ST'AT'IMC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Relations & Communications Team
- Capital Planning Manager
Al is a senior engineer and project manager with extensive experience in both the resource industry and electrical utility sectors. His role as Capital Planning Manager provides the coordination between contract opportunities, St'at'imc businesses and companies doing business within the St'at'imc Territory.
Al maintains a list of St'at'imc businesses that can be accessed through the St'at'imc Government Services website.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Relations & Communications Team
- Heritage Field Technician
Alysha Edwards is from the community of Ts'kw'aylaxw and has recently graduated from the University of Northern British Columbia with a bachelor's degree in anthropology and First Nations studies. With the goal of working near to home within the St'at'imc territory, Alysha is interested in focusing her work in the interior plateau region of British Columbia. While studying at UNBC, Alysha has co-authored and presented a paper for the 2019 84th Annual Meeting for the Society for American Archaeology conference ( Scrambles, Potlatches, and Feasts: The Archaeology of Public Rituals Amongst the St'at'imc People of Interior British Columbia) as well as presenting her work, " Mapping Indigenous Knowledge on the land: Culturally Appropriate Methods for and by Takla Nation" at the 2020 Western Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers annual meeting. Alysha is also a co-author for a chapter titled "Burned Roofs and Cultural Traditions: Renewing and Closing Houses in the Ancient Villages of the Middle Fraser Canyon, British Columbia" in Agent of Change: The Deposition and Manipulation of Ash in the Past (In Press). Since 2016, Alysha has been working within the St'at'imc Government Services heritage and culture department as a summer student and is currently working as a heritage field technician.
Job Titles:
- Administrator
- Implementation Manager
- Member of the Relations & Communications Team
- SGS Administrator and Implementation Manager
As Administrator and Implementation Manager, Bobby brings a wealth of knowledge to SGS and has over 16 years' experience in managing, administration, human resources, finance and computer technology. He spent the first 7 years as a senior manager in a computer company, 1 year in human resource consulting, 2 years as a finance manager for a First Nation and 6 years as an executive director for a First Nation. His previous employer was very disappointed that Bobby wished to move closer to home but understood that he needed to make this move. SGS is very fortunate to have found such a valuable employee. The board is extremely pleased to welcome Bobby back home as he is a member of the St'at'imc Nation and we have wanted to continue to build up the capacity of our nation within our organization.
In his position as SGS Administrator and Implementation Manager, Bobby will be responsible for all aspects of the implementation of the St'at'imc/BC Hydro agreements and will manage the day-to-day operations at SGS both with the implementation and the Nation-building.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Co - Chair )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Relations & Communications Team
- Heritage Field Assistant
Chester is a Heritage Field Assistant, he graduated from NVIT as a Forest Technician with a certificate. Having knowledge of St'át'imc communities, culture and history will assist in the conservation and work ethic. Some of the training he acquired that fit the job requirements; RISC training, Deer Migration training SLRA, Telemetry of Harlequin Ducks with SFU, Territory knowledge with Heritage crew LTC and MOF, GPS and GIS training by Xaxli'p and TRU, WPP and PSSP from BC Hydro, First Aid level 1 with Transportation and Endorsement, Bear Aware. Chester has developed high standards while working in various employment situations. He is very enthusiastic and prepared to follow a career direction in the natural resources field.
K̓alhwá7alap, SCourteney Adolph-Jones nskwátsitsa, T̓ít̓q̓etmeckan. I am please to introduce myself as the St'át'imc Education and Training Manager with St'át'imc Government Services. I am blessed to live in the beautiful community of T̓ít̓q̓et with my husband Trevor and our two boys. My parents are Diana and Arnold Adolph, and my maternal Kwekwa7 is Jenny Frank (Scotchman) and paternal Kwekwa7 is the late Bernice Adolph (James). My professional background is in business management, and employment and training programming. Previous experience includes managing facilities and coordination of various programs and projects focused on indigenous education and training. I am excited to work for the St̓át̓imc Nation in an area that I feel is my wheelhouse.
