Dr. Jim Morin
President and Chair
Dr. Jim Morin joined the Board in 2017 and was elected President and Chair on September 2018. He is Metis with Ojibway ancestry and has been involved with Indigenous education starting with the Institute of Indigenous Government in 1998 and later with Langara College. More recently with BCIT, he delivered the Aboriginal Minerals Training Program in communities across BC and Yukon and Indigenous-related courses at BCIT from 2005 to 2017.
Carlos Calao
Treasurer
Carlos is an instructor and past Chair of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). He spent over 20 years in various management roles with two large Canadian Financial Institutions, where he delivered financial results while adhering to high corporate social responsibility standards. At KPU, he loves inspiring others to embrace the notion of life-long learning; not as a “flavour of the month”, but rather as a means of conducting one’s life in a way that adds value to themselves, clients, and companies.
Gary George
Secretary
Gary hails from the Bulkley Valley in the Telkwa/Smithers/Houston/Burns Lake region of North-central British Columbia. He holds a BA degree from University of Northern BC (UNBC) in Prince George, Professional Development Program Certificate (POP) and Master’s in Education (M.Ed) from Simon Fraser University. Gary believes that he was raised in one of the “nicest places in the world”, and often tells people in the Lower Mainland that “if you haven’t seen Northern BC, you haven’t seen BC.”
Dr. Julia Murphy
Director
Dr. Julia is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey. Before that she was at the University of Calgary. She has worked in Maya communities in Mexico over the last 30 years and written about women’s issues and community development challenges.
Dr. Helene Irving
Director
Dr. Helene is retired from her career as a Director with the Public Service Commission of Canada, during which she has visited and worked in many northern Indigenous communities in Canada. She celebrates her Huron ancestry by learning and studying Indigenous languages. Currently, she is a Doctoral candidate doing research within the Leadership in Indigenous Languages Revitalization in the Education Program at SFU.
Bevii Wynn
Director
Bevii Wynn joined the board in 2021 with much enthusiasm to become involved with the vision of SOTCS in supporting the needs of Aboriginal families. She has attended courses in Aboriginal studies from NVIT Merritt, Elder College Delta, Justice Institute of British Columbia New Westminster, and Native Bible Centre InterAct Ministries of Canada.
She has extensive involvement in many areas of volunteerism which include Food on the Corner Downtown Eastside, Community Building Ministry Tsawwassen First Nations, Stephen Minister Caregiver Delta, facilitator for a Native 12 step Outreach Program Kamloops, Crown Counsel Victim Service Worker Kamloops, as well as support services to many in family trauma, domestic abuse, and visitations to those in incarceration.
Employment with the Secwepemc First Nations gave her the opportunity to build close relationships with colleagues and friends which allowed for not only learning about First Nations culture but to be able to interact and experience it. Today this translates into being a strong advocate in the promotion of reconciliation.