Alanna Syliboy
Culture, Education and Engagement Manager
Angie Gillis
Executive Director
Angeline Gillis, BA, LLB is a proud Mi’kmaw woman and member of Eskasoni First Nation. Growing up outside her community in East Bay Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Angie grew up surrounded by her family and her culture. She remains grateful as her unique upbringing gave her the strength and ingenuity to pursue her education. She is an alumni of Dalhousie University, and obtained her LL.B from Schulich School of Law and was called to the Nova Scotia Bar Society in June 2010.
Angeline is a practicing lawyer and has worked with The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM) since October 2011. In 2013, she became the Director of Environment and Natural Resources after successfully establishing several environmental programs for CMM’s Member Communities.
In 2019, Angeline was appointed by The CMM Board to be the organization’s Associate Executive Director. Making her to be the first woman to hold this position in the organization’s history, and in the largest tribal council in the east. Within this role, she provides oversight and guidance to all CMM’s departments, over a hundred staff, numerous files, projects, and services offered to eight (8) Mi’kmaw communities in Mainland Nova Scotia.
Angeline’s career has been primarily focused on the inclusion of traditional knowledge and modern science. She is passionate and unrelenting in creating real, measurable progress in the priorities that matter most to her organization’s communities.
Angeline sits as an advisor for the Assembly of Nova Scotia Chiefs’, Dalhousie’s Board of Governors, Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management External Advisory Board, the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) Board of Directors, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster Board of Directors, Natural Resource Canada’s Departmental Audit Committee, and the Indigenous Centre of Cumulative Effects Management Board of Directors.
Austin Hepworth
Program Officer - Sports, Recreation & Physical Activity
Brittany Julian
Jordan’s Principle Service Coordinator - Sipekne'katik
Cathy Irving
Accounts Receivable & Fisheries Administrative Assistant
Chelsey Whalen
Species At Risk Project Coordinator
Cheyla Rogers
Jordan's Principle Service Coordinator - Glooscap, Annapolis Valley, Acadia, Bear River & Surrounding Areas
Cody Boutilier
Nuji Kelo'toqatijik Earth Keeper Network Coordinator
Danielle Crosby
DARFM Student
Dr. Donald M. Julien
Director Emeritus
Executive Director of The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq for the past 28 years, Dr. Julien is also a Mi’kmaw historian and human rights advocate. With over 40 years researching and documenting Mi’kmaw history, Donald shares his knowledge and experiences through speaking engagements, university lectures and research papers. Donald is a Member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Nova Scotia, which were granted for his work promoting Mi’kmaw history, language and culture. He has also been awarded two honorary degrees from Acadia University and Mount Saint Vincent University.
Donald is a peace time veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces and has served in the United Nations on a peacekeeping tour in Cyprus. He continues work with the Canadian Armed forces in a community advisory role for the RCMP Aboriginal Advisory Group, as well as the Auditor General on Aboriginal matters. He sits on the Advisory Board for Admiral of the Canadian Navy, and he was appointed Honorary Lt. Colonel in 2011. Donald and his wife Diane live in Truro, proud parents of four children, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Donald Julien is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre.
Geordy Marshall
MDCC Language Specialist
Gerald Gloade
Mi’kmawey Debert Cross Cultural Facilitator
Janna MacKay
Director of Health and Social Services
Janna is a member of the Pictou Landing First Nation, living just outside the community with her husband, two huskies (Scout & Luna) and cat (Penny). She is a Registered Dietitian, earning her Bachelor’s degree from St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia and a Master’s degree from University of Stirling, United Kingdom.
Janna brings with her the experiences of working in Indigenous health at federal, territorial, tribal council and community levels. She has worked in a variety of settings, primarily in diabetes and nutrition program management – including working at The CMM as a diabetes community consultant (2011-2014). She has also worked in Inuvik, Northwest Territories (2014-2017), which is a small community over 200km above the Arctic Circle. She most recently worked at First Nations Inuit Health Branch, Indigenous Services Canada as a Community Nutrition Advisor.
She is passionate about food, nutrition, Indigenous health and self-determination. She loves traveling, a good cup of coffee, but most importantly – spending time with her family.
Janna is pleased to be back with The CMM and looks forward to working more closely with the communities and supporting Indigenous community health.
Jessica Metuzals
Capacity Development Team Advisor
Jim Hepworth
CEO, The CMM Development Corporation
Jim Hepworth has over 10 years of experience working for First Nations Communities within the Atlantic Region in the field of community and economic development. He has been with The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (The CMM) since 1995. Before being selected for his position as CEO of The CMM Development Corporation, Prior to being a Senior Director, Jim was responsible for the operation of all programs and services with Tripartite Secretariat and Liaison, Education, Health, MMDC, and Economic Development, before becoming Senior Director, Jim was also the Economic Development Officer at The CMM. Prior to his employment at The CMM he worked at the Canada Employment Centre and Statistics Canada.
