Ainjil Hunt

Ainjil Hunt, Principal Owner, is a leading change strategist, speaker and international facilitator. As owner of Transformation since 2004, Ainjil has seen success in developing the Transformation business model to parallel social and economic development in First Nation communities, organizations and businesses. Ainjil is Kwakwak’wakw from the Namgis First Nation as well as Tlingit from Alaska. Ainjil has a Bachelor degree in Social Work, and certificate in Public Sector Management and Indigenous Governance from the University of Victoria. Ainjil is a certified language technologist in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and Time Line Therapy. Ainjil is a Masters Degree Candidate in Policy and Practice from the University of Victoria and is currently completing her Masters Degree in Business Administration from SFU School of Business. Ainjil serves on the board of the Industry Council for Aboriginal Business.

Cecilia Point

A member of the Musqueam Nation, Cecilia Point is a political activist who stood for 200 plus days protecting her nation’s ancestral burial site from development in 2012. Since then she has taken part in countless political actions advocating for human rights and the environment. Cecilia has also dedicated many years to cultural preservation in the field of Aboriginal cultural and eco tourism. She currently holds the position of Controller for the Aboriginal Tourism Association of Canada. She is a facilitator for reconciliation workshops with the Bright New Day organization, and has been designated a public speaker for her nation. She holds a Certificate in Business from UBC, supplemented with courses in First Nations studies, including hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (the Musqueam language).

Jennifer Johnstone

Jennifer Johnstone, President & CEO with Central City Foundation since 2006, has an extensive background in non-profit management and community resource development, including experience as a fundraiser, marketing and communications manager and non-profit executive for more than 19 years.

Jennifer has held key leadership positions with organizations such as the Vancity Community Foundation, Battered Women’s Support Services, the Vancouver Status of Women, and Ballet British Columbia, Canada’s pre-eminent contemporary ballet company, where she focused her efforts on building a sustainable non-profit dance company grounded in artistic excellence and community relevance. Jennifer began her career in the non-profit sector as the founding program coordinator with the Whistler Centre for Business and the Arts in the late 1980’s. Jennifer has also maintained a successful private consulting practice in fundraising, organizational and strategic planning, and workshop facilitation and is an instructor in the Fundraising Certificate Program in the Faculty of Business at BCIT. Jennifer holds a BA Hons. in political science from Queen’s University and pursued graduate studies at the Institute of Soviet and East European Studies and in Women’s Studies at Carleton University.

Jennifer remains passionately committed to social justice and community investment and, throughout her life, has served as a volunteer in many capacities with various organizations at the local, provincial and national level. She is a founding member of the Vancouver Women’s fund and most recently has served on the Boards of the Alliance for Arts & Culture, Battered Women’s Support Services, Yaletown House Foundation, Westcoast LEAF and the Aurora Institute. She also volunteers as a trainer with the Leadership Development Program of Volunteer Vancouver.

Jennifer Mackie

Is of Carrier Nation on her mother’s side (Tl’azt’en and Nak’azdli) and Scot on her father’s side. Jennifer completed graduate studies in the Community Health Science program (MSc) at the University of Northern British Columbia in 2012. After working for the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health at UBC for a few years, she returned to school and was accepted to the Peter A. Allard School of Law’s JD Program in September 2017 where she will specialize in Indigenous Legal Studies Program. She continues to live, work and play as an uninvited guest on the the beautiful and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples.

Rachel Des Lauriers

Rachael has been a vibrant member of the service and events industry in Vancouver for over 20 years. From event production and management to business development and team leadership, she has solid skills and experience in a wide range of areas. But it is her warm, enthusiastic personality and the humour she brings to her interactions that make her most memorable. Making strong connections on every level is important to Rachael and that commitment to community building shines through in her work. Rachael is excited to be joining the board of BWSS.