RESPECT, COURAGE, LOVE, TRUTH, HUMILITY, HONESTY, WISDOM
The Indigenous Gathering Place Society of Calgary: the Elders and Indigenous youth that guide our journey, our board of directors, and the many volunteers and committee members make up the Indigenous Gathering Place Society of Calgary.
Are you interested in a committee or board position?
Email your statement of interest and resume to info@indigenousgatheringplace.com
Dr. Crowshoe, a former Chief of the Piikani Nation, is a member of the Order of Canada, a Senate member of the University of Calgary, and lecturer the University of Lethbridge. He also co-authored the book Akak’stiman which explores Indigenous concepts of justice and sentencing circles.
Dr. Reg Crowshoe and Rose Crowshoe are honoured Blackfoot Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers. Together they have been advisors for many committees with national, provincial, and local scopes focusing on work with Elders, youth, culture and the environment. They are both instrumental in the development of the upcoming Indigenous Gathering Place of Calgary.
Born and raised on the Blood Reserve, Blackfoot Confederacy, Southern Alberta, Elder Doreen is a member of the Kainai Nation, Blood Tribe having made her home in Calgary since the mid 1960s. She has been instrumental with her knowledge, experience and professional endeavours in areas such as Tribal Councils, post-secondary institutions, government and private industry. She is the current Resident Elder for the Alberta Energy Regulator.
John Fischer is the Director of the Iniskim Centre at Mount Royal University. With over 35 years of experience as an educator and administrator, and board member of the Calgary Foundation, John brings his leadership and expertise to the Indigenous Gathering Place.
Anne Harding is the Owner of Forum Community Relations, a Calgary based consulting company dedicated to catalyzing better communities through Indigenous relations and community engagement. In her 17+ years of experience as a community and Indigenous engagement professional, she has engaged with over 85 Indigenous communities and organizations across Canada on economic development, community engagement, reconciliation, education, training, and resource consultation initiatives. Anne holds a Master of Arts in Corporate-Aboriginal Relations and a CP3 (Certified Public Participation Professional) designation through IAP2 Canada. As a settler of English, Welsh, and Swedish heritage, she is humbled to be elected to the IGP board after serving as chair of the community engagement committee in 2018 and 2019. Anne is also a director on the board of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce where she also co-chairs the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Sub-Committee.
Alison Pidskalny is a strategist and trusted ally to CEOs and Boards of Directors in Calgary and Southern Alberta. For 25 years, she has dedicated her career, her investments and her philanthropy to a strong and stable non-profit sector. Alison believes strongly in the power of gathering spaces for people to be in community with each other, to share knowledge and culture. Since 2011 she has rallied our community and raised funds for large-scale capital projects, most recently as Campaign Director for the new YW Calgary Hub for vulnerable women and families. Alison has also worked closely with the City of Calgary as a senior executive and President & CEO of two of Calgary's prominent civic partners, TELUS Spark and Fort Calgary. As a settler of Ukrainian heritage, she is honoured to be elected to the Board and will commit her time to helping IGP to realize its urgent, important and timely vision.
Alvin is of Plains Cree and Anishnawbe ancestry and is an enrolled member of the Muskowekwan First Nations, Saskatchewan. Alvin has considerable experience in advancing the social and economic development of First Nations through designing innovative capacity-building initiatives such as the national Aboriginal environmental training program, BEAHR sponsored by Eco-Canada. Alvin has over 20 years of experience managing Indigenous federal government programs in areas of project and community development as a consultant for the Public Health Agency of Canada, Employment & Immigration Commission, and Secretary of State. He holds a Certificate of Indigenous Leadership. Governance, and Management Excellence from the Banff Centre of Management. Alvin is owner/operator of Earthcode Enterprises Ltd, a local Indigenous business.
Buddie Dixon is from the Stoney Nakoda, Kainai and Tsuu T’ina Nations. Raised in Treaty 7 Territory, he has always been connected to his culture through traditional teaching from his grandparents and community.In all of his work Buddie has strived to support others in their learning journey to sustainably incorporate Indigenous perspectives and ways of working into their organizations. Most recently, having led the Indigenous engagement work Vibrant Communities Calgary and Momentum, two non-profit organizations working hard to end poverty in Mohkinstisis with a passion to ensure that there is truthful and respectful collaboration between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous people of this area. Through his traditional teachings and western education, he understands how to balance both worlds. Buddie supports the IGPSC because it represents an important place for our community to demonstrate the coming together of both worlds and the importance of place in our journey of reconciliation.
