who we are
Meet our Board of Directors
Click photos to read bios and get to know what phenomenal experience, knowledge and care our board of directors bring to RAVEN.
Jeffrey Nicholls
Board President
Cliff Atleo
Board Member
Ron Lameman
Board Vice-President
Susan Gee
Board Member
Rachelle Loos
Board Member
who we are
Our Board of Directors
Click photos to read bios and get to know what phenomenal experience, knowledge and care our board of directors bring to RAVEN.
Jeffrey Nicholls
Board President
Ron Lameman
Board Vice-President
Cliff Atleo
Board Member
Susan Gee
Board Member
Rachelle Loos
Board Member
RAVEN STAFF
Danielle Wilson
Executive Director
Ms. Wilson is a member of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, located in the Nuu-chah-nulth territory of Vancouver Island and is from the Masso and Frank families. She enters the role of Executive Director for Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs (RAVEN) with over 10 years in Indigenous leadership roles and a dedication to working to advocate for Indigenous rights. Working for RAVEN now gives Ms. Wilson the opportunity to be close to her home territory, where she is proud to be working with a focused and dedicated RAVEN team. Danielle has a B.Sc. from the University of Victoria and Master’s Degree in Public Health from University of Waterloo.
Andrea Palframan
Communications Director
Andrea Palframan (she/her; settler of Scottish and Irish ancestry living on unceded Hul'quimin'um speaking-people's lands) is RAVEN’s Director of Communication. She is dedicated to make media that brings the strength of data together with the power of storytelling.
She holds a Masters in Intercultural & International Communication. Her research focus— how Indigenous communities are responding to, resisting, and adapting to climate change—forms the underpinning of her understanding of environmental justice and human rights issues. She spent 10 years working in sub Saharan Africa as Programs Manager for Glasswaters Foundation, working with grassroots community leaders to bridge the digital divide.
Andrea is also a filmmaker: her documentary "Raven People Rising" screened at VIFF and won People's Choice award at the Vox Popular Film Festival; she is producer of "The Story of a Girl" with the Visual Epidemiology Project, and author of "Red Shoes on a Red Road: Stories from Brightest Africa."
Leslie Anne St. Amour
Campaigns Director
Leslie Anne St. Amour (she/her) is a member of the Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation, located in Eastern Ontario and of mixed Algonquin and settler heritage. Leslie Anne completed her BA at McGill University in Political Science and a minor in Indigenous Studies, before spending a year as an Pathy Foundation Fellow working in her home community. A lawyer by training, Leslie Anne completed her JD at the University of Toronto and worked in private practice for two years before moving to Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ Territories join RAVEN as Campaigns Director. When not working Leslie Anne can be found diving, camping, canoeing, or beading and scheming up her next trip.
Gilberto Algar-Faria
Development Manager
Gilberto (he/him) is a settler of Angolan, English and Portuguese ancestry living and working as an uninvited guest on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Peoples, and the lək̓ʷəŋən People, namely the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, and the W̱SÁNEĆ People.
Gilberto has a background in human rights work. Prior to joining RAVEN in 2023, he was the Development & Research Manager at the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture. Previously an academic (most recently at the University of British Columbia), he holds a PhD in Politics. He was also involved as an expert witness in over 40 asylum (refugee claimant) appeals in the UK. Gilberto is honoured to be part of the RAVEN team, and to contribute to raising legal defence funds for Indigenous Nations.
When he's not at work, Gilberto enjoys running, hiking and paddleboarding with his partner and their husky. He recently started to connect more with his Angolan ancestry through art and music, both of which he loves. His favourite drink is coffee (flat white), and he has been trying to write a novel for about five years.
Jamie Leigh Gonzales
Communication Manager
Jamie-Leigh is a Portuguese/Sḵwx̱wú7mesh writer, filmmaker, podcast creator, photographer, poet, and artist living on stolen land of W̱SÁNEĆ First Nation. She is a cofounder, codirector, and technical lead at Grounded Futures: a media and mentorship collaborative.
At RAVEN, Jamie-Leigh is the Communications Manager where she uses her technical skills to amplify Indigenous voices and movements.
With a passion for technology and storytelling, Jamie-Leigh has become dedicated to her multimedia practices; through the creation of engaging content, she hopes to stimulate meaningful dialogue that challenges the status quo and encourages systemic change.
