Board & Staff

Andrew John, BA(Hons), JD, is a Mi’kmaq lawyer from Miawpukek First Nation in Newfoundland. Andrew was born and spent much of his formative years in Miawpukek raised by a single parent. Since May 2023 Andrew has held the position of General Manager for the community overseeing 10 different departments and several Arm’s Length business entities. Andrew is originally from the community of Miawpukek and spent several years as the Nation’s in-house legal counsel as Director of Justice and Legal Affairs advancing indigenous rights and restorative justice in the Province. Prior to working with his home community Andrew spent time in Nova Scotia working for the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq tribal organization and attended law school and articled in the Province through the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Ku’tawtinu: Shared Articling Initiative. Andrew continues to advocate on behalf of his community and to advance the position of his band on both a provincial and federal level; and seeks to better the community in which he was raised and continues to raise his children in. Andrew’s work with First Nations Major Projects Coalition has been to advocate on behalf of his Nation to participate in a liquid natural gas project, and later as a part of renewable hydrogen projects, as an equity partner while also advocating for the recently passed Indigenous loan guarantee program along with other First Nations across the country. Andrew would welcome the opportunity to work as a part of a fantastic national team to better position all First Nations across Canada to take ownership of their own natural resources and to work collaboratively with industry to create better futures for us all.

Dillon Johnson has been providing community, economic and financial planning advice and services to First Nations governments and organizations for over a decade as a consultant with Temixw Planning. Dillon is a member of the Tla’amin Nation, where he is serving his fifth term as an elected member of Council. He proudly carries a Tla’amin name, toqʷanən (toh-kwon-non), which is a former village site and a place of significance in Tla’amin territory. He is an MBA graduate from the Richard Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario) and has a BCom from the University of Victoria. Dillon also holds the Certified Aboriginal Financial Manager (CAFM) designation from the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada, and he serves as the Vice-Chair of the First Nations Financial Management Board.

Sharleen Gale has served as the chair of the board of directors for the First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) since 2017, overseeing a tremendous period of growth for the organization in which she has carried FNMPC messages on the economic inclusion of First Nations to the regional, national, and international stage. As an experienced community leader, Sharleen was elected to the council of Fort Nelson First Nation, serving 15 years with 8 of those years as Chief.

She is the grand-daughter of Fred Burke and Madeline Needlay. Her roots run deep in the lives of her people and she enjoys being on the land with her family exploring the territory and teaching her son the traditional ways on the lands and how to hunt, fish, and gather medicines and berries.  

Sharleen’s experience as a community leader is furthered by her corporate experience in in the oil and gas, renewable energy, and forestry sectors. During the 2020 Global Pandemic, Sharleen served the Province of BC as a member of the Premier’s Economic Recovery Task Force. In 2023, she was appointed to serve on the Canada Electricity Advisory Council. In 2024, Sharleen was appointed to serve as the Indigenous member of the International Energy Agency’s Global Commission on the People-Centred Energy Transition.   

Sharleen is a receipent of the King Charles III Coronation Medal awarded to her in recognition for her dedication to public service and leadership in economic development.

Jacqueline French has completed her first year on the FNMPC Board. She also sits on the Policing Program Committee at Fanshawe College. She recently held two-two-year terms as the Chief Councillor in her community of Chippewas of the Thames-Ontario, also know as Deshkan Ziibing. During this time Jacqueline, was able to establish a relationship with Hydro One, with a strong focus on transmission lines, relationship building, and community inclusion. This work led to an established 50-50 First Nations-Hydro One partnership with a focus on equity, procurement, and revenue. Prior to becoming Chief, Jacqueline was in office for four years as a Councillor in her community and held portfolios in education, social and health. She was appointed to a community Trust that was created to manage Clench Fraud Land Claim settlement. Prior to being an elected official, Jacqueline worked for 11 years as an advocate for families and children involved in the Child Welfare System

Chief Priscilla Mueller has dedicated six years of service as a board member with FNMPC. She also serves on the board for the Carrier Sekani Family Services, Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, and is a member of the Chiefs Committee on Jurisdiction of Children and Families. She is the Chief Councillor of Sak’uz First Nation for her second four-year term. Prior to being an elected official, she worked as an Aboriginal advocate and support worker for School District 91 for 16 years. She was instrumental in the development of the proposed Healing and Treatment center at Tachic Lake. She also organized the first healing fire in Prince George for homeless off-reserve First Nation and non-First Nation people which is now a monthly event.

