Lesley Garlow

Currently at 39 yrs old I am a mature student in my final year of my bachelor degree with UVIC, BSWI programme with the Faculty of Human and Social Development.

I am a member of the Haudenosaunee Nation, Cayuga Tribe, Turtle Clan, from Osweken, Six Nations Brantford Reserve, ONT through my mother Darlene Rose Garlow, and my grand mother Elenore Ellen Silversmith, and all my mothers before. I am of mixed ancestry as my father also gifts me with Mohawk Wolf Clan and Italian/Irish heritage.

My family moved from Ontario in 1990 before the OKA crisis, to rural B.C. where I have lived as a displaced, visibly Indigenous female in the Unceded territories of the Secwepemc, Ktunaxa, and Sinixt, known as the Columbia plateau and Basin most of my life.

I am a granddaughter, a daughter, an auntie, and a sister as well as a proud mother of three aged 22, 19 and 3.5.

I would classify myself as an AntiColonial, Emancipatory Social Worker.

This is apparent in the work that I do with youth and in collaboration with educators in SD20 where we utilize popular culture and concepts linked to Indigenous futurism to normalize Indigenous presence and celebrate contemporary Indigenous culture, achievements, and dreams for the future.

I have had the pleasure to work at Nelson Museum Archives and Gallery for the past 3.5 years, and with a dedicated and talented team to identify and contextualize nuanced elements in settler colonial narrative and broadening our understanding of place and connection to all our Relations.
I enjoy elevating and activating Indigenous perspectives regarding, Truth And Reconciliation/ ReconciliACTION across all aspects of Institutional practice. We do this by utilizing collaborative concepts of good relationship building and protocol, while striving to dig deeper and ask more of ourselves, and in regards to equity, social justice and inclusion.

My pronouns are She/her or They/Them

All My Relations

Greg Marrast

Greg is an honour graduate from Sisler High School where he received a Visual and Performing Arts Diploma, for his excellence in both choir and drama. Greg is also a graduate of the University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Film studies. Greg has also graduated Magna Cum Laude from Summit Pacific College with a Bachelor of Arts in Youth Leadership in 2017.

Eleanor Stacey

Eleanor Stacey is the Executive Director of NCTS (Nelson Civic Theatre Society), which manages The Civic Theatre, The Shoebox Theatre, Reo’s Video, and the Kootenay Screen-Based Industry Initiative, and is a founding partner of the Kootenay Regional Film Commission. She has worked in leadership, fundraising, creation, and youth arts education roles in Canada, the US, and Anguilla, BWI. She is a Rotarian, past board president of The Only Animal Theatre Society (Vancouver), a member of the City of Nelson’s Cultural Development Committee, and a founding board member of the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors (NICE). She is a founding board member of Intercultural Kootenays Society and currently sits on the EDIA Committee for the Nelson Police Department and the Partnership Council for the West Kootenay Local Immigration Partnership (WKLIP). Eleanor is a graduate of Mount Allison University, and holds an MFA in Arts Administration from Brooklyn College (CUNY). She grew up in Nelson and returned in 2013 with her family.

Tanya Momtazian

Tanya is a Registered Midwife in Nelson, BC and founder of Apple Tree Maternity, a collaborative medical clinic. She is currently the Chair of the Board of the BC College of Nurses and Midwives and is an Adjunct Professor at UBC Midwifery.

Amy Stewart

My name is Amy Stewart and I am a fourth generation settler of European descent living on the traditional unceded territory of the Sinixt, Ktunaxa, and Sylix peoples. Amongst other things, I identify as a cisgender female, a mother, an aunt, a teacher-counsellor, and a soccer coach. Creating inclusive communities where everyone feels safe and respected is important to me. I am here to listen and to take meaningful action towards the vision and mission of Intercultural Kootenays. One of my favorite activities is spending time by the lake or in a coffee shop with family and friends.

Mylene Pinho

I am Mylene Pinho Mercuri Brandao, born on August 25, 1976, in Brazil. I hold a degree in Economics, an MBA in Business Program, and I currently serve in the Justice Federal Government in Brazil. Additionally, I am pursuing studies in Restorative Justice in Canada and volunteer with Nelson Restorative Justice. I am passionate about supporting immigrants in the workplace and addressing issues related to discrimination and harassment.

Sydney Black

Sydney, with deep roots in Nelson’s artistic community, has played a significant role in contributing to the local arts scene. In addition to being a mama to two wonderful humans and a terrier, over the past decade, she has been involved in organizing theatrical productions at the Capitol Theatre through Black Productions. Since assuming the role of Executive Director at the Nelson and District Arts Council in 2016, Sydney has developed initiatives like the Dance Educators Showcase and supported programs such as The Narrows Artist Residency. Outside her professional commitments, she co-founded the Nelson International Mural Festival, serves as the Chair of the City of Nelson’s Cultural Development Committee, and is dedicated to supporting and enhancing the arts community in the region.

Elsa Wyllie

Elsa is a lawyer working in criminal defence, human rights, and international law. She also serves as a facilitator at the Roundtable Institute, providing leaders the skills and key behaviours they need to foster Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity in the workplace. She is passionate about blending her experience as a lawyer with her experience in social justice and racial equity advocacy to dismantle systems of oppression through dialogue and action.

