Indigenous Human Resource Conference
2025 Speakers
Barbara Joe, AFOA BC
President
Barbara began her career as a Registered Social Worker in the 1980’s, then started a computer consulting business. Recognizing the need for technology and finance she began Certified General Accounting courses leading to a Certified Aboriginal Financial Manager designation.
Barbara began working for the Sechelt Band in the 1990’s as a coordinator for an employment program while studying accounting and was soon promoted to the full time position of Chief Financial Officer, a role she filled until 2005. In 2006 ready for a new challenge, Barbara agreed to return as the Chief Administrative Officer and continued in that capacity up to 2014.
Currently Barbara is now delivering training and consulting services in Financial Management and Governance, sharing her experience from working for a self-governing First Nation for many years and building management capacity with staff and elected officials.
Barbara is of Kaska Dena heritage, daughter of Martha Shorty, granddaughter of Yanima from Lower Post, BC. She has 3 grown children, Ashley, Sarah and Lakota.
Brett Christie, Aon Insurance
National Casualty Risk Consulting Leader
Brett is the National Casualty Risk Consulting Leader for Aon Global Risk Consulting. He leads the development and growth of Aon Canada safety/health, fleet, premises liability and physical security consulting services. Brett has 30 years of experience in risk control and almost 2 decades of service at Aon. Brett focuses on identifying and developing customized risk control solutions for Aon clients large and small. With a focus on both Property and Casualty risk control, and specialty focus such as occupational health and safety services, Brett works with clients to mitigate risk, preventing potential losses from occurring and/or minimizing such losses, which can correlate to reduced insurance premium costs.
Candice Loring, Genome BC
Director of Indigenous Relations and Initiatives
As Genome BC’s Director of Indigenous Relations and Initiatives, Candice Loring K’wiloo’km N’kwala is working to advance the national Indigenous innovation ecosystem. Candice is also an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Management at UBC Okanagan. She previously held the role of Senior Advisor, Indigenous Relations & Initiatives in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Mitacs.
As a proud member of the Gitwangak band from the Gitxsan Nation in Northern British Columbia, Candice’s passion for small businesses and entrepreneurship, along with her background in business management, has allowed her to expertly guide and support hundreds of organizations through collaborative innovation projects.
Candice has a Bachelor of Management degree from UBC Okanagan with a minor in psychology and an Executive MBA from SFU Beedie School of Business. She also sits on numerous boards including the Indigenous Tech Circle, Minerva Foundation, and Jim Pattison Centre Board of Directors.
In 2021, Candice was recognized as one of Canada’s most inspirational women entrepreneurs and business leaders by Canadian SME Small Business Magazine for her economic development work in Indigenous communities. She is a Ch’nook scholar scholarship recipient named Kelowna’s 2022 BDO Top 40 Under 40. Candice was also named UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Management Alumni Builder Award recipient in 2023.
Garry Bedi, Eckler Ltd.
Compensation Consultant
Garry Bedi is an accomplished compensation consultant with four years of experience that includes supporting clients with job evaluation, job architecture, compensation market review, and salary structure design. His work spans diverse industries across Canada and Southeast Asia, where he has developed and implemented compensation strategies tailored to varying organizational needs. In addition to compensation, Garry worked in the Employee Engagement and Experience space in a corporate support function role as well as in his consulting roles.
Holding a bachelor’s degree in commerce with a focus on organizational behavior and human resources, Garry combines his academic background with practical expertise to address complex compensation challenges. His approach integrates both analytical and strategic perspectives, ensuring solutions that align with industry standards and organizational objectives.
Glen Stratton, Ascent Employment Law
Associate
Glen is an associate lawyer at Ascent Employment Law, advising and representing both employers and employees on a broad spectrum of workplace matters, including wrongful dismissal matters, employee misconduct and dismissals, investigations, employment contracts, human rights, and workers’ compensation matters.
Glen is an Anishinaabe gay man from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and is passionate about offering pro bono and volunteer services to the communities he represents to advance social change.
Glen earned his Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto. He also serves as a Director of the CBA SOGIC subsection.
Gordon Penner, HUB International
Account Executive, Employee Benefits
Gordon Penner brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his client’s employee benefits needs. As Sales Leader Employee Benefits at HUB International, he is responsible for overseeing the strategic development and execution of comprehensive benefits programs designed to enhance employee well-being and drive organizational success.