Job Titles:
- Wildlife & Lands Assistant
Hello my name is Darwyn John; I'm St'át'imc, from the community of Tsal'álh. I am currently working as a Wildlife and Land Assistant for SGS. I've worked at various types of jobs over my lifetime and found that I'm happiest working at a place where there is an opportunity to work outdoors occasionally. After working for 8 years in seasonal employment for the Lillooet Tribal Council and various other organizations I returned to School in Sept 2006 and graduated from NVIT with a Diploma in Natural Resource Technology in 2008. I started work with St'át'imc Government Services on April 16 2011 and will retire here when the time is right.
Job Titles:
- Environment Manager at SGS
- Environmental Scientist
Ellen Reyes is an environmental scientist with diverse experience in risk assessment, human health toxicology, exposure and risk modelling, environmental permitting and compliance, and contaminant biomonitoring. She has worked on various environmental health and academic research projects across Canada including Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. Ellen completed her B.ASc. in Public Health at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario and furthered her education in graduate school with a M.Sc. in Health Studies at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario.
As the Environment Manager at SGS, Ellen is responsible for the planning, evaluation, and implementation of the environment programs for both wildlife and fisheries activities, reviewing environmental incidents and applications of BC Hydro, and working with St'át'imc communities and external consultants to support mitigation activities throughout the territory.
Ellen is excited to work with the SGS team and for the opportunity to do Indigenous-led work with St'át'imc communities.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Relations & Communications Team
- Political Lead - Joint Planning Forum
Garry works as the Political Lead as part of the BC Hydro -St'at'imc Joint planning Forum (JPF). BC Hydro found itself in a situation where aging infrastructure needed to be upgraded. One of the consequences is that they run into is with water storage in Downton and Carpenter reservoirs as well as Seton Lake. The High flow Settlement Agreement (HFSA) was reached in order to find workable solutions to the high flow issues.
The JPF works with our counterparts at BC Hydro to find solutions to water releases and find ways to mitigate the impacts. Garry has two colleagues Jessica Hopkins and Allison James who provide technical support for the discussions.
Previous to this appointment Garry was driving high school students to and from Tsal'alh so they could attend class at Lillooet secondary. Garry was the elected chief for several years in Tsal'alh as well as councilor for a number of years. During his time in office, he was part of the negotiations that achieved the St'at'imc Agreement with BC Hydro.
Several years ago Garry worked as a fisheries technician counting fish and measuring habitat on the Gates, Portage, Seton and lower Bridge River systems. Garry enjoys traveling, boating cooking and baking.
Garry loves spending time with our people and really enjoys learning new St'at'imc songs and keeping the old songs alive. He's happy to be a part of team SGS.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Communications Specialist
- Member of the Relations & Communications Team
- Communications Specialist from T'Ít'Q'Et
Kirsten Whitney is the Communications Specialist from T'ít'q'et. Kirsten graduated from Emily Carr University of Art & Design in 2017 with a Bachelor of Design (BDes), Majoring in Communication Design and a Minor in Curatorial Practices. Kirsten believes that combining her knowledge of design and communications can help to solve a diverse set of issues. She is interested in simplifying and educating complex ideas using design processes, and various forms of communication strategies. Each scenario is unique and for the most efficient solution, the problem has to be treated with complete understanding and attention to detail to produce effective and sustainable design solutions.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant
- Member of the Relations & Communications Team
Margaret is from the Xwisten community. Her parents are Victor Adolph, Sr. and Marie Bobb. Her role at the St'at'imc Government Services is the Administrative Assistant. Margaret held various job roles within the St'at'imc Nation Hydro since February 1996 to being transferred over into the St'at'imc Government Services.
During the negotiations, Margaret was able to visit parts of the Territory which she never knew existed and met a lot of people. Now that the agreements are being implemented, she is able to still interact with the people she met from the St'at'imc Communities, and various organizations such as BC Hydro, Legal, and Consultants. Margaret loves seeing and being a part of St'at'imc Communities, working together to protect and take care of the Land and Resources for the present and Future Generations.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Member of the Relations & Communications Team
- Relations Advisor
Meaghan Hume a communications and relations leader who brings over 10 years' of diverse experience in non-profit, public sector, international development and business sectors. She has worked for 7 years with First Nations organizations and communities throughout BC on projects spanning from youth programming, capacity development, family services to environmental conservation and economic development. Meaghan holds a BA and MA with an Indigenous specialization from the University of British Columbia and an Executive Leadership Certificate from Simon Fraser University.
