Board of directors

Kim Baird 

Kim is an accomplished leader advising Indigenous communities, governments, businesses, and other organizations on Indigenous matters. She is the Chancellor for Kwantlen Polytechnic University and is the owner of Kim Baird Strategic Consulting. She was elected Chief of her community for 13 years where she negotiated and implemented the Tsawwassen First Nation Treaty and helped initiate the Tsawwassen Mills Project on Tsawwassen lands.  Kim’s continued goal is to improve the quality of life for Indigenous people through her services in relation to First Nation policy, governance, and economic development; as well as First Nation consultation, communication, and engagement issues. She is on several boards including the Canada Infrastructure Bank, and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. Kim is a member of both the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada, is an Indspire Laureate and holds an Institute of Corporate Director’s designation.

Angela Wesley 

Angela is a citizen of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations (Nuu-chah-nulth). As owner/partner in Wes-Can Advisory Services since 1992 she has spent her career providing advisory and facilitation services to First Nations and other governments and organizations in the areas of strategic planning, community development and engagement, communications, and governance capacity building. She has a strong vision of and passion for realizing an ever-improving quality of life for First Nations and their citizens. Angela was an active participant in negotiations leading to the ratification and implementation of the Maa-nulth Treaty and the Huu-ay-aht Constitution and continues to be one of the champions in her Nation’s self-governance journey. She served for 8 years as Board Chair/President for the Huu-ay-aht Group of Businesses and has served and continues to serve on a number of provincial and First Nations boards, holding the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.  Angela has served as a Commissioner on the BC Treaty Commission since 2018 and is actively involved in international discussions on indigenous governance and leadership. She is proud to have learned from and been mentored by some of the most brilliant indigenous leaders in British Columbia. 

Mason Ducharme

Mason Ducharme, a passionate advocate for Indigenous self-determination, proudly comes from Lil’wat Nation. At 23, he became one of Canada's youngest band administrators for Nuchatlaht Tribe. Currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Victoria (UVic), Mason's research focuses on retaining Indigenous executives in Indigenous organizations. His academic achievements include a Master's in Public Administration, a Bachelor of Business Administration, and an Advanced Diploma in International Business. A nominee for the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, Mason actively encourages Aboriginal youth to embrace education and sobriety, embodying "The Red Road." Mason has taught Indigenous Governance in Canada at the UVic, and Indigenous values in business and human resource management at Vancouver Island University. Mason's unwavering dedication to Indigenous governance is evident in his impactful research, advocating for equitable resource allocation. As he pursues certification as an Associate Certified Coach, Mason remains steadfast in inspiring others towards education, leadership, and a self-determined Indigenous future.

Lisa Ethans

Ms. Ethans is a recently retired Financial Advisory Partner of Deloitte Canada. During her 30+ years at Deloitte, she held a variety of leadership roles including founding and leading the firm’s National Aboriginal Client Services practice. She was awarded a Fellowship from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants (FCPA), previously the Institute of Chartered Accountants (FCA); she is a qualified Chartered Business Valuator (CBV) and she holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. In addition to chairing the Chief Joe Mathias BC Aboriginal Scholarship Board, she also serves as a Board Director of First Nations Bank of Canada, FNB Trust, BC Lottery Corporation, Artemis Gold and the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC.

Danielle Levine, BA, MBA

Danielle is Métis and is from Winnipeg, Manitoba, she now calls British Columbia’s lower mainland home. She is an educator and is currently working with the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC on increasing the number of Indigenous CPA’s and Indigenous engagement in the profession. She also leads the provincial Financial Literacy program. Prior to joining CPABC, Danielle worked with the Ch’nook Indigenous business program at UBC and has taught in several Indigenous entrepreneurship programs. 

Danielle currently sits on the Chief Joe Mathias Aboriginal Scholarship Fund Board of Directors; she also sits on the National Indigenous Economic Development Board and serves on other advisory committees including her local school district.