Gordon is a seasoned professional who is deeply committed to ensuring that employees have access to competitive and impactful benefits that meet their diverse needs. He possesses a keen understanding of the ever-evolving landscape of employee benefits, staying abreast of industry trends and best practices to deliver innovative solutions that support both the workplace and the bottom line.
Throughout his career, Gordon has demonstrated a proven track record of success in designing and implementing cost-effective benefits strategies that optimize employee satisfaction and retention. He is known for his collaborative leadership style, fostering strong relationships with internal stakeholders, external partners, and vendors to drive alignment and achieve organizational goals.
Jennifer Hufnagel, Hufnagel Consulting
Principal, AI Educator & AI Readiness Specialist
Jennifer brings over 25 years of professional experience with a focus on corporate training, instructional design, facilitation, business analysis, and system and process improvement. She has spent the last 2 years honing her skills in the AI space, and leading AI Training on Vancouver Island. Specializing in LLMs and ChatGPT. To date Jennifer has delivered training presentations to 1000+ users in person or online (to a worldwide audience). She is a sought after speaker on AI delivering sessions at VIEA, RIEP, COO Alliance, WeBC, AWE and a facilitator with the New School of Fundraising.
She has had the privilege to hold corporate roles at some of the top companies in Canada. As a Learning & Development Specialist at 1-800-GOT-JUNK? (now O2E), Manager of Training & Franchise Support (Men in Kilts) and Learning & Development Consultant (Frogbox). Additional roles include working at QuickMobile (CVENT), Qtrade (Senior Advisor Training Specialist), as a Senior Training and Enablement Specialist and a Sales Enablement Training Specialist at Hootsuite. Her audiences have ranged from internal teams, entrepreneurs, franchise owners and operators, to international enterprise Fortune 100/500 companies including Walmart, Whirlpool, KPMG, Intuit and VISA.
As the General Manager of Innovation Island, she co-created the DER3 program successfully scaled to 1500+ business in British Columbia. She worked directly with chambers, nations, community future offices, and economic development agencies.
She holds Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurship from the University of Victoria, training and instructional design certifications from the BCIT, VCC and Langevin Learning. She is also a certified AI Futurelab Mastermind Trainer and recipient of the Nanaimo Chamber Women in Business Award for 2025.
Nick Calla, White Raven Consulting
Founder
Nick Calla is the Founder of White Raven Consulting Ltd. and a long-time resident of North Vancouver. With over 25 years of experience in insurance, employee benefits, and group retirement planning, Nick brings deep industry knowledge and a strong commitment to personalized service.
As a proud member of the Squamish Nation, Nick is passionate about supporting Indigenous organizations and building capacity through fair, sustainable, and culturally aligned benefits and pension solutions. Through White Raven, he is dedicated to improving the financial well-being of the communities he serves—while also creating a workplace that attracts and retains meaningful talent.
Nievelina Carmona, MNP
HR Consultant
Nievelina is a member of MNP’s Consulting Services team in Vancouver. Nievelina brings more than a decade of human resources experience in First Nations communities to her role.
As an Indigenous woman, she understands how important it is for all organizations, particularly First Nations, to enrich their human resources practices with their culture. Nievelina’s goal is to help organizations create inclusive and respectful workplaces that honor and celebrate the diversity of Indigenous cultures. She is passionate about building bridges of understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples to promote understanding, collaboration, and success.
Nievelina earned a Diploma in Indigenous Community Development and Governance from the University of Victoria in 2020, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Thompson Rivers University in 2024, and a Train-the-Trainer Certificate in Cultivating Safe Spaces.
Reena Paul, Eckler Ltd.
Compensation Consultant
Reena provides direct project management and advisory services on compensation and total rewards-related engagements.
Reena brings a decade worth of experience to Eckler in all areas of total rewards. She has experience leading client-focused projects and larger team initiatives, including annually run national compensation and HR practice surveys. Her focus includes board remuneration and executive and workforce compensation, including market benchmarking, analysis, and salary structure design.
Before joining Eckler, Reena was a senior total rewards practitioner with direct oversight in leading national compensation surveys and client projects of numerous cross-sectors/industries and complexities.
