Staff

Staff

Treaty Commission staff come from a wide range of backgrounds and specialize in a number of areas. Click on the photos below to learn more about our team.

Dan Gill
Director of Funding

Dan joined the Treaty Commission in 2002. He is the Director of Negotiation Funding and manages the negotiation support funding that enables First Nations to participate in the BC treaty negotiations process. He monitors compliance with the funding agreements, including annual financial reporting. Dan has an undergraduate economics degree and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia. As a commercial lender with Toronto Dominion bank, he worked in Vancouver, Victoria, and Toronto. Dan has also worked as controller and band manager for Nl'aka'pamux and Secwepemc First Nations in the southern interior of BC.

Mark Smith
General Counsel & Director of Process

Mark joined the Treaty Commission in 2001. He manages the advisors and is directly responsible for process and communications initiatives. Mark provides legal, political, and strategic policy advice on a wide-range of treaty-related and Aboriginal rights issues.

Mark leads complex facilitations on overlapping and shared territory discussions and is involved in dispute resolution processes. He works directly with First Nations to find Nation-led resolutions, and consults on governance-related matters. Mark assisted the Treaty Commission with its submission to the United Nations, which was endorsed in Final Report of the 15th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

A graduate from the University of Alberta Law School, Mark was called to Alberta Bar, and is currently a member of the Law Society in British Columbia. Mark has focused his career on Aboriginal law and First Nations issues. Mark previously was a sole-practitioner, and has practiced Aboriginal and environmental law with the firm of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He is completing a Master of Laws at the University of British Columbia focusing on First Nations legal issues. 

Sashia Leung
Associate Director of Process

Sashia joined the Treaty Commission in September 2012. In her role, she facilitates treaty negotiations, manages and orangizes forums, and leads special projects including: First Nations governance initiatives, ratification processes, communications, community engagement, and capacity-development. She also assists with complex facilitation to support nation-to-nation engagement on First Nations overlap and shared territory discussions. Sashia has worked at the international level at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Rights (UNPFII), supporting the UNPFII Expert Members and the Treaty Commission on matters related to the promotion and protecting of Indigenous rights and title, and implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Sashia has over 10 years experience working with Indigenous communities in BC and is proud to be both Wet'suwet'en and Chinese from Wiset (formerly Moricetown), BC.

She holds a BA in political science with a concentration on First Nations studies from the University of British Columbia. Sashia was a member of the 2018 Banff Forum, and member of the 2017 Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference. She served on a variety of boards and committees, and currently serves on the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology Board of Governors.

Tenisha Williams
Office Coordinator

Tenisha joined the BC Treaty Commission in 2011. Prior to her employment at the Treaty Commission she worked for the Public Service Commission of Nova Scotia, Capital District Health Authority and ExxonMobil Canada in administration, human resources, and special projects. In 2007 Tenisha graduated from Eastern College with an advanced human resources management diploma excelling in compensation, benefits management and employee relations. In 2010 she became a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) joining the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations.

Odette Wilson
Communications Advisor

Odette joined the Treaty Commission in February 2015. She is currently working on an MA in intercultural communication from Royal Roads University, and holds a BA in sociology and Indigenous studies from the University of Victoria. Odette is chair of Urban Ink Production's board of directors, past chair and current board member of Full Circle: First Nations Performance, and a 2014 alumni of the Province of BC's Aboriginal Youth Internship Program (AYIP). Odette is Coast Salish from Musqueam, Kwakwaka'wakw from Mamalilikulla, and Irish.

Lakshmi Lochan
Process Advisors

Lakshmi joined the Treaty Commission in September 2016. In her role she facilitates treaty negotiations and assists with public education and information initiatives in support of BCTC’s mandate. Lakshmi has worked as a program and research analyst for Canadian Heritage, and with immigrants and refugees with REACH Community Health Centre.  She completed her BA at Simon Fraser University in anthropology and sociology, and is currently completing her Masters of Public Policy at SFU. 

Angel Grenkie
Receptionist

Angel joined the Treaty Commission in May 2016 as Receptionist. Prior to working at the Treaty Commission, she worked in the hospitality industry as an assistant manager. Angel is a member of the Wet'suwet'en Nation in northern BC. 

Nancy Wong
Funding

Nancy Wong joined the Treaty Commission in July 2003 as the Funding Analyst. Nancy is a member of the Certified General Accountants. Previously she held positions in the retail, private, and municipal government sectors.

Address

700-1111 Melville Street
Vancouver BC
V6E 3V6
604 482 9200

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