Traditional Aboriginal governments hold responsibilities to safeguard the interests of future generations, particularly with respect to the land and environment. EAGLE's Board Members provide the voice of Aboriginal values, traditions and concerns. The Board ensures that EAGLE's activities to protect the environment are grounded in the following principles: Respect, Responsibility, Accountability, Holistic-Future Generation Focus, Reciprocity, Sharing, Peace-Making and Consensus Decision-Making. EAGLE's volunteer Board of Directors and Honourary Advisors consist of Aboriginal elders, community leaders, and lawyers.

Officers:

• KakAltn, Chief Gibby Jacob (Squamish Nation): Chair
• Fred Fortier (Secwepemc Nation): Vice-Chair/Treasurer

Directors:

• Roman Bittman (Metis Nation)
• Gordon Christie (Inupiat/Inuvialuit Nations)
• Peter Grant
• Chief Robert Joseph (MamaleleQala Nation)
• Dr. Leroy Little Bear (Blood Nation)

Honorary Advisors:

• Spencer Beebe
• Dr. John Borrows (Anishnabe Nation)
• Tina Dion (Kehewin Cree Nation)
• Bryan Williams, Q.C.
• John R. Rich

Board of Directors Biographies:
 

Roman Bittman (Metis Nation): Roman is a television producer and businessman whose expertise lies in the development and financing of large media projects from the concept stage to completion.  He has held senior management positions with public and private television, film production, and broadcasting. Roman has founded and managed companies in the oil and gas industry, environmental technology development and marketing, and has also been active with the creation and implementation of training programs/career development.  Formerly, he was the Executive Producer and acting CEO for the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation and President of Abcor Environmental Inc. Roman was also founding shareholder and Board Member of Constar Energy Ltd from 1995 to 2004.

Gordon Christie (Inupiat/Inuvialuit Nations):  Gordon is currently an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law, University of British Columbia.  Prior to this he was an Assistant Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, Central Michigan University, and Lakehead University.  During his tenure at Osgoode Hall, Professor Christie was the Director of the Intensive Program in Aboriginal Lands, Resources and Governments, a program that provided students with the opportunity to spend several months 'in the field', working with Aboriginal nations, Tribal Councils, Aboriginal organizations, government agencies, law firms, and non-governmental organizations.  He has published articles on treaty interpretation, fiduciary doctrine, legal theory, Aboriginal title, consultation and accommodation, citizenship, urban governance and cultural protection.  Gordon holds a law degree from the University of Victoria and a PhD from the University of California.  Professor Christie is originally from Inuvik, NWT.

*Fred Fortier (Shuswap Nation):  Fred is a senior councillor for the North Thompson Indian Band and was the previous Chair of the B.C. Aboriginal Fisheries Commission.  He is recognized for his work in the recovery of wild fish populations and as an advocate of Aboriginal rights and responsibilities in fisheries. Fred currently sits on the Boards of the Global Indigenous Knowledge Program, the World Fisheries Trust, and the Pacific Coast Sustainable Fisheries Strategy.

Peter Grant is a practising lawyer with 26 years of experience in all aspects of Aboriginal law. From 1977 to 1995 he resided in Gitxsan territory in order to work closely with the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en on Aboriginal law issues, notably as lead counsel in the ground-breaking case Delgamuukw v. The Queen.  Peter has also represented Aboriginal Peoples in such prominent cases as R v. Nikal, Blackwater v. Plint, and Aleck v. Clarke. In addition, he has extensive experience in governmental negotiations and utilizes his skills to benefit Aboriginal Peoples involved in the British Columbia Treaty process, residential school survivor claims, and agreements on forestry, hydro-power and other natural resources. In 1976 Peter acted as part of the defense team for Leonard Peltier on the matter of his extradition from Canada to the U.S.A., and subsequently assisted in the lobby advocating for a review of the legality of Mr. Pelletier's extradition by Canada.

