MANAGER OF TRAINING, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS
(Black River First Nation)

Tina Gillanders

Tina (she/her) is an experienced leader, facilitator and knowledge bridge-builder, with Reconciliation at the heart of her work. For over 16 years her career has primarily focused on Indigenous engagement throughout BC with experience working for provincial government, post-secondary institutions, industry, and First Nations.

She is a proud member of both Black River First Nation in Manitoba on her mother’s side and Ross Clan in Fife, Scotland on her father’s. Tina brings a unique and refreshing perspective on how to bridge worldviews and incorporate both the Calls to Action from the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into her work. As the President and CEO of her consulting company, Sweetgrass & Thistle, and along with her volunteer work on the UNBC Childcare Centre Board and the School District 57 Indigenous Education Advisory Committee to name a few, she is actioning her passion to help build a more meaningfully engaged and culturally aware future.

Tina grew up in BC’s Lower Mainland and has spent most of her adult life in Northern BC, primarily in the Traditional Territory of the Lheidli T’enneh. As an Indigenous female raising two daughters, she ensures she honours the findings in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Report in her life and work. She holds a bachelor’s degree in First Nation Studies, Certificates in Traditional Environmental Knowledge, and Métis Studies and will be completing her Master of Arts in Natural Resource Management in 2023.