Our Team

Ms. Ellen Simmons is a PhD Candidate with the University of British Columbia – Okanagan, in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences.  She is also an Instructor in the Department of Environmental Resources Technology with Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in Merritt, BC. Previously she has worked with the En’owkin Center, Penticton Indian Band (PIB) and FORREX (Forum for Research & Exchange in Natural Resources) in the capacity as the Indigenous Knowledge Exchange Liaison.  Her work has been diverse as an educator and consultant, that ranges from working with wildfire impacted First Nations communities throughout BC as well as accumulating a diverse range of field work with a focus on habitat restoration for species at risk.

Ellen brings forth over twenty years of experience within the environmental/conservation sector offering a unique skill set that communicates the necessity of including Indigenous scientific knowledge alongside Eurocentric approaches in Natural Resource practises. She holds an MSc. in Environmental Sciences and a BSc. in Forestry (UBC Vancouver). She is Swampy Cree (Saskatchewan) and of Polish descent.  Additionally, she sits as a Board Director for the Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance, an advisor to the Toronto Dominion Friends of the Environment Foundation and the First Nations Council of Advisors to the Dean of Forestry at the University of British Columbia.

Ellen has been a Director since 2021.