I am a member of the We Wai Kai Nation (Cape Mudge) and presently reside in Victoria with my wife of 21 years and 2 children.

Most recently I held the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Malahat Nation/Investment Corporation and now focus on working with First Nations throughout Canada to advance and focus their governance, administrative structures and install effective modern economic and business authorities. Most recently, I have been appointed to the Board of Directors for Tree Canada and welcomed aboard the Aboriginal Write to Read Project Team.

Over the past 20+ years, I have been working with First Nations, First Nations Agencies, and all levels of Government - always to grow aboriginal communities, protecting aboriginal title and rights, and enhancing cultural and social values and priorities.

I combine my understanding of government and business processes with a pragmatic and deeply rooted awareness and respect of Indigenous People and the social and cultural processes required to ensure successful Nation building.

I have completed the DEP through the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) alongside other degrees and professional designations including a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Diplomas in Governance and Public Administration from the University of Victoria, Business Management, First Nations Schools Management, and International Trade.

I believe strongly in community service. I have been a Rotarian since 2003, and by invitation, a Director for the Strathcona Community Futures, Campbell River Museum, Provincial Task Force for Aboriginal Economic Development, Vice-President and President UVic Native Student Union, and sat as National Aboriginal Student Spokesperson with the Canadian Federation of Students.

I wish to recognize and acknowledge the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, on whose unceded territories, I live, work, and play.

I was born in Vancouver and have lived around the world (California, England, Hong Kong) at different points in my life, but have always called British Columbia my home. 

I appreciate in nature the varying coastal landscapes of the Pacific Ocean -they are very important to me. With family along the coast between Vancouver and San Francisco, traveling this coast and exploring it has been a part of my life since I was born.

Being a part of the OneFeather family

As the technical co-founder of OneFeather, my entire professional life is devoted to empowering Indigenous people to access the rights and privileges they are afforded through the technology that we produce. 

I've been working at the intersection of people and technology since my first real job repairing computers. I bring over 20 years of experience designing, building, and bringing user-focused, technology-based solutions to market.

I spent most of my life living, working, and playing on the traditional lands of Treaty 7 territory. I am grateful to now do this on the traditional and unceded lands of the Coast Salish and S'Klallam peoples.

I am a first-generation Canadian. My husband and I love to explore the great outdoors together, hiking with our dog Kona and snowboarding. I am often drawn to coastlines - where the earth's powerful forces of land and sea meet in a life-giving exchange.

Being a part of the OneFeather family

I strive to position our brand to resonate and lift up Indigenous Peoples. I spend a significant amount of time listening to and collaborating with our audience and stakeholders to guide a brand story and holistic strategy that honors and reflects the diversity of Indigenous identity. 

I have an interdisciplinary background, with roots in arts and culture, marketing, operations, special events, consulting, and sustainability as a Master of Arts Environment & Management candidate at Royal Roads University. I specialize in transition and growth periods of organizations, backed by creative, collaborative, and data-driven strategies.

I would like to acknowledge the Lək̓ʷəŋən, W̱SÁNEĆ, and Coast Salish Nations on whose land I live, work, and play.

I was raised on the land farmed by my grandmother and her mother before her. They instilled a love and respect for nature that gives us life so we may pass it onto our next generation.

I have a deep love of reading. I am most drawn to trees and forests due to their resilience and how truly reliant everything is on their survival.

Being a part of the OneFeather family

Within my first few weeks, I collaborated with our tech and support teams to help out with our first call centre to assist our members during a large voting event -  a welcomed introduction to living OneFeathers values. 

I hold an Associate of Arts Degree majoring in English Literature and 10+ years of customer service experience.

I live in the traditional territory of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations and the unceded territory of the Coast Salish people.

I have lived on the traditional territory of many Nations including the Mississauga’s of the Credit, the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples - now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. I was shaped by my many cousins who were like my brothers and sisters. I was fortunate to have all of my grandparents around me who also influenced who I grew up to be. The cousins told me I would be the one to bring the family together one day.

I am known by many names, Bubba, The Postman, Polar Bear, Grizz, Paddy, and Brother.

When I work for OneFeather, I reconcile every day. Sometimes 7 days a week. Some of our Nations leave me in awe when they arrive to vote with 5 generations of family. So lucky. So fortunate. Family is at the core of what we do. 

I have worked and led people in both the private and public corporate sectors as a CEO, Chair of the Board of Directors, land use planner, economic developer, Election Officer, customer experience coordinator, and self-employed person.

I have lived in the Cowichan Valley since 1982, going to high school and then returning after university. All three of my sons were born in Duncan.

Since I was twenty, I have been involved annually in coaching youth soccer, rugby, and hockey - including my children's teams since 2006.

I always feel best when I am near water - whether that's the ocean, a lake, or a river.

It is always an honor to help a young person just turning eighteen or nineteen who is voting for the first time in their community's election!

I acknowledge the traditional unceded territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ and Llekwungen, on whos lands I live, work, and play.

I am a member of the English, Wilson, Reed, Ehrhart, Lulua, Isnardy, and Numaskas families from Ireland, USA, Scotland, Germany, Tsilhqot'in, Italy, and Wuikinuxv.

My traditional name is Pyea Ronin, it is a name from the Shipibo People in Peru.

I've always looked up - so the element of nature I identify with has to be the sky, the air. 

OneFeather values family and we are structured that way. I remember a time when we all gathered for a meal at Lawrence's house, it felt good to connect!

I have two main forms of education, a Post-Secondary Degree from the University of Victoria, and I am recognized as Onanya by the Shipibo People in Peru.

My name is Samuel Willis and I am a settler of Scottish descent living and working as an uninvited guest on the unceded territories of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.

I was originally born in Glasgow. When I was 14 my family moved to Moh’kins’tsis (Calgary), home of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 and the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, and all the peoples who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

Growing up I developed a passion for cycling as a vessel to explore, experience, and connect with the land and places I inhabit. If I am not cycling, I’m outside with my dog and partner. 

I have a combined degree in Mathematics and Computer Science and 5 years of experience in the Software Development field.

I'd like to recognize and acknowledge the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, on whose traditional territories I live.

My grandmother would always host the family for special holidays (generally 25-30 people) and as such was generally very busy, she could never really relax and enjoy herself. One of my fondest memories of her was the first Thanksgiving we convinced her to allow someone else to host. She was so goofy and relaxed - she was throwing dinner buns at people (which would never have been acceptable at her home)!

I have a degree in chemistry and used to be a lab instructor before becoming a developer.

I've always been happiest around bodies of water. Despite the variance of their nature between stormy and still, I've always found it calming.

I trained to be a developer in the Lighthouse Labs Web Development Bootcamp, and since then have made sure to give back to the community by mentoring new learners first through Canada Learning Code and now at Lighthouse Labs.

I would like to acknowledge the Okanagan and Songhees Nations, as well as the Sylix and Lekwungen peoples of whose traditional territory I have lived and live today on.

I come from British Columbia. I've been raised here and lived here my whole life. While most of my family has scattered to very different places I am happy to be here, where my parents have settled down, and where the ocean and the old-growth forests are within reach.

The best ways of spending time I have found, so far, are reading books and building machines. I identify with the ocean, as overwhelming as it can be it is also quieting.

My experience and education in Computer Science are still much more recent to me than my previous career, but I am thankful to have had great teachers at Camosun College, as well as the opportunities to do great work with the Linux Foundation [via an agency] in the past and with OneFeather today.

I would like to acknowledge the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, on which I live, work and play.

When I'm not working on a personal art project at home, I am the world's worst hiking buddy. I am always the 'caboose' 20 steps behind everyone because I've stopped to admire and identify a mushroom, plant, or creature I've never seen before.

It's hard not to feel deeply connected to the ocean when you grow up on the coast, but I have always had a special place in my heart for the great vastness and beauty of the prairies.

Working for OneFeather

Some of us on the product team worked as support agents during a large vote, and it was an invaluable opportunity to connect directly with folks that use OneFeather!

I believe in a human-centered design approach - with empathy, accessibility, and real people being the driving force for finding design solutions.