Mike Graeme
Grant Writer
Mike Graeme (he/him) is a cis white settler writer, photographer, and educator of Scottish, English, and Irish descent. Aware his privilege stems from a system built on colonialism, white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, and other related forms of oppression, Mike seeks to use his skills to help illuminate and dismantle these structures, uplifting the work of those at the centre of injustice.
russ elliott
Operations Manager
russ elliott (they/him) is a disabled/crip settler originally from the Treaty 7 lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy, just West and North of what is currently called Calgary, Alberta. They are of Eastern and Central European ancestry, and works hard at unlearning their internalized imperialism (including white supremacy, extractivism, patriarchy, ableism, etc.), knowing that it is an everyday, life-long journey.
russ moved to the beautiful Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ Territories to complete their MA in Sociology at the University of Victoria, where they focussed on decolonial poetics and political ontology in the context of climate change. russ couldn't be more excited to help support RAVEN and the Indigenous communities we work with in the defense of their traditional territories, histories, and cultures, and approaches this work with humility and care.
He has experience in publishing, disability/accessibility justice, participatory budgeting, and navigating the complexities of academic, provincial, and municipal governance structures. In his free time, russ enjoys hiking with his partner, watching cooking shows, and writing poetry.
Carly Eldstrom
Director of Development
Carly (she/her) is a settler with Swedish, Irish, Scottish, and English ancestry. She currently splits her time between Coast Salish territory and Lenapehoking, specifically what is now known as New York.
Carly previously worked as a Grant Writer at RAVEN after time spent volunteering on RAVEN’s Development Committee. Other professional experiences include freelancing as a writer, editor, and researcher, primary and higher education administration, and positions in development and communications. Carly holds a BA in Sociology from Vancouver Island University and an MS in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University.
Levin Chamberlain
Grants and Campaigns Coordinator
Levin (he/him) is a settler of Northern and Eastern European descent that is thrilled to be a part of the RAVEN team. After being raised in an old-growth cedar forest on the unceded territory of the Secwépemc Nation, he studied Environmental Studies and Canadian History at the University of Victoria where he developed a passion for Indigenous rights.
Levin draws upon four years of non-profit fundraising and grant writing experience to contribute to RAVEN. His work with Indigenous Quechua and Amazonian communities in Peru showed him how conservation and Indigenous relationships to their environments are deeply intertwined. This importance continues with Indigenous Nations across Canada, and Levin is grateful to be behind an organization that supports those Nations in their pursuit for justice.
Now a guest on the contested Sinixt, Sylix, and Ktunaxa territories, Levin spends most of his leisure time rock climbing, gardening, and being a dog dad with his partner.
Karissa Chandrakate
Digital Content Specialist
Karissa is a first generation Indo-Trinidadian immigrant of Indian and Portuguese ancestry. She was born in Trinidad and Tobago and currently resides on the stolen lands of the W̱SÁNEĆ First Nation where she enjoys spending time by the ocean. She is a photographer, videographer and illustrator passionate about amplifying stories that reconnects us to the Earth and to each other, and challenges social and cultural narratives. When she is not content creating for RAVEN she enjoys spending time in community and with friends, fostering relationships that allow her to grow and connect to people with shared values of Indigenous sovereignty and care for the land.
Jenna Stabb
Administrative Assistant
Born on the territories of qiqéyt and qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓, Jenna spent most of their life on Syilx Okanagan and Nłeʔkepmx Tmíxʷ territories prior to moving to Germany where they completed their MA in Global Studies from the Humboldt University of Berlin. Her research focused on how setters can engage in everyday forms of decolonization in solidarity with Indigenous resurgence movements, knowing that we all have different and shared responsibilities to the Lands that sustain us.
Jenna draws upon previous experience working as a customer support representative and volunteering with various local collectives. They are an all-weather bicycle commuter, an enthusiastic beginner bird-watcher, and an overall life-long learner.
Caitlyn Kerr
Development & Engagement Coordinator
Caitlyn is of Heiltsuk, Scottish and Finnish ancestry and lives on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Kwikwetlem First Nation. Currently, a student at BCIT studying Sustainable Event Management, Caitlyn's goals are to support and plan events that provide opportunities to highlight and amplify Indigenous creators while also focusing on reducing the event's environmental impact and focusing on sustainable practices.
Caitlyn is excited to be on the RAVEN team to support businesses and organizers in finding ways to raise funds to support Indigenous communities in protecting their land, history, and culture. She is very creative with too many hobbies to enjoy during her free time and is always learning more about her Heiltsuk heritage, culture, and language.
Maureen Butler
Accountant
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