Stefany Mathias

Stefany is the daughter of the late Chief Joe Mathias. She carries one of the 16 Squamish hereditary chieftainships passed on to her from her father. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UBC and got her start in theatre, eventually expanding into film and television. For the past 25 years, Stefany has worked in the film industry as an actor, director, and producer, she continues her creative work in film and TV. She has served on the board of the Chief Joe Mathias Scholarship Fund (CJMSF) since its inception in 2002. Stefany looks forward to the work done at CJMSF. Although very challenging, the reward of helping Indigenous students achieve their goals makes it more than worth it.

Amanda "Mandy" Mathias-O’Donoghue 

My ancestral name is Siyamtnaat and in the business world I’m known as Amanda Mathias-O’Donoghue. I have been a successful entrepreneur of a boat repair and charter business since 1980. As a direct  descendant of Chief Joe Capilano and Mary Capilano and the sister of the late Chief Joe Mathias, I am deeply committed to community building and carrying on their dedication to improving the lives of Indigenous peoples. Being a member of the Squamish Nation has given me the opportunity to sit on the Membership as a chairperson, and Land & Claims committees and I advocate for higher education for our people. I enjoy being involved in speaking, performing and being a liaison with members and council. It brings me genuine joy to have been a Sunday School teacher at Cascade Gospel Chapel for over a decade, and to work with organizations such as BC Aboriginal Child Care Society and The Full Circle Talking Stick Festival.

Nancy Morgan

Nancy Morgan has been practicing law for over 35 years. She works primarily in the field of Indigenous law representing First Nations and regional First Nations organizations in the negotiation and implementation of modern treaties, agreements, and other arrangements. She is also provides advice to clients regarding their internal affairs, including the development of legislation, policy, and governance structures.

​Melody Morrison

Melody Morrison has worked with First Nations and Indigenous organizations across the country for several decades. She provides strategic, government relations and communications advice, writes and mentors young leaders. Presently, Melody works with the Kaska Nation in British Columbia and the indigenous Leadership Initiative in support of advancing Indigenous led-conservation efforts like Indigenous Conserved and Protected Areas ( IPCA’s) and the Indigenous Guardians movement, ‘Land Needs Guardians.’ Melody is an experienced political strategist, policy advisor and facilitator who has served as Chief of Staff to two Premiers in Ontario and the Northwest Territories. She has a law degree, international NGO and United Nations experience and has lived and worked in the United States and Africa.

Sophie Pierre 

Sophie Pierre was born and raised in ʔaq'am near Cranbrook, B.C., and has lived there all her life. Pierre served as the elected chief of ʔaq'am, formerly known as the St. Mary’s Indian Band, a member of the Ktunaxa Nation for 26 years, and Ktunaxa Nation Council’s tribal chair for 25. Among her defining accomplishments was the transformation of a residential school, where she studied as a child, into the renowned St. Eugene Mission Resort. She was appointed chief commissioner of the B.C. Treaty Commission in 2009 and received the Order of B.C. in 2002 and the Order of Canada in 2016.

John Watson 

For two and a half years John Watson was the Head of the Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat in the Privy Council Office where he served as the Secretary to the Cabinet Committee on Aboriginal Affairs. He was formerly the Regional Director General of Indian Affairs, in British Columbia, and also directed the management of regional federal organizations responsible for labour market and training programs in both British Columbia and Ontario and the delivery of immigration programs. He was educated in Political Science at Carlton University and is a previous recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Head of the Public Service for his work related to the successful negotiation of the Nisga’a Treaty. He is the former chair of the Pacific Council of Senior Federal Officials. He retired from the federal public service in May of 2006 and is in private consulting practice with an impressive roster of clients.

Executive Director

Kamana Bikadi

Born in raised in her community, the Lil'wat Nation, Kamana has been the Executive Director of the Scholarship Fund since 2015. Currently a Senior Trust & Client Operations Officer at FNB Trust, the First Nation Bank of Canada's wholly owned Trust Company, she serves a portfolio of clients all working towards the common goal of long-term generational prosperity. Supported by the Scholarship Fund prior to 2015 during her studies, Kamana is passionate about supporting the next group of students accessing financial support to use towards achieving their educational goals.