Indigenous Leaders Advisory Circle

Mavis Underwood grew up in the Tsawout community in Saanich Nation, where she serves as an elected member of the band council. She began her career as a certified teacher and has taught First Nations studies, learning assistance, counselling, and social studies. She has also served as Aboriginal Deputy Director with the Province of BC, as Executive Director of NIL/TU,O Child and Family Services, and as an adult educator at the Saanichton School Individual Learning Centre.

Mavis has earned a bachelor’s degree in Child and Youth Care, a BC Teachers Certificate, a Sexual Abuse Counsellors Certificate, and a master’s degree in Indigenous Governance. She has been recognized with a Derek Thomson Award for contributions to social policy change, a Woman of Distinction Award for community leadership, and a Canada 125 medal.

Today, Mavis is pursuing a PhD in Anthropology at the University of Victoria, and enjoys spending time with her two daughters, granddaughter, and dog.

Ski’us Aaron Sam Sumexheltza (Aaron Sumexhelta) is a former Councillor and Chief of the Lower Nicola Indian Band and a practicing lawyer. His legal work included representing residential school survivors and criminal defence.

Aaron is a member of the board for the Assembly of First Nations – Advisory Committee on Climate Action and the Environment, the BC Aboriginal Justice Council, and the Lower Nicola Indian Band Development Corporation. He was previously a Councillor for the Lower Nicola Indian Band and the Nicola Valley Community Justice Services Society.

Aaron was a signatory to the Nicola Watershed Pilot on behalf of the Lower Nicola Indian Band, and served as Co-Chair for its implementation. Aaron has a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of British Columbia, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from California State University.

Deana Machin (MBA, B.Sc.) has been active in the field of First Nations fisheries management and policy for 20 years, specializing in strategic planning and Indigenous engagement in fisheries governance and management initiatives. She is a member of the Syilx (Okanagan) Nation and grew up in her community on Okanagan Lake near Vernon, BC which has grounded her strong values about First Nations’ rights to and roles in the governance and management of their lands, waters, and resources.

She is the former Strategic Development Manager for the First Nations Fisheries Council of BC (FNFC) where, for 10 years, the main focus of her work was to build collaborative and effective relationships between First Nations, governments, and NGOs.

Prior to her time with the FNFC, Deana was the Fisheries Program Manager for the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) for seven years. While with the ONA, Deana led the Reintroduction of Sockeye Salmon into the Okanagan Basin initiative, which in 2006 saw the first release of Okanagan sockeye fry into Skaha Lake, and she collaborated with federal and provincial governments and other partners on the development of the Okanagan Basin Fish-Water Management Tool model and the Okanagan River Restoration Initiative

Lana Lowe is Dene-Canadian from the Fort Nelson First Nation, living and working in her ancestral lands in unceded Treaty 8 territories of northeast BC. With more than 15 years working for Indigenous governments and organizations, Lana is a strong advocate for Indigenous-led, land-based governance, believing that Indigenous communities must take a lead role in the governance of their territories, and take up these responsibilities in a way that honours Indigenous ways of being, seeing, and knowing.

Lana currently works as the Director of Lands, Resources and Treaty Rights for her community and is a PhD Candidate at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law. Lana is the recipient of a 2020-2022 Doctoral Fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the 2018 REFBC Land Champion Award. Lana has also been recognized by her community for being a Keeper of the Land.

Lana holds a master’s degree in Indigenous Governance and a bachelor’s degree in natural resource geography from the University of Victoria.

Lydia Hwitsum is a citizen of the Cowichan Nation located in Duncan on Vancouver Island where she previously served four two-year terms as the elected Chief of the Cowichan Tribes. She has advocated for Indigenous and human rights locally, nationally, and internationally. She has presented at the United Nations Permanent Forum on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and at the Organization of American States Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Lydia has more than 20 years of experience in leadership positions in Indigenous governance in British Columbia and throughout Canada. In June 2019, she was elected to a second term on the First Nations Summit Political Executive, which is mandated to carry out specific tasks related to Aboriginal Title and Rights negotiations with British Columbia and Canada and other issues of common concern to First Nations in British Columbia. She previously served on the FNS Political Executive from 2002-2004. Lydia holds a Certificate of Administration of Aboriginal Governments and a Diploma in Public Sector Management from the University of Victoria, as well as dispute resolution training from the BC Justice Institute. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Victoria.

Gordon Sterritt is the Executive Director of the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, an Indigenous organization located in the Upper Fraser Region that works to further the interests of Upper Fraser First Nations in fisheries and aquatic resources.

With more than 20 years of experience in fisheries management, working in remote regions of the Nass, Skeena and Fraser Watersheds, Gord’s achievements in fisheries include earning a diploma from BCIT in Fish, Wildlife and Recreational Management, participation at the Pacific Salmon Treaty, and a key First Nations participant involved at various levels of the emergency response to the Big Bar Slide, including the Joint Executive Steering Committee overseeing the response. Gord’s passion is promoting collaborative management for First Nation people as it relates to fisheries and resource management and supporting capacity development within the First Nation communities he works with.

A member of the Gitxsan Nation and Wilps Wii Muugilxsw, a wolf clan from Kispiox, Gord’s hereditary name is Wo’os Sa’Lo’op which comes from Sgan Snaat, an area of significant fisheries value in the upper Kispiox Watershed and where he first started his career. When not working, Gord enjoys hiking, hunting, and travelling with his wife and family as well as entertaining his two grandsons and granddaughter.

Roger William is a member of Xeni Gwet’in First Nation (Tsilhqot’in) and has lived all his life in Nemiah Valley (Xeni). His first language was Tsilhqot’in, and he was in residential school at the St. Joseph Mission in Williams Lake for three years, where he learned English. Roger graduated from high school in 1984 and took one year of correspondence business courses in 1985. Roger has hunted, fished a lot in Xeni Gwet’in Caretaker Areas and Tsilhqot’in Territories. He was raised on a ranch in Xeni, and has been around cattle and horses all his life, including in rodeo competitions from 1980 to 2000.

Roger is married to Shannon Stump, and they have three sons in Colten Lance Wycotte, Linden Michael William, Liam Roger William, and a daughter, Sierra Jordanna William.

He has two granddaughters: his oldest son Colten and Tatiana Vanessa Ruiz have baby girl Reyna Seniya Wycotte, and his second oldest son Linden and Lindsay Eustache have baby girl Eva Aileen William. He was on wagon trips to Williams Lake early in life and feels fortunate not to only be riding but involved since 2010 in the Xeni Gwet’in youth wagon trip to the Williams Lake Stampede. Roger started traditional and pow wow dancing and drumming in 1993.