Jennifer Forbes, Chair
Vancouver Aboriginal Transformative Justice Services Society
Jenna Forbes is a proud Indigenous woman with roots in the Gitksan, Tsimshian, and Haida Territories of BC. Jenna is the Executive Director with the Vancouver Aboriginal Transformative Justice Services Society (VATJSS) and has now been in this role for 1.5 years. Prior to this role, she was the Senior Justice Advisor for 8 years. In her current position as Executive Director, Jenna uses traditional Indigenous Transformative approaches to support community members in conflict with the law. Primary services at VATJSS include Alternative Measures, Support for Indigenous Community Members in Provincial Community Corrections, Homelessness Prevention, Self Sufficiency, Law Education, and various crime prevention projects. As well as being Vice Chair for USF, Jenna also volunteers as a Board of Director for Aboriginal Community Career Employment Services Society(ACCESS), Metro Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Executive Council (MVAEC) and she is the assigned Representative for the Aboriginal Housing Steering Committee (AHSC) at the Metro Vancouver Homelessness Partnership Strategy.
Ross Ramsey, Vice Chair
Ross specializes in improving the performance of organizations. His public and private sector career throughout Canada and the US for the past 35 years has focused on board governance, healthcare, foundation development and organizational effectiveness. He held senior government positions in Nova Scotia, Manitoba (CEO of a Crown Corporation) and Alberta. He was also President and CEO of a private family foundation in BC before entering private practice as an organizational effectiveness consultant.
Ross served as Chair of the Board of two national organizations: Community Foundations of Canada (1998-2002) and the Canadian Addictions Foundation (1980-1981). Other contributions include: Director, Centre For Sustainability; Advisor, Kakawis Family Development Centre; Member, Youth Advisory Committee, Vancouver Foundation; Director, Rediscovery International Foundation; Native Alcohol Abuse Program Regional Advisory Board (Prairie);
Olivia Jim, Director
Olivia Jim has been employed with Helping Spirit Lodge Society for the past 17 years, working her way up the ranks to the position of Executive Director for the last 5 years. Helping Spirit Lodge Society provides shelter and safe housing for Indigenous women and men in the Metro Vancouver area. Olivia is originally from Moricetown, B.C formally known as Witset (Wet'suwet'En First Nations- belongs to the house of the rafters). Olivia has been active in helping youth, children and families in the Downtown Eastside and in Metro Vancouver. She brings with her a wealth of experience and knowledge as a USF Board member.
“I am looking forward to being a part of the Urban Spirit Foundation as it plays an important integral role in our Urban Indigenous Community serving youth who need the extra help to further education.”
Susan Tatoosh, Director
Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society - Executive Director
Susan is of Shuswap ancestry and a member of the Hupacaseth First Nation of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Territory. For the past 35 years, she has been actively involved in community work in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Susan’s volunteer work has been at all levels — community, municipal, provincial and national — serving on boards, committees, task forces, panels and at round table discussions. She is currently the Executive Director of the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre. She has worked with the federal government via the Northern Native Development Corporation, the K’ensu Development Corporation and Indigenous Personnel Services. As well, she has represented numerous Indigenous and non-Indigenous civic organizations, including: the Urban Native Indian Education Society, the Urban Native Youth Association, Aboriginal Community Careers Employment Services Society and the YWCA, among many others. Susan was recognized for her over-30 years of voluntary contributions to the community when she received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
Stewart Anderson, Secretary-Treasurer
Manager Community Investment – Indigenous Partnerships
Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (Vancity)
Stewart is a community banker with Vancity (Vancouver City Savings Credit Union) one of the largest member owned financial organizations in Canada. His mandate at Vancity is to broaden and deepen the Credit Union's involvement with Indigenous communities in and beyond the traditional territory of the Coast Salish people where Vancity is located. Working in the financial services sector for the last 20 years, Stewart has a strong background in economic development, project finance, and corporate lending, as well as a keen awareness of the importance of relationship building. His clients have included First Nation Governments, Indigenous and First Nations Development Corporations, Indigenous Social Service agencies, and First Nations/Private Sector Joint Ventures. Stewart is active in the East Vancouver community where he lives, and serves on the boards of a number of community and arts organizations.
Samantha Singbeil, Director
FortisBC - Manager, Indigenous Relations
At FortisBC, Samantha leads a team of dynamic leaders to implement FortisBC's Statement of Indigenous Principles. Alongside her team, she leads consultation, negotiation, and community investment. She is also passionate about implementing the organization’s Socio-Economic Impact program, which provides pathways and supports to local, Indigenous and underrepresented groups to achieve employment, contracting, and community development benefits from FortisBC’s Major Projects.
She has extensive experience in the utility industry, focused on education, training, and communications, but the thread that ties all these disciplines together, and what she loves most, is relationship building. Sam has a BA in political science and sociology and an MA international & intercultural communications.
With her husband, and 2 daughters, and gigantic dog, Eva, she calls the traditional and ancestral territory of the Hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking peoples, including Tsawwassen and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), home.
Carrie Humchitt, Director
Carrie Humchitt comes from the Heiltsuk Nation and is currently the Executive Director of the Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society (VAHS). In addition to ACCESS she is also an Executive Board Member of the Metro Vancouver Aboriginal Executive Council (MVAEC) and a Board Member at large with the First Nations and Aboriginal Primary Care Network (FNAPCN). Carrie graduated with honours from the School of Criminology and has a BA in Law from UBC and previously was a practicing lawyer for many years. VAHS operates under a culture of care model in the Downtown Eastside and Carrie strongly believes that culture and trauma informed care is integral towards healing for First Nations peoples.