S3 | Ep.6 | Wayne Wallace and Vickie Whitehead

The Mysteria Podcast

Wayne Wallace is a descendant of the Wolastoqey Nation and a member of the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation with First Nation and French family roots in northwestern New Brunswick. After acquiring a Bachelor of Education from the Université de Moncton and a Law Degree from the University of Ottawa, Wayne began a career as a federal public servant with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada where he spent 22 years working with First Nations in the context of Band governance, Specific Claims and treaty negotiations. Throughout his public service career, he gained valuable leadership competencies and skills as well as experience in negotiations, consultations, conflict resolution, establishing and maintaining partnerships, providing strategic advice, program and policy development, managing interdepartmental and intergovernmental files, financial and human resource management – to name a few. From May 2017 to May 2021, as part of the Interchange Canada program, Wayne worked with the First Nations Health Authority as an Executive Advisor. During this period, Wayne supported, amongst other projects and initiatives, the organization in its response to the 2017 BC wildfires crisis; co-led the planning, development and delivery of the First Nations Primary Care + Mental Health and Wellness Summit, and; led work in support of the urban and away-from-home population including the research and development of the FNHA’s Urban and Away-from-Home Health and Wellness Framework which launched in October 2020. On May 3 2021, Wayne joined permanently the FNHA as the inaugural Director, Urban and Away from Home and looks forward to continuing to support the health and wellness of all First Nations people in BC, including the urban and away-from-home population and the broader Indigenous population. Vickie Whitehead is a Director, Indigenous Services at Crowe MacKay LLP. She is driven by supporting and working with Indigenous communities in meeting their goals by sharing her education and experience. She has been doing this work for over 25 years in BC and across Canada. Her speciality is in Indigenous financial management and Trust advisory services. The majority of her early career was at the Government of Canada at Indigenous Services Canada in the British Columbia and National offices in various financial and management related roles. Vickie is Cree Métis, and volunteers on the following boards: Treasurer of the Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society, board member of Aboriginal Finance Officers Association Canada. As well, she receives honorarium as a board member of a BC First Nation’s Finance and Audit Committee, per their Financial Administration Law. She is the recipient of the 2018 CPABC distinguished services award for her volunteer work with Indigenous organizations. Vickie completed her Masters of Business Administration in the spring of 2012, holds a CPA, CGA, designation, and is a Certified Aboriginal Finance Manager (CAFM). She enjoys time spent with her extended family, her husband Campbell and son Kurtis, hiking in the BC forests, reading, and playing scrabble.