are listed below.

  • Chief Commissioner and Chair of the Board of Governors for Scouts Canada, which is a volunteer position
  • Founder and Leader of the 1st Royal Newfoundland Constabulary-Mount Pearl Scouting Group
  • Member of the Rotary Club of Waterford Valley
  • Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Newfoundland
  • Former Assistant Provincial Commissioner for Scouts in Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Founding Chair of National Youth Committee for Scouts Canada
  • Member of National Volunteer Services Committee
  • Vice-Chair of the 2000 Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games
  • Founding Chair of the Mount Pearl Anti-Vandalism Campaign
  • Past President of the Mount Pearl Youth Advisory Council

Awards and achievements

In the course of his extensive community service, both volunteer and professional, Kent has been recognized with a variety of awards.

  • In 2003, he was awarded both the Memorial University of Newfoundland Alumni Association’s Alumni Horizon Award and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, an honour awarded to Canadians who have made outstanding and exemplary contributions to their communities or to Canada as a whole.
  • In 2000, he received the Mount Pearl Chamber of Commerce Best in Business Government Award.
  • In 1999, he was named one of Maclean’s Magazine’s Top 100 Canadians to Watch in the Next Century.
  • In 1996, he received a YTV Achievement Award for Public Service.
  • From 1992-1996, he was named the Mount Pearl Male Youth of the Year, and during that time he also received the Youth Volunteer of the Year award twice.