Program StaffAdvisors / Knowledge KeepersSteering CommitteeCampus PartnersCommunity Partners

Core Team (Staff & Students)

Alina Fisher

Alina Fisher

I am honoured to live and work on the territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən & WSÁNEĆ Nations. I am happy to join the Living Labs team to help with account management, including payments, invoices, and reporting. I am the Research Manager…
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LyndseyJoseph

Lyndsey Joseph

Program and Research Developer ÍY, SȻÁĆEL SIÁM. TE,TES,ȾE ŦE NE SNÁ ĆSE LÁ,E SEN EṮ LEQEṈEN. My name is Lyndsey Joseph, I am Lekwungen from the Songhees First Nation, and I currently reside in Tsawout. I have completed my diploma…
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Jessica Joseph

Jessica Joseph

Jessica Joseph Arts and Community Engagement Programmer eyʔ skʷéčəl I’m Jessica Joseph from the Songhees Nation. I align myself with cultural restoration and art, and I’m inspired by plants and traditional stories. I started working…
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DesireeJones

Desiree Jones

WSANEC School Board Senior Language Apprentice/Living Lab-WSB Staff Liaison ÍY, SȻÁĆEL SIÁM NE SĆÁLEĆE. ESE Desiree Jones ĆSE LÁ,E SEN EṮ W̱SÁNEĆ. My name is Desiree Jones, I am from W̱SÁNEĆ territory and Pauquachin First…
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Chelsea Thomas

Zarya Thomas

Education & Curriculum Colloborator I am a Canadian-Afro-Caribbean-Celtic mom of four unschoolers with deep gratitude for the traditional territories of the Quw’utsun peoples on which I currently live, work and play with my family.…
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Maeve Lydon

Program Director Greetings! As an uninvited guest, I am honoured to live and work on Coast Salish territories. I am the daughter of Irish immigrants from Galway, (another wild west coast) in Ireland. Over the past 15 years, I have been focused…
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Jam

Jam Ramjattan

Engagement and Support Jam is an educator, community worker, & lover of tacos. He graduated with a B.A. Justice Studies at Royal Roads University. He recently completed his M.A. research on the Pedagogy of Space: Deconstructing Colonial…
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WSANEC & PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ Team – Liasions

Kyle Clarke

Kyle Clarke

Education Coordinator Kyle is of Ukrainian, Irish, and Métis ancestry who grew up on the W̱SÁNEĆ territory. Recently, Kyle graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Studies. He…
Esther Morris

Esther Morris

WSANEC School Board, Executive Assistant Hi, I’m Esther Morris from Tsartlip First Nation, and I work with the WSANEC School Board as the Executive Assistant. My role with Living Lab is to help coordinate the WSANEC School Board engagement;…
Sarah-Jim

Sarah Jim

Stewardship Coordinator I am a member of the W̱SÁNEĆ nation from the Tseycum village and have been working with PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ since 2018 and with the Living Lab Project since 2019. Living Lab and PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ allow me…
Judith

Judith Lyn Arney

PH Ecosystems Director I grew up in the beautiful forests, beaches, and meadows of the W̱SÁNEĆ homelands. I‘m an ethno-ecologist of British ancestry doing ecosystem restoration work. My role with Living Lab is supporting “on the ground”…

Songhees Team/Liaisons

Kristely-Kelly

Kristely Kelly

Director of Education Songhees Nation
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Ellie-Dion

Ellie Dion

Songhees Nation Education Liaison I am grateful to be part of the Songhees Nation Education Team as the new Education Liaison. My name is Ellie Dion; I’m Quebecoise and grew up in Wabanaki Territories. My spouse is Lkwungen, Quw’utsun and…
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Esquimalt Team/Liaisons

MayaHamel

Kaeli Dyer

Bio Coming Soon.
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MayaHamel

Maya Hamel

Esquimalt Nation, Program Supervisor Hello, my name is Maya Hamel. I was born in Hefei, China. I was adopted and brought to Canada, where I grew up on Treaty 7 territory in Calgary, Alberta and moved to Victoria 7 years ago. I am grateful…
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Advisors (Elders / Knowledge Keepers)
Leslie Brown

Leslie Brown

Professor Emeritus, UVic School of Social Work I am a Great-Grandmother and University of Victoria Professor Emerita, who has a life-long passion for community-based research and Indigenous child and family wellbeing. The Living Lab embodies…
child-kaleb

Kaleb Child, Musgamdzi

Principal of the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Secondary School  Bio Coming Soon!
Shelly-Niemi-