As Relations Advisor, Meaghan is responsible for the development and maintenance of relationships with St'át'imc Communities, Organizations and BC Hydro to effectively administer and manage the Settlement Agreements and the Relations Agreement.
She is honoured to join the SGS team in St'at'imc territory and excited for the work ahead with her colleagues.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Relations & Communications Team
- Heritage Project Coordinator
Nadine is an archaeologist and Heritage Project Coordinator for the Culture and Heritage Team. She began working with the St'át'imc Nation Hydro Committee (SNH) in 2006 during the negotiations with BC Hydro and finalized the Archaeological Management Plan in the Agreement. She joined the transition from SNH to SGS in 2014 and was the Team Lead for SGS Culture and Heritage, completing projects outlined in the Archaeological Management Plan from 2014-2018. In her current role as Heritage Project Coordinator, Nadine is responsible for the project management of all archaeology contracts, fieldwork, and reporting for BC Hydro projects and programs. She is a subject matter expert in archaeology and holds a B.A. in Anthropology (UNBC) and an M.A. in Anthropology. Nadine also teaches anthropology and archaeology courses at Thompson Rivers University, including archaeology field schools.
Job Titles:
- Environmental Research Technician
Nicole (they/their) is a self-identifying member of Smith's Landing First Nation from the Northwest Territories. They graduated from the Forestry Resource Technician program at Vancouver Island University in 2020. They have worked for BC Timber Sales as a Resource Technician specializing in Indigenous consultation and forestry operations for 2 years and gained field experience in silviculture, road engineering and inspections, forest health surveys, and monitoring of contract work. Nicole is currently in the process of completing a 1-year internship with the Indigenous Youth Internship Program, a leadership development program which focuses on developing professional work experience and cultural knowledge with young Indigenous professionals across British Columbia.
Their love for the outdoors led them to pursue a career in forestry with an emphasis on combining traditional Indigenous knowledge with natural resource management practices. During their time off, Nicole enjoys mountain biking, snowshoeing, and creating art. Nicole's intern position with SGS starts in June 2022 as an Environmental Research Technician and they will be providing technical assistance with the wildlife and fisheries management programs.
Job Titles:
- Environmental Technician With SGS
Nina Andrascik is currently working as an Environmental Technician with SGS. She is a recent graduate from the Forest Resources Management program at the University of British Columbia (UBC) with a BSc. in Forestry. At UBC, she was elected President of the Forestry Undergraduate Society, acquired an NSERC grant to work as a research assistant where she measured phenological traits and took biological samples of tree seedlings, and taught and led labs in university level courses including biometrics, biology, and hydrology. Nina also worked as a forest biologist intern where she monitored goshawk nests and conducted callback and site surveys. Upon graduation, Nina was awarded the ‘Gold Medal' to recognize the top graduating student of the faculty for outstanding scholarship, sportsmanship, and citizenship.
Nina is working with the SGS Environment team and she is looking into applying her education and experience toward the Registered Professional Forester (RPF) designation. She is participating in the wildlife, land management, and Territory-wide stewardship activities and strategies of the SGS Environment Program, both in the office and the field.
Nina has always been passionate about the outdoors and is looking forward to starting to work and living in the St'át'imc Territory. She is excited to meet new people and faces!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Co - Chair )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Relations & Communications Team
- GIS Technician
Talicia is the GIS technician for the Culture and Heritage department. She studied Physical Geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) in Abbotsford. Talicia has also completed the RISC Archaeology and CMT Inventory training. She enjoys learning more about archaeology and finding the crossovers it has with the environmental sciences. Talicia is a Ts'kw'aylaxw member and after spending almost 5 years in the Fraser Valley, Talicia is happy to be home in Lillooet and St'át'imc territory.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Relations & Communications Team
- Heritage Field Technician
Yvonne is a Heritage Field Technician with experience working on monitoring projects, survey and surface inspections, excavations, identifying artifacts, and completing detailed recording during and after excavation. She also brings to the Team her experience as a Safety Officer and Level 3 First Aid Attendant