With over thirty years of human resources experience, including twelve at the executive level,  Sabine has provided HR support to companies ranging from start-ups to established international  corporations, in both the public and private sectors, and in a variety of industries, such as luxury  hotels, food and beverage, property management, municipal government, health care, non-profit,  construction, beauty, and retail.

Sabine believes that employees are an organization’s most important asset, and that, when  supported in their growth and development, they are the main catalyst to organizational success.  This belief is at the core of her passion for helping employers create workplace cultures in which employees can truly thrive. Sabine holds facilitator’s certifications for programs such as Emotional Intelligence, Seven Habits  of Highly Effective People, Discrimination and Harassment Prevention and more. In her spare time you can find her hanging out with her adult kids – doing anything outdoors!

Cheryl has dedicated her career to working with Indigenous people, communities, and organizations in Canada. She has worked throughout BC on a wide range of issues and is a skilled facilitator, collaborator, negotiator, strategic thinker, and project manager with an extensive network of indigenous connections. She has created strategic frameworks and policy on a wide variety of issues and developed and delivered training for Royal Roads University, the Justice Institute of BC and Indigenous organizations. She is also a co-editor of a book called “In Celebration of Our Survival: The First Nations of British Columbia”; which compiled stories from Indigenous British Columbians on a range of issues and personal experiences related to Indigenous rights.

Tanya Clarke-Marinelli, founder of TC Training Services specializes in “Indigenous Leadership Training”, is a proud Indigenous woman from Hollow Water First Nation, she serves on the Board of Directors with the Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce as well as holds her number of volunteering positions with them near and dear.

Tanya’s Indigenous Leadership Training provides professional and personal development within Indigenous communities and organizations.

Curtis Copegog is a member of Beausoleil First Nation and has been working for Indigenous non-profit organizations for the past 6 years. Curtis is the Cultural Services Supervisor for Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services. Curtis has been working with local elders in his area for the past 10 years.  He will share how he utilizes this knowledge and experience with Human Resources in developing employee policies, procedures, programs and initiatives.

Shawna is a Cree woman from the Peepeekisis Cree Nation. Peepeekisis is located 19 kilometers east of Balcarres, Sk on Highway 10. It is a nation in southern Saskatchewan. Our population is 2995 with about 640 people that live on reserve.

She is the mother of 8 children and grandmother of 6.

She has 10 + years of Human Resource experience. She worked 2 ½ years with Yorkton Tribal Council Indian Child and Family Services Inc and 5 years as a Human Resource Officer with the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority at the Painted Hand Casino and 3 years at Peepeekisis Cree Nation.

She is passionate about Human Resources and loves to help others in workplaces. She had started a GED and Essential Skills program with the local college and had a great working relationship with them.

She was asked to sit on a National Advisory Board for Essential Skills however, due to some internal policies had to regretfully decline.

She has sat on several boards, including Yorkton Head Start; Qu’Appelle Indian and Metis Friendship Center where she sat as the president for a term.

On July 13, 2020 Shawna accepted the role as the Executive Director for Qu’Appelle Valley Friendship Centre.

She enjoys singing, coaching Basketball, and travelling supporting her children and is their #1 fan.

Rachelle is from the Montagnais people in lower Quebec. She brings more than 15 years of management and leadership experience to her work as Indigenous Perspectives Society’s Executive Director. Rachelle has extensive front line service experience that informs her leadership from her early work with at risk communities including women in the sex trade, corrections, and the homeless community. As an intergenerational trauma survivor, she brings passion to developing Indigenous Perspectives Society’s Reconciliation from an Indigenous Perspective training offerings, which include Cultural Perspectives Training, developed to support the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions Calls to Action.

Elise Demeo is a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) with over 10 years of experience in all areas of Human Resources including but not limited to; Labour Relations, Recruitment and Retention, Health and Safety, Compensation & Benefits and Policy Development. Born and raised in Thunder Bay, ON, Elise holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce Degree with a Major in Human Resources and a Minor in Marketing from Lakehead University. For over eight (8) years she has worked for employers in Ontario, who serve the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, including Contact North, Tikinagan Child & Family Services and Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, where she currently works as the head of Human Resources for the largest Indigenous Police Service in Canada and second largest in North America.