Shelly Niemi

Director of Indigenous Education School District 61 Bio Coming Soon!
BuddHall

Budd Hall

Settler / UVic Professor Emeritus - UNESCO Chair in Higher Education
Butch-Dick

Butch Dick

LEKWUNGEN, Songhees Nation
Frank-George

Frank (Bangus) George

LEKWUNGEN, Songhees Nation
JohnElliott

John Elliott

WSANEC / UVic Honorary Doctorate, TSARTLIP Nation
LornaWilliams

Lorna Williams

Lil‘wat / St’at‘yem’ Nation, Professor Emerita / Faculty of Education & Canada Research Chair - Indigenous Knowledge & Learning
EarlClaxtonJr

Earl Claxton Jr.

WSANEC / PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ - TSAWOUT Nation
MavisUnderwood

Mavis Underwood

Research and Planning Advisor I am proud to be invited to the Living Lab Project. As a past IGOV scholar, I pressed for improved curriculum in our professional schools of law, health, education and social development to counter the colonizing…
Nicholas XEMŦOLTW̱ Claxton

NICHOLAS XEMŦOLTW̱ CLAXTON

Academic Director of Living Lab, UVic School of Child & Youth Care I work with UVic as an assistant professor in the Department of Child and Youth Care. I am also a W̱SÁNEĆ community member and past Chief of the SȾÁUTW̱ (TSAWOUT)…
JohnHarris

John Harris

Indigenous Education Elder & Indigenous Knowledge Facilitator SD61 ’Uy’ skweyul, I am an Indigenous Educator and member of Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo) First Nation, working in the Greater Victoria School District’s Indigenous Education…
RuthLyall

Ruth Lyall

Indigenization Coordinator, Camosun College Nugwa’am ɁIxcəmga. Gayutɫan lax Gwa’yasdams. My Kwaḱwala-given name, Ixcəmga, was given to me by my Coon family, from the village of Gwa’yasdams, of the Kwiḵwa̱sut̓inux̱w…
Renee Sampson

SXEDTELISIYE – Renee Sampson

WSANEC School Board Bio Coming Soon!
TyeSwallow

Tye Swallow

Adult Education Facilitator WSANEC Schoolboard I am a Facilitator for Language Revitalization with the W̱SÁNEĆ School Board. My interest in being involved in the Living Lab work revolves around helping transform educational structures to…
TriciaRoche

Tricia Roche

UVic - HSD Development Officer After a decade of experience in youth-focused research at UVic, I now work as a Development & External Relations Officer in the Faculty of Human & Social Development. I find congruence between the values…
ErichKelch

Erich Kelch

PARKS CANADA - Sea Gardens Project Manager My name is Erich Kelch, and I was born in Lekwungen territory/Victoria and now live on PKAALS/Mt. Tolmie/District of Saanich. I am of German and English descent and feel connected to the people and…
DorotheaHarris

Dorothea Harris

Office of Indigenous & Academic Community Engagement, Indigenous Initiatives Coordinator. Director, Indigenous University Initiatives. My family is from Snuneymuxw First Nation, and I am a grateful visitor on the Lekwungen, W̱SÁNEĆ…
Heather Castleden

Heather Castleden

UVic Academic Co-Leads Professor and Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health Hello! My name is Heather, which is the name given to a flowering evergreen plant that thrives on the peaty barren lands of Scotland,…
Darcy Matthews

Darcy Mathews

,
Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Studies, UVic. UVic Academic Co-Leads I am an Archaeologist and Ethnoecologist working primarily via UVic with the Songhees Nation. We are working collaboratively at Tl’ches (Chatham/Discovery…
Nicholas Stanger

Nicholas Stanger

Western Washington University - Research / Environmental Education ​​I work as an associate professor of environmental education at Western Washington University. My research uses an educationalist lens and participatory techniques to understand…
John Taylor

John Taylor

Professor, UVic Biology  
NancyShackelford

Nancy Shackelford

Academic Director of the Restoration of Natural Systems Program, UVic I am a native Texan, having settled here in the beautiful lands of the Lekwungen peoples in 2020 to take on the position of Academic Director of the Restoration of Natural…
kathysanford

Kathy Sanford

Professor, UVic Education / Curriculum Instruction & Teacher Training My focus is on educational transformation in schools and teacher education programs, community partnerships, authentically integrating Indigenous ways of learning and…
JeanPaulRestoule

