Board of Directors

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Stephanie Nelson is from the Kwakwaka’wakw Nations and was raised in the North Vancouver Island and Central Coast area of British Columbia. Her grandfather is from Rivers Inlet, and her grandmother is from Wakeman Sound. Her traditional name is ‘Max̱waḵs’ which means “potlatching women”. Stephanie has worked in various capacities within School District No.85 First Nations Programs, including as Secretary and Support Worker at numerous schools. Before this important work, Stephanie was a valued team member at both the First Peoples Cultural Foundation and Aboriginal Affairs Canada. Currently, she is the manager for North Island Building Blocks, where Building Blocks’ vision is to create a community that honours the role of families through building a healthy society and community. She also co-facilitates Indigenous Specific Anti-Racism to leads of Island Health, co-facilitates an Indigenous Run Walk Wheel program through ISPARC, teaches trauma-informed yoga (breathwork and gentle movement), and coordinates annual events that create awareness around MMIWG2S+, the spirit of suicide, and decolonization but, more to honour and uplift our Indigenous families. She is a lifelong learner and finished her first year at Royal Roads University in the Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies Program.

Raised in Vermont, Caitlin is of Irish, Scottish, English, German, and Swedish ancestry. After a decade studying in Montreal, in 2009 Caitlin arrived on Kwaguł territory to teach at North Island College, where she held various leadership positions over the years, including Campus Coordinator at the Mixalakwila Campus in Gwa’dzi (Port Hardy). Caitlin’s focus at NIC was in supporting Indigenization of programming and community- and land-centred learning. In 2021, Caitlin shifted direction and began in her current role of Health Director for the Kwakiutl First Nation. Caitlin completed her Doctorate of Education, Learning with Awi'nakola: Teachings from the Community at Tsaxis in 2022, work that recorded the visions of Elders and knowledge holders for land-based education that carries on the traditions of the Kwakwaka’wakw ancestors. For over a decade, Caitlin has been in relationship with the local Kwakwaka’wakwkw communities of the North Island in various ways. Through her partnership of many years with Ga'ax̱sta'las (Mervyn Child), she is (and loves being) an Aunty to many. Caitlin also holds the name Dzaminux̱w, a name given to her by Giǥa̱me' 'Namugwis’ family (Mervyn’s family). She believes in a wholistic, culturally-safe, trauma-informed approach to health and wellness, one that supports physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health and one that includes and incorporates the culture of individuals and the community.

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