Who We Are
Board of Directors
Brodie Guy – Chair
Provincial Appointee
Brodie has served in executive roles with Indigenous and public funds investing where he’s led teams investing in landscape-level stewardship, Guardian programs, habitat restoration, conservation (IPCAs), and sustainable development throughout British Columbia. Currently, he is the CEO of Island Coastal Trust working towards its transformation as the first regional development organization in Canada that is co-governed by First Nations and local governments.
Brodie is grateful to serve as a director of the Indigenous-led national charity The Circle on Philanthropy, as a Canadian Commissioner on the US/Canada Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission, as a director of Comox Valley Project Watershed, and as a grants working group member for B.C.’s Watershed Security Fund. Previously, Brodie was the long-serving CEO of Coast Funds, one of the world’s largest Indigenous-led conservation finance and sustainable development funds. Brodie holds a Chartered Director designation from McMaster University and a B.Comm from the University of Victoria. He and his partner Jessica are grateful to be raising their children in the beautiful ancestral territory of the Pentlatch, E’ikʷsən and K’ómoks people, known today as the Comox Valley.
Alicia Woods- Vice Chair
Blueberry River Appointee
A local to the Peace Region for 38 years, Alicia Woods has spent her career as a wildlife biologist working in the northeast BC. Alicia has worked both in the consulting field and as a government biologist, and now runs her own company, focussing on wildlife research and habitat restoration. Alicia has experienced firsthand the degradation of the region due to industrial development. She is passionate about restoring ecosystems to support wildlife populations. Alicia has a unique skillset and experience in the use of prescribed fire for the restoration and enhancement of wildlife habitat. Alicia managed the Peace-Liard Prescribed Burn Program in her role as a government biologist between 2011 and 2015, and now leads prescribed burn programs to enhance Stone’s sheep habitat and sharp-tailed grouse habitat in the northeast. Working with Wildlife Infometrics Inc., Alicia led the start-up of the Klinse-Za Caribou Habitat Restoration program, which has grown into a herd-wide restoration program.
Tom Either – Secretary / Treasurer
Provincial Appointee
Tom Ethier had a diverse career in the BC Government Public Service. Working in roles such as Provincial Biodiversity Specialist, Okanagan Regional Fish and Wildlife Section Head, Provincial Director of Fish and Wildlife, Chief Treaty Negotiator, Assistant Deputy Minister, and Deputy Minister allowed for a broad range of responsibilities and experiences.
After a 30-year career in the Public Service, Tom chose to retire but continues to stay active through part-time consulting work focused on environmental and community-related initiatives.
Tom holds both a master’s and bachelor’s degree from the University of Victoria. Currently residing in Victoria on the territory of the Wsanec and Songhees First Nations with his wife Geneen, Tom appreciates and acknowledges the importance of Indigenous territories and cultures. Tom has three grown children whom he and his wife visit whenever possible.
Kashtin Apsassin
Blueberry River Appointee
Kashtin Apsassin is a member of the late Edward Apsassin Family. He is Glen Apsassin’s son. He is a member of BRFN and is deeply passionate about the well-being and future of the nation culturally, ecologically, economically, and more.
He has lived off-reserve all of his life, but was raised visiting both Doig and Blueberry River First Nations. His passion for reconnecting with his culture started in 2018, and he continues on that journey today.
Kashtin works has worked as a public servant since 2021. As a public servant, he works to increase the number of underrepresented entrepreneurs that export, with a focus on supporting Indigenous-owned businesses.
Kashtin received his Masters of Global Business from the University of Victoria in 2021, and his Bachelor of Commerce in International Business from Macewan University in 2019. He and his partner currently live in Edmonton, AB.
Trish Balcaen
Provincial Appointee
Since 2021, Trish Balcaen has dedicated her time to family forestry and ranching businesses in Vernon, B.C. She also leads a part-time consulting practice to advance reconciliation efforts.
Trish has had a 35-year career in both BC public service and industry. She joined the BC Public Service in 2004 and worked with the Ministry of Forests and Range, Integrated Land Management Bureau, Environmental Assessment Office, and the Ministry of Energy and Mines. She was appointed as Chief Negotiator in 2015, and the Assistant Deputy Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation in 2018. She served in the ADM role until 2021. Prior to joining the public service, Trish was the general manager of a log harvesting company where she was also active in ranching and land development businesses.
Sherry Dominic
Blueberry River Appointee
Sherry Dominic is a proud member of the Blueberry River First Nations and a descendant of the Dane-zaa people, with Beaver as her native language. A devoted mother to two sons, Austyn Adekat and Kayden Pyle, Sherry has spent all 55 years of her life in Blueberry River First Nation.
Her leadership journey began in December 2005 when she was first elected to Blueberry River First Nations Council, serving until 2011 and returning in 2013. Since 2017, under the Nation’s custom election code, she has represented the Davis Family in a four-year term.
Deeply connected to the land and her cultural traditions, Sherry enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and practicing traditional skills such as making dry meat during the moose harvest. She also has a passion for traveling. Sherry joined the Board of the Blueberry River Restoration Society in February 2023. Her involvement with land stewardship dates back to 2015 when the Nation initiated its legal challenge on the cumulative impacts of industrial activity. As a board member, her goal is to contribute to the healing and restoration of the land, ensuring future generations can continue to practice their Treaty Rights and maintain their connection to the territory.
Staff
