MEET THE TEAM
Two Eyed Seeing is a sociological term that describes seeing the world through an Indigenous lens and concurrently through a western lens. Accordingly, the team at Two Eyed Seeing consists of Indigenous and non-Indigenous members, who each bring their perspectives to the work we undertake. All team members have extensive experience working with Indigenous communities and with western entities throughout British Columbia.
Therese Hagen, BA Political Science
Therese brings her experience from the private sector, provincial government and First Nations government administrations to the table. She holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Victoria where she graduated with honours. She has worked in policy analysis, government communications, hospitality and tourism, health administration and First Nations Band Administration.
Most recently, Therese has been providing supports and expertise to individual Nations, as they take on the task of preparing their communities for today and the future. Recent projects include community workforce readiness planning, housing policy and procedure development and refinement, occupational health and safety program development and staff safety training, finance and HR policy reviews, and Indigenous Tourism business planning and start-up.
Therese is a confident leader who leverages administrative know-how to drive organizational improvement. She is a builder of teams and programs, with wide-ranging expertise combining public administration; strategic planning; policy development and analysis; communications, community engagement and issues management; stakeholder engagement and HR direction.
As a former employee of the provincial government, Therese brings years of policy development, health administration and communications experience to the table - primarily in the areas of Indigenous health; communicable disease prevention and control; mental health; and addictions services.
She is trained in public speaking, drug and alcohol counselling and crisis communications.
And before Therese worked in government and First Nation administrations, she worked within tourism and hospitality, gaining valuable experience in business management, cost and inventory control measures, budgeting, staff training and development, policy and procedural development.
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Dean Heron
Dean is a creative catalyst with several years dedicated to providing leadership in linking cultural and research initiatives with cultural revitalization within post-secondary institutional settings. He has over twenty-five years of experience as an artist and educator of Northwest Coast Art, with pieces in major museums and private collections around the world. Dean has proven success delivering sustainable results in administration, reporting and proposal writing. He is a collaborative project manager, at ease with building strategic partnerships, training staff and students, and deepening public understanding of First Nations history and culture.
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Sam Coggins, PhD RPF
Sam has a PhD and a bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of British Columbia, and a diploma in forestry and woodland management. In 2012 he became a Registered Professional Forester in British Columbia. He is also an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Sam has held management positions in First Nations and provincial governments and has worked as a consultant. He is a natural resource professional with over 25 years’ experience working in forestry, land use planning, oil and gas, mining, environmental science, and geomatics (GIS and remote sensing). He has also worked on several projects to develop business opportunities and skill development in communities throughout BC. His most recent work has been conducting research for the Bulkley Valley Research Centre in collaboration with the University of Northern British Columbia and BC Wildfire Service.
Sam has lived in northern BC for over 6 years, from 2011 until 2017 he lived in Terrace, BC, and currently resides in Smithers. He has worked throughout northern British Columbia as an environmental scientist on several major projects including: Forrest Kerr Hydroelectric Project, the Northwest Transmission Line, the Bitter Creek bridge replacement, and in Kitimat on a number of projects. He held the position of Director of Lands and Resources with Kitselas First Nation. He was also a sessional instructor at the University of Northern British Columbia and at Northwest Community College.
He also has 8 years’ experience working in operational forestry where he completed activities from site preparation, tree planting, stand maintenance, and thinning through to clear cuts. He has worked on farms, as an arborist, a forester, and was a certified faller.
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Daintry Van Cleave, BA, CPHR
Daintry is a human resource leader that is passionate about creating dynamic, engaged, and effective workplace cultures. She brings 20 years of progressive experience in the human resources field. She has held senior executive roles at a number of organizations both unionized and non-unionized sectors. She has worked in a variety of industries which include hospitality and tourism, manufacturing, marketing, IT, retail, food and beverage, and marine repair. Daintry holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Victoria. She also holds the professional designation of Canadian Professional of Human Resources (CPHR).
She is a servant leader that is passionate about working with organizations to create positive, empowered, proactive and flexible workplace cultures. She’s a dynamic communicator and strategic thinker that provides full-service human resources management, including, but not limited to: organizational change and development, strategic planning, full cycle recruitment, workforce planning, compensation and benefits, leadership development, training and development and employee relations. She works with organizations to coach and develop amazing leaders, who are equipped to manage the ever changing and challenging landscape of today’s workplace.
Daintry is an active member of the CPHR BC &Yukon association and participates in the BC Restaurant and Foodservice Association. Engagement in these associations enables Daintry to support her clients with the most up to date critical information needed to manage reopening business sectors in the wake of Covid-19.
Daintry is a lifelong learner and is passionate about training and development. She has designed and facilitated many workplace trainings workshops. She has a keen interest in wellness and mental health initiatives in the workplace. To help remove the stigma and create conversation around how we can impact wellness in a more pro-active way in the workplace culture and beyond.
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Peal Penner, MCRP-ICP
Pearl holds a Masters degree in Community and Regional Planning with an Indigenous Community Planning focus from the University of British Columbia; and a certificate in Indigenous Maps, Films, Rights and Land Claims from the University of the Fraser Valley. Pearl was born and raised in Abbotsford, BC, and grew up around the teachings of the Medicine Wheel. She learned from Elder Mary Uslick who brought the vision of the Medicine Wheel to the Stó:lō Nation Territory. Pearl has dedicated her career to working with Indigenous people and communities. Pearl’s approach to working with communities is centered in her Medicine Wheel teachings. She was taught to respect and take care of all things. It is important to her that she works in a holistic way that honors the spiritual, mental, physical and emotional aspects of each community that she may work with
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Brittany Beck
Brittany has a diverse background in visual design, administration and curriculum development. With a passion for creativity and a commitment to making a positive impact, she has developed a unique skill set that spans multiple areas.
Through her expertise in visual design, she has a talent for translating ideas into visually compelling designs and engaging materials for diverse audiences.
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Matias Heron
Matias is a responsible, confident, and hardworking individual, who makes a positive contribution to the Two Eyed Seeing team. As an Indigenous youth, Matias provides an important link to the young people we work with and provides a space for easy conversation that encourages youth to open up and lend their voices to the conversation.
Matias provides workshop and community engagement support to team members and is a key participant in community sessions to encourage youth voices to be heard.