Catherine Koch is a semi-retired, executive-level leader and former chief financial officer (CFO). Catherine was raised in northeastern Alberta and received a Chartered Accountant designation after attedning university in Vancouver. Early in her career she worked for the Metis Association of Alberta, the Cold Lake First Nation and served on the inaugural Settlement Investment Corporation board which loaned funds for business development on Metis settlements in Alberta.
Catherine's work has primarily been in post-secondary education, starting as an accounting instructor, to Vice President Academic, and then Vice President Learner Services and CFO where she was also responsible for the ongoing development of the college's Indigenous strategy. She has worked in mutiple provinces, and spent 14 years in the Middle East, twelve of which were spent educating Emirati women to enter the workforce. She holds a Chartered Director professional credential and experience to ensure strategy is paramount in planning and decision-making. Catherine is Metis with ties to Batoche and the Red River of Manitoba and North Dakota. She is extremely proud of her Metis forefathers who were prominent in the development of the Metis nation.
"We have a duty to ensure there is a place where Indigenous people can demonstrate pride in being Indigenous, in sharing our histories, for cultural exchanges and to help build healthy communities."
Clint is Managing Director of Projects for GGA Architecture, one of the largest architectural firms in Western Canada offering professional services in Architecture, Interior Design and Urban Design. He is committed to building places for people to lead healthy, meaningful lives in a sustainable and responsible environment, for example, Banff Centre’s Donald Cameron Centre, Enmax’s District Energy, Deerfoot Meadows and Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope.
“An Indigenous Gathering Place is essential for everyone, and a most important step on the path we all walk toward reconciliation. This Gathering Place will provide a setting for Indigenous people to share their culture with the world and provide an environment for themselves to heal, celebrate, learn and move forward in a good way.
“My great grandmother was a residential school survivor. She was adopted by a missionary family and never freely spoke about her feelings or thoughts regarding her culture. She felt very ashamed that she did not know her own language or people. I feel privileged to work and collaborate with many respected and influential individuals by being a part of the Calgary Urban Indigenous Gathering Place Society.”
Dan Doherty is past President of Calgary West Rotary, where he has been an active member for over 40 years. Dan was the District Chair for the District New Generations in Action Committee. He has a passion for advocating for and empowering youth voices. Dan has been very engaged with students at Tsuu T'ina High School, the Aboriginal program at the Boys and Girls Club, and is currently acting as the Reconciliation Lead for Rotary Zones 28/32.
He is the past Chair of Hull Child and Family Services, Accessible Housing, and the Calgary Rotary Clubs Foundation. Dan has been on 16 Mexico home building trips and has reinvigorated a passion for polio eradication following a Polio NID and mission work in several African countries. He was awarded the Distinguished “Service Above Self Award”, the highest tribute awarded in the Rotary world, and received the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Award celebrating a lifetime of community service.
Dan and his wife, Marlene, have recently been appointed as Learning Facilitators at the Rotary International Assembly. Dan and Marlene have been married 45 years and have four incredible kids and three even better grandchildren. They have a dog Molly who loves to be everyone’s friend.
Emma is the Director of Impact & Engagement at Inn from the Cold, providing leadership to the Indigenous Engagement, Impact & Evaluation and Communications & Stakeholder Relations teams. Her commitment to her work is fueled by an unwavering passion for fostering equity and inclusion within our society. Emma is of Mi’kmaq and Scottish ancestry and was raised as a Settler on Vancouver Island. Although her family's Indigenous roots were lost with her Grandparents passing, she is embracing the opportunity to learn and reconnect with her family heritage. Emma believes the IGPSC is a critical place to learn and celebrate the rich Indigenous culture and forge meaningful connections with the Indigenous community. The realization of this gathering space will be a vital step toward healing and achieving truth and reconciliation.
Kris is the Director of Sustainability at Keyera, one of Canada’s largest midstream energy companies, where he leads a team to enable best-in-class environmental, social and governance performance through strategic alignment, implementing best practices in sustainability, and stakeholder engagement. Kris has undergraduate and masters degrees in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Manitoba and an MBA in Indigenous Business & Leadership from Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business. He is also an Indspire Laureate and Action Canada Fellow.
