Our Team
Sləqsit , Steven Stark
President
Steven Stark is a Tsawwassen First Nation, business owner and an avid fisherman and crabber that has been involved in various environmental studies along the Salish waterways. Preservation and sustainability of the Salish Sea and a balance with development has always been key to the well-being of his community. As a frequent advisor to various levels of government and NGOs, Steven has been a tireless champion in advocating for policies and processes that take into account indigenous knowledge and support Indigenous interests and communities. As a founding member of SSIGA, Steven seeks practical solutions that break the cycle of continual disadvantage faced by so many First Nations when it comes to development decisions and environmental assessments.
Xwopokton, Chief Harley Chappell
Spaləl̕, Tumia Knott
Vice President
Harley Chappell is the elected chief of Semiahmoo First Nation in South Surrey, BC.
He currently serves as a coastal indigenous representative on the Fraser Basin Council, a Board Member of the Shared Water Alliance, and a Director for the Emergency Planning Secretariat.
Since his election in 2016, Harley has introduced several initiatives to revitalize and protect Semiahmoo’s sacred waterways. As a founding board member for the Salish Sea Indigenous Guardians Association (SSIGA) he is seeking to ensure that indigenous voices have a key role in guiding industrial development and government processes and that First Nations are well equipped and resourced to properly engage in policymaking.
“It is an honour to work in partnership with our neighbouring communities to development SSIGA.”
Treasurer & Secretary
Tumia has served as a Council member for Kwantlen First Nation for over the past two decades and has been involved in leading a variety of government, land, economic, and resource self-determination initiatives and program development on behalf of Kwantlen during this time. Tumia is a practicing lawyer, and has also provided a role as in-house legal counsel for Kwantlen First Nation on various matters. She currently spends most of her time with Kwantlen involved in lands and resources issues on behalf of the Kwantlen community, and is passionate about protecting indigenous rights and title interests and developing meaningful relationships that promote opportunities to ensure a Kwantlen voice in decisions affecting Kwantlen territory. With the Kwantlen Chief and Council, she has been involved in several recent partnership initiatives with local First Nations in areas of shared territory and highly values this unity, collaboration and collective capacity growth. She is honoured to be a part of the establishment of SSIGA with neighbouring Nations and is excited for the important and needed work of SSIGA going forward to ensure the rightful place of indigenous voice and perspective to decisions and processes impacting traditional territories and resources.
Executive Director
Marian specializes in innovative and progressive approaches in the field of government relations – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. Honing in on rationales for processes– if the status quo does not allow for needs to be addressed, she works to develop partnerships and solutions that do. Marian has previously worked in both government and industry. With the latter, she was part of the core team at Woodfibre LNG that worked with Squamish Nation in the establishment and enforcement of the first-ever Indigenous-issued environmental certificate.
