Leslie Brown, PhD, is a professor emerita at the University of Victoria. She holds degrees in public administration and social work and has built a career on a commitment to community engagement and accountability.

Leslie’s research and scholarly interests are in Indigenous child welfare and governance, housing and homelessness, social innovation and Indigenous and community-based research methodologies. Retired in 2017, she held several administrative positions at UVIC including director of the School of Social Work, associate dean Research in the Faculty of Human and Social Development, advisor to the Provost on Community Engagement and Director of the Institute in Studies and Innovation in Community-University Engagement. Her main teaching area was in the field of research and evaluation methods, particularly community and Indigenous approaches to research and knowing.

Leslie was the founding principal investigator for Siem Smun’eem: the Indigenous Child Wellbeing Research Network of BC and helped develop the Vancouver Island Social Innovation Zone, the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness, Community-Based Research Canada and the Pacific Housing Research Network. She is currently co-chair of The Living Lab Project, a community-university-schools initiative connecting eco-cultural restoration, science education and Indigenous knowledge. She also is treasurer of the Salish Sea Housing Society which is currently building workforce housing on Tsawout First Nations lands.

Joan Axford is a Chartered Professional Accountant with more than 40 years of experience. In recognition of her contribution to the profession, Ms. Axford is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC. Ms. Axford worked in public education finance for most of her career. Her positions included Executive Director of the B.C. Association of School Business Officials, Secretary-Treasurer/CFO with School District No. 63 (Saanich), and Director of School Finance with the Ministry of Education.

Joan is also a past president of the Association of School Business Officials and a recipient of the Larry Ozero Leadership award which recognizes leadership in business administration of public education. Currently, Ms. Axford provides financial and strategic advice to the education sector as well as leadership and governance professional development. Ms. Axford governance background spans over 20 years holding director, trustee, and chair positions with the B.C. Teachers’ Pension board of trustees, Beacon Community Services, and the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. In 2018, Ms. Axford was appointed a director on the board of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation and chair of the Audit Committee.

Lorne Brownsey has spent much of his professional life working to reconcile the interest of the Indigenous people of British Columbia with those of the other British Columbians and Canadians.

For six years he was the Deputy Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation in the BC government. He held several other Deputy positions for the province including Tourism, Sports and Culture and Intergovernmental Affairs. Previously, Lorne held Executive positions in the federal government. Before joining the public sector, he conducted and managed research for the Institute for Research on Public Policy.

Since his retirement from government. Lorne has continued to work in the area of aboriginal relations as a private consultant. He has led numerous successful initiatives having to do with natural resource management and land use planning. Lorne supports a citizen’s network focused on education for Afghan professionals and students who have been exiled from their homeland. He is also on the Board of Directors for the James Bay Neighborhood Association.

Lorne has a bachelor’s degree in political science and Asian studies, and a master’s degree in public administration.

He is a life-long resident of British Columbia.

Bob Chamberlin is an Island-board First nation person who grew up in Nanaimo, British Columbia. He has been the re-elected Chief for his community in Gilford Island since 2005 who accomplished numerous projects to improved the quality of life in his village. Bob excels in navigating and engaging federal bureaucracy, setting and managing budgets, community engagement and making decisions consistent with community direction, and seeking out opportunities to move forward.

He served as the Vice-President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs for 10 years and made presentations to Standing Senate Committees, various authorities and bodies on a wide-range of issues advocating on behalf of the people he represents. Bob dedicated his career to raising awareness about the most urgent democratic, environmental and social issues with a strong belief that a better way forward is achievable.

Dr Sae Hoon Stan Chung is a writer, researcher, and consultant. He was born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Canada. He has written, and spoken widely, in both public and academic forums. He completed his PhD at the University of British Columbia and wrote his dissertation on improvisation, neuroscience, and quantum listening in Pauline Oliveros. He is Senior Advisor at the Ktunaxa Nation Council and former Vice President Academic and Applied Research at the College of the Rockies.

