Nisga’a Valley Health Authority Board
The NVHA Board of Directors is comprised of elected representatives from Gitlaxt’aamiks, Gitwinksihlkw Laxgalts’ap, Gingolx, Local Health Area No. 92 (Nisga’a Rep), and an appointed representative from Nisga’a Lisims Government. The Board meets monthly and operates according to a governance model.
Roberta Stewart, BA, MBA
Nisga’a citizen, Gingolx, BC, BOD from Oct 2020
Email: robertastewart22@outlook.com
Roberta is honored to serve the Nisga’a Nation in the capacity of health governance. She brings educational achievements, governance and senior management experience to this role. Her working knowledge of the Nisga’a Lisims Government, Village Government, and past experience within Nisga’a Valley Health enhances decision-making and identifying priorities for chronic health, mental health and socio-economical needs. In addition to supporting team efforts on major projects, negotiating government funding, she also initiated family therapy services directly within the community to address family violence, and establishing worksafe policies to instill respectful workplace environments and procedures to address bullying, harassment, and sexual assault.
She values collaboration, organizational improvements, strong policies, financial accountability, and achieving strategic benchmarks. Roberta’s interest is to enhance organizational improvements through performance proficiencies that enriches the services and programs to the Nisga’a citizens and people residing on Nisga’a Lands. She is LaxSgiik, from the House of Kwaaky’aans.
Kirby Azak
Nisga’a citizen, Vancouver, BC, BOD from Oct 2020
Email: Kirby.azak@outlook.com
Hello, my name is Kirby Azak. My parents are Chester (Haymaas) and Audrey Moore. My husband and I have 4 daughters and 10 wonderfully loud and fulfilling grandbabies, with one more on the way. I have lived away from Gitwinksihlkw for 20 years. My formal education is in First Nations Administration and I have worked with FN organizations for over 30 years.
My skills are in program development and my recent experience is in working for FNHA as the Eligibility Manager for FNHA’s Health Benefit program. I have experience working with Indigenous Services Canada (Health Canada), Jordan’s Principle and with NLG Eligibility Deptartment.
My goal as a Board Member is to help NVHA in developing a culturally sensitive, robust and transparent Nisga’a Health Benefits program, and improved service standards to meet the needs of the Nisga’a Nation.
Jeannie Morgan, PhD
Nisga’a citizen, Vancouver, BC, BOD from Nov 2022
Email: jeannie_morgan@sfu.ca
I hold a PhD in Sociology from the University of British Columbia and my work specializes in the examination of federal and provincial policies focused on health, economy, and social inequalities and how these shape the experiences of First Nations communities. I bring over 20 years of experience of working with First Nations communities in the public and private sector. I am a qualitative researcher who focuses on ensuring that the values and priorities of Indigenous communities are incorporated into the research design, methods, and analysis.
I serve on national research committees and renowned research centers, and am becoming increasingly recognized as a leader and expert resource in my fields of research. I am currently a member of the Canadian Institute of Health Research’s (CIHR) Indigenous Health Peer Review Committee and have recently been invited to become a member of CIHR’s College of Reviewers based on my expertise in gendered experiences of Indigenous Health. On this committee I have reviewed applications for funding for projects focused on Indigenous health from researchers located across Canada.
I am an Affiliate Faculty member of the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE), a research center affiliated with the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. CGSHE has a mandate to “advance gender & sexual health equity among under-serviced populations in BC, Canada, and globally through three pillars: research, policy and practice. These pillars incorporate community-based, clinical and population health research, policy evaluation, implementation science and education.” I am an active affiliate faculty member at CGSHE, and my Indigenous community-based research and service commitments directly contribute to its strategic mandates to incorporate research, policy evaluation, and implementation in order to advance health equities for under-serviced populations internationally, nationally, and locally.
Joe Gallagher
Tla’amin Nation, Vancouver, BC, BOD from Nov 2022
Email: joe@qoqoq.ca
Kwunuhmen, is from the Tla’amin Nation. He brings over 30 years’ experience working with Indigenous peoples in the areas of health, governance, community and economic development, business development, intergovernmental affairs and treaty negotiations. Most recently, Joe was the founding CEO for the First Nations Health Authority in BC where he was a key leader in the work to address health inequities faced by First Nations people. This is done through the establishment and implementation of the one of a kind in Canada, First nations health governance partnership for all BC First Nations with the provincial and federal governments.
Joe previously spent just over 10 years as the technical lead and then Chief Negotiator for the Tla’amin Nation. During that time the land selection process for what would be the treaty lands were an essential part of the negotiation process and provided the opportunity to determine lands for consideration that would provide future and lasting benefits to the Tla’amin Nation.
Joe is currently the Vice President, Indigenous Health & Cultural Safety with the Provincial Health Services Authority and owner of Qoqoq Consulting Ltd., an independent consulting practice focused on improving the quality of life for Indigenous peoples through providing executive level leadership to Indigenous and non-Indigenous Institutions.
Andrea Reid, PhD
Nisga’a citizen, Gitlaxt’aamiks, BC, BOD from Nov 2022
Email: andreajanereid@gmail.com
Dr. Andrea Reid is a citizen of the Nisga’a Nation, a descendant of the Gisk’aast (Killerwhale) clan, with her paternal family coming from Gingolx (daughter of Patrick Stewart, granddaughter of Phyllis Stewart). She was raised, however, on Epekwitk (Prince Edward Island) by her mother and brothers, and now lives in the Nass River Valley, in Gitlaxt’aamiks, with her spouse, John-Francis Lane. Dr. Reid works today as an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Fisheries at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia. There, she is leading a new unit – the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries – committed to a future where fish, people, and place all thrive together. Intergenerational, land-based, and relational approaches are all central to Dr. Reid’s research, teaching, and service, with biannual land-based learning camps with Gingolx youth being a highlight of her spring and summer breaks.