Jean Paul Restoule

Professor, UVic Education / Director of Indigenous Education Boozhoo! I am Anishinaabe from Dokis First Nation, and French-Canadian from what is currently called Ontario. I am a grateful visitor on Lekwungen territory. I’m a Professor and…
Murphy-Matt

Matt Murphy

Associate Professor, Sustainability & Strategy, School of Business, UVic My name is Matt Murphy and I am grateful to live and work, as an uninvited guest, on the WSÁNEĆ and lək̓ʷəŋən territories. I am originally from Comanche…
RuthLyall

Ruth Lyall

Indigenization Coordinator, Camosun College Nugwa’am ɁIxcəmga. Gayutɫan lax Gwa’yasdams. My Kwaḱwala-given name, Ixcəmga, was given to me by my Coon family, from the village of Gwa’yasdams, of the Kwiḵwa̱sut̓inux̱w Nation.…
John Lutz

John Lutz

Professor, UVic History I teach and study the history of the Greater Victoria area as well as British Columbia more generally at the University of Victoria and have written a book on the history of Indigenous-settler relations: Makuk: A New…
Matt Huculak

Matt Huculak

UVic Library / Director of Digital Commons Staff As Head of Advanced Research Services at UVic Libraries, I love connecting people with information and digital tools to do the work they love. I am passionate about teaching and learning and…
Kristian Dubrawski

Kristian Dubrawski

Professor, UVic Eng & Geog / Canada Research Chair in Rural & Indigenous Water Monitoring Professor As an Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering and Geography at UVic, I specialize in water sustainability, and study built and natural…
Natalie Baloy

Natalie Baloy

Associate Director of Transboundary Initiatives, Western Washington University. I live with my young daughter and partner on Lummi and Nooksack lands and waters in Bellingham, Washington. I grew up in the US Midwest and moved to the Salish…
Crystal Tremblay

Crystal Tremblay

UVic Community Engaged Scholarship - Special Advisor to Provost I have been a visitor on the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples territories for over 16 years, originating from Quebec with French-Canadian, Irish, Scottish and German ancestry.…

Rhianna Nagel

UVic Community Engaged Learning Coordinator As a coordinator for Community-Engaged Learning at UVic, I am keen to connect community and students in endeavours that support learning and community. The Living Lab is an essential network for connecting,…
Darcy Matthews

Darcy Mathews

,
Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Studies, UVic. UVic Academic Co-Leads I am an Archaeologist and Ethnoecologist working primarily via UVic with the Songhees Nation. We are working collaboratively at Tl’ches (Chatham/Discovery…
EsquimaltFN

Kalie Dyer

Esquimalt Nation, Education Director  
Derek-Shrubsole

Derek Shrubsole

Teacher, Oak Bay Highschool As a science teacher at Oak Bay High School, I strive to focus on providing students with an engaging and hands-on learning experience. With place-based learning, I can bring my students to the Bowker Creek ecosystem…
PeterPare

Peter Paré

ṮEṮÁĆES Climate Action Project I am an emeritus Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of British Columbia and a Clinician Scientist at St Paul’s Hospital and the UBC Center for Heart Lung Innovation. I…
Deb Morrison - small

Deb Morrison

Islands Trust, TETACES, University of Washington I am Deb Morrison, a climate and anti-oppression activist, scientist, learning scientist, educator, mother, locally elected official, and many other things besides (www.debmorrison.me). My…

Bruce Kilpatrick

Communications Advisor I’m honoured to be part of the Living Lab team and to support the important work it does. In late 2020, I retired from my 26-year role as the executive director of communications + marketing and director of communications…

Soren Henrich

Chair of the Friends of Bowker Creek I am a founding director of the Friends of Bowker Creek Society (2018) for urban watershed renewal. I am interested in collaboration with the Living Lab project, and am a partner signatory for NSERC and…
Joachim (Yogi) Carolsfeld

Joachim (Yogi) Carolsfeld

Director of World Fisheries Trust I am grateful to have spent over 25 years working from Lekwungen territory in environmental education, environmental research, and international development as leader of the non-profit World Fisheries Trust.…
UVic Living Lab Project sculpin mystery

Morgan Black

Marine Biology Educator / Ph.D Student My name is Morgan Black.  I was born in central BC, and have been a grateful resident of Vancouver Island since I was two years old.  I was a naturalist from a very young age and developed a strong…
Melisa Yestrau

Melissa Yestrau

Actua, Network Member Leadership and Development Coach I grew up spending summers at my grandma’s farm in rural Manitoba. My love for the natural environment was influenced by my grandma, as she had a deep understanding of plants, animals…