Jim holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Human Resource Management and Economics from Saint Mary’s University. Jim is a Certified Human Resources Professional with the Canadian Counsel of Human Resources. Jim Hepworth is a member of the Board of Directors for the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre.
Julien Hepworth
Jordan's Principle Service Coordinator - Pictou Landing, Paqtnkek & Surrounding Areas
Kasey McDermott
CMM Emergency Management Planning Officer
Katelyn Lowe
Cultural Youth Support Worker - Glooscap, Annapolis Valley, Bear River, Acadia & Surrounding Areas
Keaton Fougere
Mi'kmawey Green Communities: Program Manager
Leah Rosenmeier
Mi’kmawey Debert Research & Interpretation Specialist
Lorraine Ferguson
Capacity Development Team (CDT) Training Coordinator
Marie Lachance
Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk Project Coordinator
Marissa Bernard
Cultural Youth Support Worker - Millbrook, Paqtnkek, Pictou Landing, Sipekne'katik & Surrounding Areas
Matt Russell
Field Technician
Melissa Patriquin
Nicholas Dorn
Jordan's Principle Service Coordinator - Millbrook & Surrounding Areas
Sally Duff
Housing Project Manager/ Manager of Community Planning and Development
Selena Denny
Earth Keeper Field Team Lead
Tim Bernard
Executive Director of Mi'kmawey Debert Cultural Centre
Tim Bernard is well known beyond his own community of Millbrook as the Manager/Editor of the Mi’kmaq Maliseet Nations News and Eastern Woodland Print Communications. Employed by The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM) as a Land Claims Researcher from 1988 to 1994, he gained extensive historical knowledge under the direction of Dr. Donald Julien. He now brings his management expertise to The CMM as the Director of History and Culture, and to the development of the Mi’kmawey Debert project.
Tim is the Mi’kmaw co-chair of the Culture and History working committee of the Tripartite Forum as well as a member of the History Month and Treaty Day committees. Through these and other avenues, Tim’s direction affects communities across Nova Scotia. He has set forth and achieved realistic and meaningful outcomes through these avenues, advancing knowledge and appreciation for place names, language growth and retention, cultural resources for educators and the importance of the stories of Elders and others in the communities.
He has served on the task force of the Nova Scotia Heritage Strategy and is regularly involved with overall heritage and tourism sector development. Tim Bernard is a member of the Board of Directors for the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre.
Trina Khattar
Director of Community Services and Infrastructure
Trina is a Mi’kmaq woman and community member of the We’koqma’q First Nation. She is the proud daughter of the Late Keptin Alexander Joseph Michael and Mary Arlene Michael of We’koqma’q. Trina grew up in her home community her entire childhood until she moved to Fredericton NB to attend the University of New Brunswick to obtain her Bachelor of Business Administration Degree. She finished her degree in May 2000 and moved to Halifax to start her family and career.
Trina has extensive experience working in the Atlantic First Nation Communities in several capacities. She worked at Healing Our Nations as Program Manager for eight years, Capacity Development Advisor and Operations Officer at Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation in First Nation Housing for a total of 5 years, and most recently Housing and Infrastructure Policy Analyst at the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nation Chiefs Secretariat.
Trina started as Program Manager for the Community Infrastructure team with the Confederacy of Mainland Mikmaq in October 2019 and have since gained significant knowledge on the housing and infrastructure that our communities currently face. Trina is committed to working with our CMM member communities to co-develop strategies related to but not limited to housing and infrastructure, emergency measures, and solid waste management which are driven by our member communities.
Tyler Sack
Director of Governance
Tyler is from the Membertou First Nation. During his youth, Tyler lived on the Sipeknek’katik First Nation, and considers both Membertou and Sipekne’katik his home Communities.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology from Saint Mary’s University and A Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Guelph. His graduate research was focused on identity-construction, cultural and authenticity, and decolonization.
Tyler previously worked for Membertou as their Communications Liaison as well as a number of student roles such as the Aboriginal Student Advisor, Graduate Student Teaching Assistant, as well as completing three consecutive internships with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Additionally, Tyler is the former Manager of Research and Analytics at Orenda Software Solutions, an artificial intelligence company that uses social medial to measure public perception. Orenda was a regional winner in the Innovacorp I-3 start-up competition in 2015, and later accepted into the IBM Innovation Space, the FinTech Sandbox in Boston, and the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto. Tyler worked for the start-up for five years developing his knowledge of strategic planning, innovation, and taking on various projects related to machine-learning.
Tyler has also volunteered with Digital Mi’kmaq, a curriculum enrichment program designed to introduce and encourage Mi’kmaq students to pursue STEM programs in post-secondary education and related careers.