Darrell Beaulieu was appointed President and CEO of Denendeh Investments  Incorporated (DII) and Denendeh group of companies in October 2005. DII is the General  Partner of Denendeh Investments Limited Partnership (DILP) which holds investments on  behalf of all the NWT Dene First Nations in Mineral Exploration, Communications  Infrastructure Logistics, Power Generation and Supply, Food Supply and Real Estate. He  also serves as President and CEO of Denendeh Development Corporation, a not-for-profit  corporation whose members are the 27 Chiefs of the Dene Nation. DDC owns 50% of  the NWT Metis Dene Development Fund, which provides developmental lending to NWT  businesses.

Mr. Beaulieu served one term as Councillor and three terms as Chief of the Yellowknives  Dene First Nation. He is a founder and past President of De’ton Cho Corporation from  1990 to 2000 and served as CEO from 1997 to 2002. He was also President and Director  of Denendeh Development Corporation from 1995-1997 and served on the Boards of  Northland Utilities Enterprises Ltd., Northland Utilities (NWT) Limited and Northland  Utilities (Yellowknife) Limited from 1995-1998, and was reappointed to those boards again  in 2006. He is a founding Director and served as President of De’ton Cho Diamonds Inc.  from 1998 to 2002. Mr. Beaulieu was Co-Chair of the Mine Training Committee from 1996- 2004. He also served on the NWT-Nunavut Chamber of Mines from 1998-2001 and was  re-appointed in 2015.

From 2005 to 2019, Mr. Beaulieu served as a Director and Chair of the Northwest  Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation (BDIC). Since 1998, he  has served as Chair of the Akaitcho Business Development Corporation, and from 2003  to 2019, was a Director of the NWT Law Foundation.

In 2015, he was appointed as a Director of Indspire (formerly known as the National  Aboriginal Achievement Foundation), elected as a Director to the Canadian Council of  Aboriginal Business and appointed to the Northwest Territories Mining Industry Advisory  Board. Since June 2017, he is a member of the External Advisory Committee for the

University of Calgary, School of Public Policy and also the Canadian Northern Corridor  (CNC) program, a multi-year research and outreach program run by the University of  Calgary, School of Public Policy. In 2019, Mr. Beaulieu was appointed as the  Spokesperson of the NWT Indigenous Leaders Economic Coalition, and Chair of its

Investors Committee. He represents the Coalition on the GNWT Business Advisory  Council. In 2021, he was asked to serve on Northwestel’s Community Advisor Board and  on ATCO’s Indigenous Relations Advisory Committee. Mr. Beaulieu is the recipient of  the 2016 Skookum Jim Award from the Prospectors and Developers Association of  Canada (PDAC), for exceptional Aboriginal achievement in the Mineral Industry.

Prior to 1988, Mr. Beaulieu was employed/self-employed in various aspects of mineral  exploration in the NWT. He was born and raised in Ndilo (Yellowknife) where he resides  with his wife, Cecilie Beaulieu. They have four sons, a daughter, a grandson and three  granddaughters.

Joe is Nisga’a/Tshimshian and a member of the Kitselas First Nation. Joe is currently a Chief Executive Officer of Gitga’at Development Corporation. Joe has 30 years of experience transforming financial management at First Nations administration, businesses, and societies.

Joe’s community leadership includes being Chief of Kitselas First Nation (2013-19) and serving as a director for several entities including the Tsimshian Tribal Council, the First Nations Finance Authority, and the AFN’s First Nations’ Economic Roundtable. He is a governor of the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, an External Advisory Committee member for BC Indigenous Procurement Initiative, and working on the final MBA course (Management Consulting) at Royal Roads University.