*KakAltn, Chief Gibby Jacob (Squamish Nation):  Chief Jacob is a hereditary Chief and an elected Band Councillor for the Squamish Nation.  He is currently a Main Table negotiator for the Squamish Nation in the treaty process and is the former coastal co-Chair with the B.C. Aboriginal Fisheries Commission.

Chief Robert Francis Joseph (MamaleleQala Nation): Chief Joseph is a hereditary Chief of the MamaleleQala Nation and the Executive Director of the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. He has extensive knowledge in regard to fisheries and First Nations' governance, and has served on various boards and committees directly related to Aboriginal concerns.

*Dr. Leroy Little Bear (Blood Nation):  One of the most prominent Aboriginal scholars in Canada, Dr. Little Bear is a member of the Blood Tribe of the Blackfoot Confederacy.  He was formerly the Director of the Native American Program at Harvard University and is currently a Professor of Native American Studies at the University of Lethbridge. Dr. Little Bear is a vital member of the Aboriginal community, acting as a policy and legal advisor to Aboriginal leaders and serving on numerous committees, commissions and boards.  He is also the author of many notable publications, including "Pathways to Self-Determinism", "Quest for Justice" and "Governments in Conflict".

* Denotes members of the Management Committee

Honarary Advisors:

Spencer B. Beebe:   Spencer has devoted his professional career to building organizational capacity and exploring new strategies for conservation.  He has played a key role in the creation and development of over 30 organizations and programs from Alaska to Bolivia, including the innovative debt for nature swaps in developing tropical rain forest countries, and environmental banking in the Pacific Northwest.  He is president of Ecotrust, a Portland-based conservation organization which, has joined forces with ShoreBank Corporation to develop an initiative that would foster “conservation-based economic development” in the coastal temperate rain forest.  In partnership with ShoreBank’s founding Board Members, Spencer also created ShoreTrust, the first environmental Bancorporation, which acts as a bank holding company for non-profit and for-profit organizations.

Dr. John Borrows (Anishanabe Nation):  One of the leading Aboriginal law scholars in Canada, Dr. Borrows is currently a Professor and Law Foundation Chair of Aboriginal Justice and Governance at the Univeristy of Victoria.  Formerly, he was an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, the Director of the First Nations Law Program at the University of British Columbia, the Director of the Intensive Program in Lands, Resources and First Nations Governments at Osgoode Hall Law School, and a visiting Professor at Arizona State University where he acted as the Executive Director of the Indian Legal Program.

Tina Dion (Kehewin Cree Nation):  Tina was called to the British Columbia bar in 1999 and is in-house council for the Tsawwassen Indian Band where her practice is primarily focussed on Aboriginal and Treaty Rights law and self-government. She is also an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law, University of British Columbia and sits as a Director on many boards and committees that deal with Aboriginal issues. As well, Tina is a currently a S.J.D.candidate.

Bryan Williams Q.C.:  A former justice of the British Columbia Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Mr. Williams is currently an associate counsel with Miller Thomson LLP.  He has also acted as National President of the Canadian Bar Association, Director of the BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Director of the Whistler Centre for Business and the Arts, member of the British Columbia Round Table on the Economy and the Environment, and Chair of the Sustainable Development Strategy Committee.

John Rich:  John holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia and currently practises with Ratcliff & Company.  His area of expertise comprises Aboriginal Law and Administrative Law, including Judicial Review. He has appeared at all court levels and various administrative tribunals, including the Environmental Appeal Board, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, the National Energy Board, and the Assessment Appeal Board. He successfully represented the Squamish Nation in the recovery of ten acres of urban reserve land in Canada (A.G.) v. Canadian Pacific Ltd. and also gained a $92.5 million settlement in litigation respecting the Kitsilano Indian Reserve. John is an elected member and past Chairman of Islands Trust, a former Director and President of the West Coast Environmental Law Association, and a founding Director of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund.