Overview
TLC Canada is governed by a Board of First Nation & Indigenous language specialists, both speakers and linguists. The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall direction and decision-making of the organization. Directors are elected for two-year terms from candidates nominated from within the Board.
Board Members
Lisa Perley-Dutcher (Maliseet / Wolastoqi| Board Chair
Lisa is a Maliseet/Wolastoqi woman from the Tobique First Nation. She is a mother of 4 sons and grandmother to 4 granddaughters. She has been a registered nurse for 30 years with a Masters Degree in nursing from the University of New Brunswick. The focus of her career as a nurse has focused on contributing to the improvement of health outcomes for Indigenous peoples in Canada. Lisa worked as a community health nurse in one of the first communities that transferred health services to a First Nation community in the Atlantic Region. She was also at the forefront of the First Nations and Inuit Home and Community Care Program when it was being launched into First Nations across the country. She established the first Aboriginal Nursing Initiative Director position at UNB Faculty of Nursing. She also worked as the Director of Mental Wellness for the Atlantic Regions First Nation and Inuit Health Branch. Lisa and her husband Stephen are partner consultants providing on-line educational sessions, facilitation and research services on various topics related to Indigenous history and health. She served as President of the Indigenous Nurses Association of Canada. She is currently a student studying her Wolastoqey Language and is heavily involved in language revitalization.
Sabre Pictou Lee, J.D. (Mi’kmaw) | Vice Chair
Sabre is an Indigenous liaison and researcher with over ten years of experience in the areas of Indigenous and Aboriginal law, mediation, Indigenous arts & culture, identity, health, and language revitalization. She holds a Juris Doctor of Law with a specialization in Indigenous and Aboriginal Law from Dalhousie University, an M.A. in Indigenous and Canadian Studies from Carleton University and a B.F.A. in Art History and Indigenous Studies from Concordia University. She is also the co-founder and CEO of Archipel Research & Consulting.
Dr. Janine Pease (Crow) | Secretary
Janine is an educator and advocate. She is the founding president of Little Big Horn College, past president of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, and former director of the American Indian College Fund. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities. She has also served as a trustee of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
Taa’ąįį Ch’igiiontà’ (Neets’ąįį Gwich’in) | Board Member
Taa’ąįį Ch’igiiontà’ is Neets’ąįį Gwich’in from Vashrąįį K’ǫǫ (Arctic Village), Alaska. He is an advocate of Indigenous knowledge,languages, and rights, especially as they relate to the health, well-being, and sustainability of communities. Taa’ąįį is a senior research scientist at the Center for Alaska Native Health Research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and the Gwich’in language project director for the Arctic Village Council. He serves as a board member of the Gwich’in Council International and the Gwich’in Social & Cultural Institute of Alaska. Taa’ąįį has previously served as the chief for Vashrąįį K’ǫǫ and as vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education at UAF. His work focuses on incorporating Indigenous knowledge and practices into healing, leadership development,and Dinjii Zhuh K’yàa (Gwich’in language and way of life) programs. He holds a baccalaureate degree in Alaska Nativestudies and a masters degree in rural development.
Nuǧʷaʔəm Ǧʷixsisəlas (Tlowitsis Nation) | Board Member
Nuǧʷaʔəm Ǧʷixsisəlas, Emily Aitken x̌əlasuʔəm x̌aʔən. My Kʷak̓ʷala name is Ǧʷixsisəlas which can be translated as “the way to move your feet”, Emily Aitken is my other name. Gayuƛən lax̌a Ławic̓is. I am from the Tlowitsis Nation. Ləmən mamaʔłgʷənałcəmgustola sa maʔłʔənx̌ila. I am now seventy-two years old. Kʷak̓ʷala was my first language but after 40 years of not using it very much, I worked to relearn Kʷak̓ʷala when I joined the community driven language group Bakʷəmk̓ala where I first learned to read and write Kʷak̓ʷala in 2001. I received my certification as a Kʷak̓ʷala language teacher in 2004. I have been working on an electronic Kʷak̓ʷala dictionary since 2004. In 2017, I received my Master of Education which focused on language revitalization. I have been teaching Kʷak̓ʷala in school district 72 (Campbell River) at Ripple Rock Elementary, Quadra Elementary, Robron Centre, Phoenix Middle School and Carihi for the past 10 years. I have translated several little books from English to Kʷak̓ʷala.
Cherith Mark (Stoney Nation) | Board Member
Cherith is from the Stoney Nation and currently resides in her home community of Mînî Thnî, Morley AB – Treaty 7 Territory. Cherith is an educator and advocates for the use of the Stoney language in schools through her work with Stoney Education Authority, serving as lead coordinator for SEA in the Stoney Language Resource Development Project which includes Îethka language picture books, leveled textbooks, word collection activities, and assisting with curriculum implementation. Cherith is a skilled dancer and performer whose artistic practice involves Indigenous pow wow dance, contemporary dance, theatre, and aerial work. She has toured and performed with Indigenous dance companies including Red Thunder Native Dance Theatre, Raven Spirit Dance, Dancing Earth and Kaha:wi Dance Theatre. Cherith is a graduate of Grant MacEwan College’s Dance Program. She also obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts as well as her Bachelor of Education from University of Alberta. She is an alumna of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, having attended the Aboriginal Arts program between the years 1999 to 2006. Cherith has also studied at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre in Toronto from 1999 to 2002. Cherith actively contributes to her Stoney community including sitting on the board for the Mînî Thnî Charity Foundation from 2014 to present. She also served on the Board of Governors and was the Vice Chair for Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity from 2020 to 2023. In addition, Cherith was deeply involved in Nightrise: An Immersive Storytelling Experience, a collaboration between the Stoney Nakoda Nations, Pursuit Collection and Moment Factory. Nightrise is a nighttime Banff Gondola experience which introduces visitors to the Stoney Nakoda language nestled in the Bow Valley Corridor. Nightrise has won two awards: Celebrating Indigenous Tourism Excellency (CITE) Award in Allyship/ Partnership by Indigenous Tourism Alberta in 2022 and Skift Idea Award for Industry Innovator for Activities and Attractions in 2023.
Past Board Members
Wilhem Meya Dr. Jan Ullrich