Maria Santos
Chair 2010 –
Maria Santos received a Masters in Health Science from the University of Toronto Community Health and Epidemiology program in 1999. She worked at the Hospital for Sick Children as a research assistant, developing databases and performing analyses for various studies. As a Senior Health Analyst at the Canadian Institute for Health Information, she was part of a team that published the annual report Health Care in Canada. Since 2002, she has worked in the Northwest Territories as the Territorial Epidemiologist and is largely responsible for disease registries and surveillance.
Sandra Lockhart
Found Chair 2005 – 2010
Sandra Lockhart is a band member of Łutsel K’e First Nation and is a Registered Nurse and is the Manager for the Stanton Territorial Health Authority Aboriginal Wellness Program. She has worked in a variety of settings in roles related to the delivery of health care services, including health authorities and the Dene Nation. Her interests lie in exploring ways in which Indigenous Knowledge can co-exist and be applied in contemporary health care settings to promote well being and patient cultural safety for Aboriginal populations.
Billy Archie
Vice-Chair 2005 – 2010
Billy Archie is Inuvialuit and is an independent contractor in the community of Aklavik. His past roles include Mayor or Aklavik, Director of the District Education Authority, Councillor, Chair Hunter & Trappers Committee. He has worked as Regional Contaminants Coordinator for the IRC and as a resource person for the HTC and Fisheries Joint Management committee.
Helen Gruben
Helen Gruben is an Inuvialuk and Gwich’in from the Beaufort Delta area. She was born in the bush and raised on the land in a subsistence hunting and trapping lifestyle. Introduction of medical services in her community of Tuktoyaktuk came later in her life. She worked in this system as a translator and later went back to school and became a Community Health Representative in the community. Currently she is ‘retired’ and is actively involved in the NWT Seniors’ Society and still advocates for the health of her community.
Julie Lys
Julie Lys is Métis and was born and raised in Fort Smith. She has been working as a nurse with the GNWT for 20 years. In August 2007 she completed her Masters in Nursing through Athabasca University. Julie’s interests are in Aboriginal health and education issues. She is currently a board member of the Fort Smith Métis Council, the Chairperson of the Fort Smith District Education Authority ((DEA) and the NWT Director for the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada (ANAC). She has been actively involved in the Aboriginal Health Human Resources working group with the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO).
Robert Buckle
Robert Buckle is a member of the Aklavik art community who annually attends the Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik. Robert is a skilled carver who has recently began focusing his artistic flare on the production of northern jewelry. He won the Emerging Artist Award the year after completing his jewelry program at Aurora College in 2001. Robert was also the recipient of a NWT Arts Council grant that will aid in his purchase of equipment to further extend his range of artwork.
Sharon Firth
Sharon is a former world class champion skier, a four-time Olympian, member of the Gwich’in First Nation originally from Aklavik, and Youth Program Advisor to the Government of the Northwest Territories. She has been the subject of a number of documentaries that have highlighted her inspirational role as a leading Aboriginal sports pioneer. She was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1990.
Karen LeGresley Hamre
Karen is a Landscape Architect at Avens Associated, Managing Director of the Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy, and a member of many social and community organizations in Yellowknife. She has designed parks, public buildings, and businesses across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Karen herself was a competitive swimmer and attended the Munich Olympics. She was inducted into the University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
