The Ktunaxa Nation Council is temporarily shuffling around senior directors into different portfolios as part of a new leadership development imitative.
The intent is to bring fresh eyes to five separate portfolios of the Ktunaxa Nation Council’s government operations, which include Land and Resources, Education and Employment, Social Investment, Economic Investment, and Traditional Knowledge and Language.
Over the next six months, five directors will be taking on a new portfolio and relying on staff for support to bring unique perspectives to Nation rebuilding at the government level, according to a press release.
“This is an exciting opportunity and a key step in the CAO succession planning and mentorship goals the nation council has identified,” said Shawna Janvier, KNC Chief Administrative Officer. “The sector directors have expressed a desire for better cross-sector collaboration for many years—this will create the day-to-day reality, and the new space, for this to be able to happen.”
Specifically, the director portfolio reassignments include:
• Donald Sam from Traditional Knowledge and Language will move to Economic Investment.
• Codie Morigeau from Education and Employment will move to Traditional Knowledge and Language
• Justin Paterson from Economic Investment will move to Social Investment
• Debbie Whitehead from Social Investment will move to Lands and Resources
• Ray Warden from Lands and Resources will move to Education and Employment
The reassignments will allow directors to use their strengths in new areas and challenge themselves to grow, Janvier added.
“When they return to their sectors again in February, they will have a better understanding of how other sectors work—and a better understanding of themselves as leaders,” Janvier said.
“We are all here for the same reason—Q̓api qapsin kin ‘itkin hin ‘isti Ktunaxa— and doing everything with the intention of improving the lives of the Ktunaxa people. This collaborative venture will create new opportunities for growth and truly make the KNC a learning environment for everyone.
“I am looking forward to supporting them and I know that staff are also looking forward—maybe with some trepidation, but also with some excitement—to what’s ahead, and what could be ahead in these next six months.”