Kris is an active volunteer, most recently as a member of the Board of Governors for the University of Calgary where held the positions of Vice-Chair of the Board and Chair of the Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability Committee.
"I am committed to social justice, equity & inclusion and I genuinely believe in the power of community-driven initiatives. I see the disparities and challenges faced by Indigenous peoples, and I am dedicated to creating a more equitable society. I have a strong background in sustainability and Indigenous engagement in my education and career, and have served on boards that contributed to our collective social strengths."
After gaining socio-economic grass-roots community development experience working and volunteering internationally, Martin brought his inter-cultural skills and curiosity to work in Treaty 8 territory, building effective respectful relationships between Indigenous communities and energy companies.
“As a born and raised Calgarian, I believe that it is time for Calgary to acknowledge and celebrate its Indigenous roots and history and an Indigenous Gathering Place will bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together towards this goal.”
Ryan is a registered professional urban planner with over 15 years of experience with the City of Calgary. He has worked on a variety of development projects, policies, and research specializing in large and complex cultural and arts projects. Ryan is passionate about building an equitable and inclusive city for future generations. While working on the plan for Calgary’s culture and entertainment district, he had a chance to work with elders from all Treaty 7 nations, which was an enlightening and meaningful experience. Wanting to continue moving forward with reconciliation efforts, working with the IGP will provide opportunities to bring Calgarians a rich and meaningful space where indigenous people can practice indigenous ceremony and culture, as well as allow everyone in Calgary a place to connect with Indigenous cultures. He would like an IGP so that we may have a place to learn more about Indigenous ceremonies, cultures, and knowledges in the heart of our city.
Shawna Morning Bull is a member of the Piikani First Nation located in Southern Alberta. Shawna is presently employed as the Manager Business Development at Community Futures Treaty Seven (CFT7) in Calgary, Alberta. In this capacity she is responsible for the overall direction, evaluation, and operations of the various development initiatives which the Community Futures Treaty Seven is currently involved in or wishes to pursue. Shawna has been employed by Community Futures Treaty Seven for the past 10 years. Prior, she was a Business Loans Manager with Alberta Indian Investment Corporation and a Business Support Officer with Indian Business Corporation, but her career in business began with Peace Hills Trust in 1997. She is a graduate of Lethbridge College with Business Management and Criminal Justice. She was in the Piikani Resource Development Limited Board of Directors from August 2011 to January 2020, an entity operating on the Piikani Nation to develop, design and implement projects, programs and services for the benefit of her First Nation economy. Shawna recently finished her second term on the Board of Directors of CANDO as the Alberta Representative. She was also the 2018 recipient of the Chief David Crowchild Award presented by Mayor Nenshi in June 2018 for her efforts to build bridges in and around Calgary between Indigenous and non-indigenous people and entities.
Sheryl-Ann (SAS) is Cree, a Member of the Metis Nation of Alberta and a graduate of Banff Centre's Indigenous Leadership, Strategy and Management Program. She is a leader in the Information Technology and Consulting Services space working with Shing Digital in Calgary.
“I believe that in order to truly reconcile relations in Canada, we need to build bridges and find common ground in our collective understanding of the past and the present. It is through deep listening that mutual respect is demonstrated. Through this, we can create a healthy future to be enjoyed by the next 7 generations. The IGP will be a catalyst and gathering place for those who are interested and invested in doing just that.”
Tenise is passionate and well-versed with a proven track record working within the urban Indigenous community. As a member of the Kainai Nation who grew up on the reserve, then moved to Lethbridge and in 2015 came to Calgary with her young son, she knows first hand about the need for an Indigenous-led place for community members to gather, heal, and celebrate in the city.
Tenise’s communication and leadership skills enable her to effectively collaborate with those who seek to understand and create change, and she is so excited to be working with her people, especially the Elders, knowledge holders, and cultural advisors who are guiding our work.
Huan Li is a CPA, CGA member and has worked at Sunrise Healing Lodge Society for over 10 years where he manages finances and accounting. Huan regularly enjoys hiking and is excited to contribute to the vision of an Indigenous Gathering Place in Calgary.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.
What will having an Indigenous Gathering Place in Calgary mean for:
How will it benefit you or impact the lives of Indigenous and non-indigenous Calgarians?
Answer a few questions and let us know what you think.