Reena is passionate about compensation, and her rigorous, detailed analysis drives the delivery of key insights and the presentation of thoughtful, well-articulated total rewards communications and messaging. Through consultative guidance and partnership, Reena is committed to achieving holistic total rewards outcomes for her clients. Her client portfolio includes indigenous organizations spanning across Canada, credit unions and other private and broader public sector organizations, allowing her to tap into diverse perspectives.
Reena is a Certified Compensation Professional and Global Remuneration Professional. Reena has compensation and total rewards certification through WorldatWork where she is also a featured contributor. In addition, Reena has completed courses in Human Resources Management.
Richard B. Johnson, Ascent Employment Law
Co-Founder and Partner
Richard is a founding partner at Ascent Employment Law and a seasoned workplace lawyer with nearly 20 years of experience. He advises both employers and employees on all workplace legal matters including employment, labour, and human rights issues with a focus on resolving issues in a practical, efficient, and fair manner. Richard combines strategic legal insight with an empathetic, people-centered approach to workplace challenges.
In addition to his legal practice, Richard leads workshops and trainings on topics such as workplace discrimination, bullying and harassment; workplace investigations; effective management and respectful leadership. Richard is also a proud Director with the Lawyers Assistance Program of British Columbia.
Ryan St. Germaine, Indigenous Tech Circle
Founder & CEO
Ryan St. Germaine is a seasoned entrepreneur, AI strategist, and advocate for Indigenous leadership in technology. As the Founder & CEO of the Indigenous Tech Circle, he established Canada’s largest Indigenous-led tech network, fostering growth, collaboration, and innovation among over 350 Indigenous founders, leaders, and changemakers. Now Board Chair of the Circle’s non-profit, he leads a 100% Indigenous board focused on strategic vision and impactful programming.
With a career spanning HRTech, EdTech, AI-driven insights, and social recruitment, Ryan has co-founded and led companies like BCjobs.ca and Jobcast to successful exits. His expertise includes AI, product development, marketplace innovation, and purpose-driven community building. As an Executive in Residence with Foresight Canada, New Ventures BC, and Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, he mentors founders on AI, scaling ventures, and community-driven impact. Known for building resilient tech ecosystems, Ryan empowers Indigenous professionals by connecting them to capital, mentorship, and growth.
Sebastian Chern, Ascent Employment Law
Associate
Sebastian is an associate lawyer at Ascent Employment Law with a practice focused on employment, human rights, and workplace law. He provides strategic and practical advice to clients navigating a variety of workplace issues, including claims involving wrongful dismissal, unpaid wages, discrimination, workers’ compensation, and restrictive covenants.
Born in South Africa, Sebastian moved to Vancouver at a young age. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia before attending law school at the University of Victoria. He currently serves as VP External for the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers, supporting the advancement of the Asian Canadian legal community and promoting diversity and inclusion in the profession.
Sharon Hummel, CPA BC
Associate Director
Sharon Hummel is the Associate Director of Employer Relations and Talent Development at the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC), where she has proudly contributed for nearly a decade. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of British Columbia and a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University.
With close to 20 years of experience in higher education, Sharon is deeply committed to supporting individuals in realizing their personal and professional potential. Her diverse background spans student recruitment, advising, admissions, program management, stakeholder engagement, and marketing communications.
In her current role, Sharon leads a dedicated team that bridges the gap between employers and the CPA community. Together, they provide essential resources and guidance to help employers confidently hire, support, and develop both current and future CPAs. Sharon is especially passionate about fostering inclusive connections and empowering CPAs at every stage of their career journey.
Wendy Ham, AFOA BC
Executive Director
Wendy Ham joined AFOA BC as their Executive Director in 2019. Wendy is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Certified Aboriginal Finance Manager. She also holds a certificate in First Nation Tax Administration through the TULO Centre of Indigenous Economics and Thompson River University. Prior to her role at AFOA BC, Wendy was the Finance Manager and Tax Administrator for Sumas First Nation for 7 years. She has been a member of AFOA BC since 2014 and was part of the team at Sumas First Nation who received a Best Practices Award from AFOA BC in 2017.
Wendy’s experience in finance and administration is long and varied as she has worked in the post-secondary education and not-for-profit sectors. She is a firm believer in life-long learning and is happy to bring her experience, knowledge and curiosity to her current role and is honoured to work with all the First Nations in BC.