Dr. Kevin Kemball

Tim's Bio

Tim Patterson was born Morris Coutlee who is a member of the Lower Nicola Indian Band that belongs to the Scw̓éxmx (“People of the Creeks”) a branch of the Nlaka’pamux (Thompson) Nation of the Interior Salish speaking peoples of British Columbia Canada. Tim grew up in Revelstoke where he began his passion for mountains. Tim developed Zuc’min Guiding by combining his Academic, Indigenous and Guiding knowledge together to advance Indigenous Knowledge of the mountains.

Zuc’min Guiding

Philip's Bio

Philip Hoffman (he/him) is an arthropod biodiversity technician at the Northern Forestry Centre in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, AB), Treaty 6 Territory. He specializes in spider and beetle identification. He is passionate about sharing knowledge and being involved in research with the goal of preserving and protecting Mother Earth. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, biking, fishing and skateboarding.

Northern Forestry Centre

Keyara's Bio

Keyara Carifelle is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation located in Northern Alberta. Keyara is a recent alumnae from the University of Alberta with a bachelor of arts in Native Studies and a minor in Political Science. Currently, Keyara is an Assistant Implementation Officer for the Federal Government in Northern Forestry.

Keyara’s roles are to assist with grants and contributions for The Indigenous Forestry Initiative Program, as well as deliver Indigenous Knowledge to federal employees through our Knowledge Exchange Program and our Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Program. Keyara is grateful to work alongside the Elder-in-Residence, and many other Elders throughout Turtle Island in helping to braid Indigenous Knowledge with Western Sciences, while providing Cultural competency training.

Northern Forestry Centre

Sithara's Bio

Sithara Fernando is a pioneering force in STEM, challenging conventional norms and advocating for diversity within environmental careers. As a woman of colour and a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, she brings a unique perspective to our panel.

Sithara has worked in a variety of Environmental roles in both the Public and Private sectors. She is currently the Academic Program Manager of STEM Programs at NorQuest College assisting students to find careers in Environmental Technology, Energy Management and Machine Learning. Sithara is also a supporter of the 1000 Women for STEM scholarship, which assists females to enter non-traditional STEM fields.

NorQuest College