Stan was also Vice President Academic and Research at Red River College and Dean of Arts and Science at Camosun College. He has served as a board member of the Cranbrook History Centre, Aqaam Community Enterprise, and Kakin Development Corp. He is serving his second term as Chair of the BC Arts Council. Stan continues to balance his work and family life.

He is happily married with two adult children. He has lived in Cranbrook, BC on Ktunaxa territory since 2014.

Dan George is a management professional with over 35 years’ experience in organizational and community development. A confident strategic facilitator who assists diverse parties with disparate points of view to respectfully engage by proactively developing mutually beneficial working relationships. He is a highly organized professional with superior leadership skills who brings a genuine passion to the work of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

Carole James served as Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2020. 

She has been recognized for her work and leadership through her many elected appointments, locally, provincially, and nationally, serving in elected roles for over 25 years.

Her public service has included National Democratic Institute Elections Missions in Morocco, Algeria, and Georgia. Ms. James was a Director for Child and Family Services at Carrier Sekani Family Services and Coordinator for Northern Aboriginal Authority for Families.  

Active in her community, she was Chair of the Greater Victoria School Board, President of the BC School Trustees Association, and First and Second Vice President of the Canadian School Boards Association.

Ms. James is an honourary life member of the Vancouver Island Cooperative Preschool Association and the B.C. School Trustees Association, and served as a foster parent for over 20 years for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Robert is managing director with Jawl Properties Ltd, Victoria, BC’s largest owner, manager and developer of commercial real estate. Prior to Jawl Properties, Robert was an associate with the Blackstone Group involved in the firm’s real estate private equity investment initiatives. Earlier, Robert was an analyst in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs & Co.

Robert holds a Bachelors of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters of Science in Sustainable Urban Development from Oxford University. Robert is past chairperson of the Urban Development Institute Capital Region and a past director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association and the Mayor’s Taskforce on Economic Development. Robert is engaged in a range of philanthropic initiatives with a principal focus on youth, education and community wellbeing. Robert lives in Victoria with his wife and two sons.

Lenora Lee is Partner with KPMG LLP. Active in her community, Ms. Lee is a Director of the Government Finance Officers Association of British Columbia. She is also Chair of the Government Organizations Audit and Accounting Forum for the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia. Ms. Lee is a Student Mentor for the University of Victoria. Previously she was a Community Fund and Arts & Heritage Committee Member for the Victoria Foundation. Ms. Lee is a Chartered Professional Accountant from the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Victoria.

Leah Mack is the founding partner of Mack Law Corporation. She has almost exclusively worked for Indigenous clients since being called to the bar in 2007. Her practice is strongly centered on self-determination and Nation building and to do this, she is often travelling to meet with clients in their home communities. This enables her to practice law in a way that reflects and honours a Nation’s unique customs, laws, and traditions.

Born and raised in Victoria, B.C., Leah is a Member of the Toquaht Nation, located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. She received her LLB from Osgoode Hall in 2006 and was called to the B.C. Bar in 2007 and Manitoba Bar in 2024. Leah has served on various boards and is currently a Law Foundation of BC Governor and a member of the Governance and Human Resource Committee at the Victoria Golf Club.

She has lived in the Yukon, Nova Scotia and Ontario and currently resides in Victoria with her husband and their two sons.

Ry Moran is Canada’s inaugural Associate University Librarian – Reconciliation at the University of Victoria. His role within UVic Libraries’ focuses on building and sustaining relationships to introduce Indigenous approaches and knowledge into the daily work of the Libraries and more broadly across the campus community.

Mr. Moran came to this position from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation hosted by the University of Manitoba. Prior to the NCTR, he served with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. On the TRC’s behalf, he facilitated the gathering of nearly 7,000 video/audio-recorded statements of former residential school students and millions of pages archival records.

His life-long passion for the arts and music continues to be an important part of his life as he continues to write and produce original music. Mr. Moran is a distinguished alumnus of the University of Victoria and was awarded a Meritorious Service Cross by the Governor General.

Mr. Moran is a proud member of the Red River Métis.