Bio
 

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 Penticton Indian Band as their Principal of Adult Education as well as a number of years with the En’owkin Center and FORREX (Forum for Research and Exchange in Natural Resources). Here she was situated in the role of the Indigenous Knowledge Extension Liaison. She has also worked 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. She brings forth over twenty years of experience within the environmental/conservation sector offering a unique skill set that communicates the necessity of including Indigenous 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 Nature Trust of BC, the Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance as well as a First Nations Council Advisor to the Dean of Forestry at the University of British Columbia.