She has experience defending those accused of the most serious criminal offences, including sexual assault, second-degree murder, and dangerous offender designations. Her focus is on providing solutions and securing results for those whom she represents. She has experience at all levels of court, including the Provincial Court of British Columbia, the Supreme Court of British Columbia, The British Columbia Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. She practices law on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, Vancouver, British Columbia. She is Kiwi-Canadian.

She completed her MA in International Law and Security in 2005 in the United Kingdom and her LLM at Columbia, New York City in 2020. She was selected to work on the High-Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, the joint UK/Canadian Task Force. Her work has focused extensively on the rule of law and the intersection of power, legitimacy, and responsibility in international law. She is an executive on the IBA Human Rights Committee and sits on the War Crimes committee. She is currently involved with a broader IBA capacity building initiative in Ukraine regarding the adjudication of alleged war crimes, reviewing confidentially particular decisions with a view for identifying issues concerning compliance with international best standards.

Before she embarked on her legal career, a passion for international relations detoured her down a path in international law and security and experience at institutions including NORAD, NATO and Whitehall. It was while working at the United Nations in Rwanda, (managing a disarmament and reintegration program for militia soldiers from the office where Romeo Dallaire attempted to stop the genocide), that she came to understand both the importance of cultural humility and the power of law as a tool.

Elsa suffered setbacks early in her career after a car accident but returned to practice while managing chronic pain. She has guest lectured at the Peter A. Allard School of Law (UBC) and speaks on panels, most recently GLC: Womxn in Law Series-ITLs, diversity and inclusion. She serves as a Board member for several organizations, including at the Trial Lawyers of British Columbia, where she co-chairs othe Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and sits on the Criminal Committee, and Intercultural Kootenays, which aims to build and maintain inclusive and non-discriminatory communities by addressing the root causes of racism, hate and discrimination and building intercultural competencies, while supporting people experiencing inequitable treatment.

Zen Wang

Zen Wang is a multimedia artist who was trained as a Chinese Brush Painter. He comes from four generations of fine artists who challenged traditions and pushed boundaries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, a master’s degree in Business and a diploma in Film production.

Zen teaches Digital Art at Selkirk College in their school of Art and Technology. Zen is a co-host on Kootenay Mornings on KCR 93.5FM and has his weekly radio show “Asian Roots” on Wednesdays at 1PM. His paintings have been exhibited in establishments around town. His sculpture has been selected by Castlegar Sculpture Walk for three years in a row. Zen’s murals and graphic design have been featured in many popular Film and TV shows. 

On his off days he will pursue his many areas of interest such as cooking, snowboarding, motorcycling, martial arts, calligraphy, graphic novel, etc. Zen is passionate about preserving our proud multicultural heritage in the Kootenays.

Kristen Sison

Kristen is a Filipina woman proudly born and raised in Scarborough, Tkaronto on Dish With One Spoon Wampum Treaty Territory; a treaty that asks us to peaceably share the gifts of the land in a spirit of mutual co-operation. A community archivist in the community arts and climate justice realms, she rests into a spirit-led approach in all extensions of her work. Kristen is Co-Director of Rooted and Rising Lab, an intergenerational network devoted to creating adaptive climate education programs for this polycrisis moment. She created Womxn and It’s Bigger Than All Of Us; archives of poetry, photography, and journal scans from 2016-2021 interweaving the work of 50+ BIPOC creators from her community in Toronto.

In 2023 she collaborated with Kaitlin Rizarri to create the zine Filipinx/a/o Farmers and Earthworkers in Tkaronto: dreaming of food sovereignty; an extension of Kaitlin’s masters thesis looking at food sovereignty in Tkaronto and what it means to be farming and earth working on Indigenous lands. Kristen also co-founded grassroots groups Kapwa Collective + Conscious Minds Co-operative. Kapwa Collective is a group of Filipinx-Canadian artists, critical thinkers, and healers bridging narratives between the Indigenous and the Diasporic, and the Filipinx and the Canadian through arts-based playshops grounded in kapwa: the interconnectedness between all living beings.

She currently lives on the Unceded territories of the Sinixt, the Ktunaxa, and Secwepemc Peoples in Nelson, BC – land of eagles, cougars, kokanee salmon & bears. She is Associate Producer for Outsiderness, a documentary by Carlo Alcos wrestling with questions of identity and belonging. For fun, Kristen co-hosts Future/Now Radio with her partner on Kootenay Co-op Radio, and is guardian to Cleo, their grey mountain cat. www.bonesthrown.com

Rutu Kharkar

With over seven years of experience working in the hospitality industry, primarily in kitchen roles, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for collaboration, creativity, and bringing people together. My journey from hospitality to filmmaking and community work reflects my passion for storytelling and connection.

As a board member at Intercultural Kootenays, I bring a unique perspective shaped by my background in hospitality and media production. I’m dedicated to fostering inclusivity, celebrating diversity, and building bridges between cultures. My goal is to contribute to initiatives that create meaningful dialogue and shared experiences within our community.

Outside of my professional roles, I enjoy exploring new cultures, working on creative projects, and hosting events that bring people together.