Teresa MacNeil is an ardent promoter of lifelong learning. She spent over 35 years at St. Francis Xavier University, serving as a professor, founding chair of the Department of Adult Education and director of the Extension Department. The Canadian Association for Adult Education and Routes to Learning Canada, among others, have benefited from her tireless voluntarism. Known for her fairness and common sense, she has also made outstanding contributions to the economic growth of her region, notably, as chair of a federal-provincial task force on the economy of Cape Breton. More recently, she provided thoughtful leadership to a public review process on oil and gas exploration off Cape Breton.