Board of Directors
Doreen Sinclair - Vice-President
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Virgelina (Virge) Silveira is of the Nlha7kapmx, Lytton First Nations. Education: Early Childhood Diploma, B.A. Child & Youth Care, U.Vic., Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy, Loma Linda University, California.
Virge has spent most of her life in the Lower Mainland and has also lived and worked in the Fraser Canyon for eight years. She currently lives in Maple Ridge, BC with her partner and family. Her working experience in Social Services includes: Executive Director First Nations Urban Community Society, New Westminster; Clinical Supervisor, Youth Worker, City of Vancouver, Child Care Worker in licensed facilities, group facilitator, Warriors Against Violence, Program coordinator, City of Vancouver, Respite Worker, MCFD
Virge has volunteered extensively with: The Fraser Aboriginal Planning Committee (FRAPC), Helping Spirit Lodge Society, and the Vancouver Parks Association.
Her interests are: Supporting and attending Traditional Ceremonies, learning from her Spiritual Elders, reading, music, bargain hunting, spending quality time with family and friends.
Her community interests include staying focused on the vision that Aboriginal communities will reclaim self sufficiency in their delivery of services to Aboriginal children and families in the present and into the next seven generations.
Doreen Sinclair - Vice-President
Doreen Sinclair has been living and working in Aboriginal Communities for the past 25 years.
Doreen is of the Anishanabe/Metis born in Selkirk, Manitoba. Her traditional name is White Cloud Woman, (Waubskwanaquetequay) Wolf clan. She was adopted into a Coast Salish family (Chemainus) and given the Salish name Hyalocktanaught (Friend of the Family), Whale Clan.
Doreen is a skilled facilitator for groups of all ages and professions with extensive experience in Program and Staff Management and facilitating groups in healing and cultural education and ceremonies.
Her Career Journey has included being an Elder/spiritual Advisor contracted to Corrections Services Canada; as a Health and Wellness Coordinator/Supervisor of a Youth Safe House; as well as working as an Early Childhood Development Coordinator; facilitating healing groups for an Aboriginal family services agency; as an instructor of adult education, as past-Chief of Red Bluff First Nations, Quesnel; program manager for Federal Government and Community; administrator of an Aboriginal Health Centre; and as a community health advocate.
She has given numerous presentations on a variety of subjects such as self-care, cutlural history sharing and healing and spiritual ceremonies.
Presently she is involved in the community has a scretary/treasurer for Full Circle Productions, as a member of the Vancouver Metis Cultural Society and the Aboriginal Veterans Association. Previously, she acted as an Elder for the BC/Yukon Transition Houses Society, as a Metis Elder, on the Fraser Regional Aboriginal Planning Committee; as a member of Old Time Fiddlers, Past-President of the Mid Island Metis Association, as well as much more.
Richard, who joined the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND) in July 2002, is a Funding Services Officer and is responsible for building and maintaining relationships and partnerships with First Nations including managing various funding agreements. Richard is a member of the Ahousaht Tribe. He has graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Economics and British Columbia Institute of Technology with a Financial Management diploma. Prior to joining DIAND, Richard spent 19 years working in the financial industry and economic development with Native organizations that include, Western Indian Agricultural Corporation, Western Indian Agricultural Producers Association and First Nations Agricultural Lending Association (formerly Western Indian Lending Association).
Richard currently is Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors for the Urban Native Indian Education Society. He is also Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors for the Vancouver Native Housing Society. Richard is a member of an Advisory Committee for the University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business -"Chinook - Aboriginal Business Education program". In addition, he is a member of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada - BC Region's Diversity Committee and a member of the executive of the BC Region's Committee for the Advancement for Native Employment (CANE).
Richard was previously a member of the Faculty for the Banff Centre for Management and taught the Aboriginal Leadership and Governance program, "Effective Financial Management and Governance".
He has served as a Member of the Board for Canadian Executive Services Organization, a Member and past Chair of a Community Advisory Committee on "Employment Equity" for the BC Provincial Government, and a Member to an Advisory Committee of BC Hydro's Aboriginal Business Partnership Program. He has also been a member of Bank of Montreal - BC & Yukon Region - Diversity Committee and TD Bank "Nakota Circle of Aboriginal Employees.
Madeleine MacIvor is Associate Director of First Nations House of Learning, University of British Columbia. She has worked for UBC since 1989 as a Coordinator of Student Services for the First Nations House of Learning, First Nations Coordinator for the Faculty of Forestry, and now in her current position. Madeleine is a graduate of the Native Indian Teacher Education Program (BEd, Elementary) and Ts'kel Graduate Studies (MA, Science Education). She has a strong background in student services and a deep commitment to ensuring that Aboriginal people have access to quality post-secondary education opportunities that meet their needs and aspirations. Madeleine is currently working on her doctoral research which looks at the development of Aboriginal post-secondary education policy in British Columbia.
Madeleine is a Metis woman whose family comes from the historic Metis community of Lac Ste Anne in northern Alberta. She is mother of three adult children and 11 grandchildren.