Darwin Hanna is a founding partner of Callison & Hanna. He has worked for Indigenous Nations throughout British Columbia and the Northwest Territories on a wide array of legal matters with a focus on land claims, specific claims, community governance and development, and employment law. He is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. Darwin is an Adjunct Professor at the Allard School of Law at UBC and has taught First Nations and Economic Development since 2001.  He was the recipient of the 2014 Premier’s Award (GNWT) for Collaboration on the Wildlife Act Working Group which developed the new Wildlife Act. And, Callison & Hanna were the inaugural recipients of the Special Contribution Award of the Aboriginal Lawyers Forum, Canadian Bar Association, for recognition of the firm’s contribution to addressing the various issues facing Aboriginal people in the law in 2013. He is director with the piyeʔwiʔx kt Language Foundation Society. He is a member of the Nlaka’pmux Nation from the community of Lytton, BC. Email [email protected]

Rozella grew up on the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation located within the Saugeen Ojibway Territory.  Rozella studied Public Administration and First Nations Governance and has an Advanced Diploma in Business and Human Resources.  Her background in community development has focused largely on strategies that increase organizational capacity and led to the establishment of the M’Wikwedong Cultural Resource Centre that continues to deliver Social and Health programming to an urban Indigenous population.  Rozella’s extensive experience working with Indigenous populations includes:  Housing; Criminal and Restorative Justice; Health and Wellness Strategies and Community Development. Her passion to change social and economic outcomes for Indigenous people led her to explore options in corporate business environments.  Rozella joined Bruce Power in 2016 and joined the Indigenous Employment Team in 2017 with a focus on moving Bruce Power’s Indigenous Employment and Training Program to become one of the leading Indigenous employment programs in the Nuclear Industry.

Jason Rasevych is a proud Oji-Cree from Ginoogaming First Nation in Northern Ontario, Treaty #9. He is an accomplished advisor, facilitator, negotiator, entrepreneur and economic development professional with over 20 years of experience working with First Nations and business development corporations. He has a proven track record for success and has secured more than $150 million combined for capital projects and capacity building initiatives in his career. He is known as the leading mind behind many special projects for First Nations in the North, including the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history with over $69 million to extend broadband fibre optics to 5 remote First Nations. He has also led in renewable energy infrastructure planning for micro-grids and mining, forestry and tourism strategic plans for First Nations. Jason is determined to assist advance the socio-economic position of First Nations and raise the quality of life of Anishnawbe peoples. In 2018 he was acknowledged by the CANDO as one of Canada’s top economic developers. In March of 2019 he co-founded the Anishnawbe Business Professional Association, non-profit, non-partisan organization that advocates for inclusion of First Nation business in the Northern Ontario supply chain.

Marsha joins us from Saugeen First Nation, where she lived until she was 18 years old. After graduating high school, Marsha went on to complete 2 college diplomas and graduated with a Sociology degree from Western University. Her work experience in Corrections, Education, and Child Welfare allowed her to gain valuable experience working with the Indigenous population, in each of those sectors. She brings knowledge of Indigenous communities and people, liaison experience, program development and management to Bruce Power, where she was hired as Bruce Power’s Indigenous Employment & Training Specialist in 2015. Since then, she has sat on Bruce Power’s Indigenous Relations Team, Indigenous Relations Suppliers Network and has been involved with moving Bruce Power’s Indigenous Employment and Training Program to become the leading Indigenous employment program in the Nuclear Industry. Marsha is proud to announce that Bruce Power has been recently re-certified with highest level (Gold) for a 3^rd time in a row through the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business PAR (Progressive Aboriginal Relations) program.

Sparrow Rose is a member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and has had a progressive career in Human Resources for the past 20 years in both public and private sectors.  Sparrow is the Director at Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services, a multi-service child wellbeing agency. Applying an Indigenous lens to human resource management is an exciting opportunity for human resource practitioners and she is looking forward to sharing her experiences.

Dr Jason Walker PsyD, PhD is a doctor and professor of psychology specializing in resolving high conflict civil, employment and family matters in Canada and the United States. Jason is a qualified mediator and arbitrator having worked and lived in Indigenous communities across Canada for many years. Dr. Walker is a recognized expert in the assessment and intervention of workplace bullying, harassment and violence. As a published academic author, Jason has been recognized for his work incorporating trauma informed practice and collaborative mediation to resolve high stress, high conflict situations. A member of a number of professional bodies including the Alternate Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada and the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress Jason consults on sensitive workplace issues in the public, private and Indigenous sectors. To meet with Jason To book a 15 minute meeting with Jason and to view my online availability please go to this link https://calendly.com/jasonwalkerphd/15-minute-meeting

Angela Wesley serves as a Commissioner with the BC Treaty Commission. She was appointed by the Government of British Columbia to a two-year term beginning December 2018. She is a citizen of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations (Nuu-chah-nulth), one of five First Nations implementing the Maa-nulth Treaty on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

She remains actively involved in the implementation of her Nation’s treaty and self-governance, having served as Speaker (Legislative Chairperson) for the Huu-ay-aht First Nations Legislature and Annual People’s Assemblies and serving as the Board Chair/President for the Huu-ay-aht Group of Businesses since 2012. Since 1992, through her consulting company Wes-Can Advisory Services, Angela has worked extensively with First Nations throughout BC, providing advisory and facilitation services in the areas of strategic planning, community development, communications, community engagement, and governance capacity building. She has served and continues to serve on a number of corporate, crown and First Nations Boards. Angela resides in her husband Gerald’s traditional territory of Kitsumkalum in Terrace and enjoys the company and teachings of her grandson.