Board of Directors

Tanya is an experienced stakeholder engagement and business advisor, board member and community leader. She is a member of the Tsawwassen First Nation (“TFN”) and lives on TFN lands, where she formerly served as an elected Councillor. Tanya has over 20-years’ experience working with and leading First Nations, businesses, and not-for-profits. Currently, she provides advisory services to connect industry and Indigenous communities to build partnerships leading to economic reconciliation. She was recently recognized for her work as a key liaison between TFN and the City of Delta and was the recipient of the 2021 Tsawwassen Rotary Peace Builder Award. Tanya is an active member of the community serving as a volunteer on wide range of Boards at the local, provincial, and national levels. She is currently a member of the Delta Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, City of Delta’s Mayor’s Task Force on Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism, Reach Child and Youth Development Society Advisory Board, and Council Member for the BC Capacity Initiative Council. She has also served as Vice Chair to the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Board of Governors, a Director for the Reach Foundation, World Trade Centre Vancouver Advisory Committee, CCAB Indigenous Export Advisory Council and Delta Hospital and Community Health Foundation. Tanya is also a member of the Conservative Party’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee and ran in the 2019 federal election in the riding of Delta. Tanya was elected BC Treaty Commission Commissioner by the First Nations Summit for a one-year term beginning in February 2018. She is a member of Tsawwassen First Nation and has served as an elected Executive Councillor. She worked for the TFN Government for 20 years and has held key roles with the Treaty Team and the Economic Development Corporation. Tanya studied at the University of Northern BC and holds a Public Relations Associate Certificate from British Columbia Institute of Technology. She resides on TFN lands with husband Matt and her two children, Isabella, and James.

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Mike Mearns is a member of the Klahoose Indian Band located on Cortes Island. He proudly holds a Certified Aboriginal Financial Manager (CAFM) designation through AFOA Canada. Throughout his career, Mike has enjoyed many years working with BC First Nations in the areas of strategic direction, financial management, employment/training, and health. Working with First Nation communities in BC he found success as an Executive Director for a number of their organizations. These include the BC Aboriginal Training and Employment Society, the Aboriginal Health Association of BC, and the Aboriginal Finance Officers Association of BC. As a senior executive and member of a number of boards, Mike worked with First Nation leaders to support First Nation governance, economic and social well-being. With community-based decision-making as a foundation, many First Nations in BC now have authority over lands, health, finances, governance, and education. In all this work, Mike stated that “understanding and honoring First Nation culture was key to developing programs and services for the specific needs of the individual and community. To that end, securing resources from government and the private sector to build our own unique programs was a necessary and rewarding challenge”. Mike has recently retired from AFOA BC and works now as a consultant to First Nations. He is enjoying life with his wife of 45 years living in Gibsons, BC.

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Sxwpilemaát Siyám, also known as Chief Leanne Joe, of the Squamish Nation, is one of sixteen Hereditary Chiefs of the Squamish Nation and the first female Chief of her Lackett Joe Family. She shares her traditional name with her late father, Sxwpilem Siyám, Chief Philip Joe. Sxwpilemaát Siyám is also a descendent of the Kwakwaka’wakw speaking people and carries the traditional name of Q-Gee-Sea Loud and the Thomas family of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Sxwpilemaát Siyám was born and raised on the beautiful shores of North Vancouver while having close relations to her roots on the east coast shores of Vancouver Island. Her family lives in her husband’s ancestral territory of the Sylix and Nlaka’pam speaking people, aka Merritt, BC. Sxwpilemaát Siyám holds space in many organizations, focusing her work on Economic Reconciliation, rematrician and education. She currently serves as a Trustee for the Squamish Nation Trust, Board member of the New Relationship Trust and the Women in Leadership Foundation and advisory to other committees. Her educational background includes a B.A. in Business, CED Certificate, and other related training and experience. Her greatest role is being a mom. Her son is paying witness to the legacy work she embodies every day.