Susan is of Shuswap Ancestry and is a member of the Hupacaseth First Nation of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Territory. She has been actively involved in community volunteer work for the past 35 years both in the Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal communities. Her volunteer work has been at the community, municipal, provincial and national level, serving on boards, committees, task forces, panels and at “round table” discussions. Now retired, she has worked with the federal government via the Northern Native Development Corporation, the K’ensu Development Corporation and Aboriginal Personnel Services. As well she has represented numerous Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal civic organizations including Urban Native Indian Education Society, Urban Native Youth Association, Aboriginal Community Careers Employment Services Society (ACCESS) and the YWCA, among many others. Susan was recognized for her voluntary contributions to the community over 30 years by receiving the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
Leona currently works in several areas providing services mainly to the First Nations community. Much of her time is spent as Director of Treaty Lands and Resources for the Musqueam Indian Band in dealing with the B.C. Treaty Process activities at both the Tripartite level and with the Musqueam community.
Leona is Musqueam’s liaison to the University of British Columbia to ensure appropriate recognition and representation of the Musqueam Indian Band. Musqueam is also establishing communication with the newly established Native Studies Program at UBC. Currently, she is an invited Member of the UBC President’s Community Advisory Committee.
Musqueam has developed an ongoing collaborative relationship with the Museum of Anthropology. For several years, Leona has been the Musqueam liaison with the Museum, with a view to ensuring and enhancing cultural appropriateness of representation of the Musqueam people and community.
Leona also manages the business affairs of a number of limited companies involved in commercial fishing activities. Duties include office services, corporate and accounting records, employee records and payroll, direct consultation with the principals of the companies and their routine business with accounting, Canada Revenue Agency, financial institutions, legal counsel, purchasers and suppliers. She also maintains a part-time law practice.
Past Experience:
Leona has been an elected Councilor for the Musqueam Indian Band serving two year terms commencing 1979-1986, 1991-1998. The Chief and Council deliver local government services to the Musqueam Community.
Areas of specific interest include lands, economic development, taxation, environment and resources, heritage, health and social services, and community development. She was designated as the Musqueam Council representative for health and social programs, and representative to Community Health Advisory Committee, a component of the provincial health services. She was the Musqueam liaison to the Museum of Anthropology.
From January 2001 through December 2004, Leona served two consecutive terms as elected Member of the Musqueam Fisheries Commission. The Commission’s mandate included development of a community fisheries strategy and negotiation of a community fishing agreement with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Her appointment to the University of BC Senate by the Province of BC was for a series of three-year terms commencing September 1993 through December 2003. During this time, she was also invited to be a Member of the Dean’s First Nations Advisory Committee, UBC Faculty of Law.
Marilyn Mura is proud to be a status member of the Heiltsuk Nation, which is located in the Central coast of British Columbia. Marilyn has twenty two years of experience in working and volunteering in the urban Aboriginal community in Vancouver. She has worked/volunteered in the areas of recreation, justice, employment, education, housing and health. As a result of her extensive experience, Marilyn was nominated for the Y.W.C.A. “Woman of the Year” award by the Native Brotherhood of BC. Prior to working with the Red Road HIV/AIDS Network she went to live in Waglisla, BC to work as a Treaty Negotiator and Manager.
Marilyn was selected by the Vancouver City Council to act as an advisor to the Vancouver Fire Department for six consecutive years. She served on the Board of Directors for Carnegie Centre for two years. Marilyn is familiar with both native and non-native issues in the lower mainland of Vancouver. Presently she is working and volunteering with provincial and national Aboriginal organizations and governments.
Marilyn’s education, training and work are in Business Administration. She has continued to upgrade her skills by attending the Justice Institute and other institutes and workshops. She completed the Leadership and Management Development for Senior Executives and Managers in Aboriginal Government in 1998.
Marilyn is a second generation residential school survivor; both parents, her sister and extended family attended residential school. Through this experience, Marilyn has become very aware of the destruction of the nucleus of families and community structures because of these schools.
Lee Brown has a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Department of Curriculum Studies at The University of British Columbia where he wrote his thesis entitled: Making the Classroom a Healthy Place: The Development of Affective Competency in Aboriginal Pedagogy. He is the Co-author of The Sacred Tree, an educational curriculum based in Aboriginal values and epistemology. Lee has also contributed to the Round Lake Native Healing Centre during the last twenty-six years in a number of capacities including clinical supervisor and currently as a cultural resource to the centre. He has been the keynote speaker at many Aboriginal conferences including the Awassis Education Conference held each year in Saskatoon. He has been invited to share his knowledge of culture and healing in over five hundred indigenous communities in North America.
Lee has developed a theory of holistic emotional education that is predicated upon six principles of emotional competency that arise out of his research in the area of affective education and learning.
Gerry Oleman is of Stl’atl’imc ancestry from the Seton Lake First Nation where he acted as Chief and Band Councilor from 1974 to 1986. He has been very active in supporting his community throughout his professional life in a variety of counseling and advisory roles. For the past eleven years he has been working as a Community Workshop Coordinator for the Indian Residential School Survivor Society. He has also supported the Nlha’7kamx people of Lytton working as Counselor and the students of BCIT as a cultural and spiritual advisor. Previously he worked as a trainer and counselor for the First Nations Tribal Justice Institute.
Gerry resides in Vancouver.
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