Cheryl Brooks

President

Cheryl who is a Sto:lo from the community of Sts’ailes in the Upper Fraser Valley of BC, has been the President of Indigenuity Consulting Group for the past 14 years. Prior to this, she was the first aboriginal woman to achieve Associate Deputy Minister status in the BC government, holding that position in the Ministry of Energy, Mines. Cheryl has also held several other senior positions in aboriginal organizations and the corporate sector including that of the founder and first Manager of BC Hydro’s highly regarded Aboriginal Relations Department.

In 1994, the Canadian Business Review recognized Cheryl as one of the first people in Canada to publicly express that relationship building between indigenous and other peoples, was the needed foundation for solutions to socio-economic disparity and its resulting tensions and conflict. The article she then wrote for the Business Review has been quoted as a seminal reference. Around the same time, her work was cited in the Hill, Sloan book on Best Practices in Aboriginal Relations. For the past 25 + years, Cheryl’s work and voluntary efforts have been focused on creating practical approaches to developing relationships that deliver tangible benefits to both the aboriginal and non- aboriginal parties in relationships.

Ms. Brooks leads the Indigenuity team in its work on relationship building between First Nations and the corporate sector, engagement and consultation processes, developing business partnerships and joint ventures. She is also recognized for her outstanding strategic planning, negotiation, communications and facilitation skills. As well as having extensive knowledge of and connections to First Nations, Ms. Brooks is an accomplished speaker and has numerous published works including the book, “In Celebration of Our Survival; the First Nations of BC” & “Rights, Risk & Respect–a First Nations Perspective”.

Janis Brooks

Managing Partner

Janis Brooks is a Sto:lo from Sts’ailes who holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in Management from Vancouver Island University and a Diploma in Business Administration from Malaspina University College.

Janis is currently leading several community engagement and consultation processes, developing industry training programs, conducting strategic planning processes and working on business development opportunities. She also manages marketing and communications initiatives for ICG and for some of our clients. Our clients value her youthful enthusiasm, attention to detail and engaging communication throughout our project processes. Janis has worked with both First Nations in British Columbia and Aboriginal organizations in Australia. During her time studying abroad, she worked both with the Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative and the Koori Institute for Education at Deakin University.

Janis is a Ch’nook Scholars Alumni and has volunteered time as a ‘College Cousin’ with Aboriginal high school students interested in pursuing post-secondary education. She also was a founding member of the AHRC’s Young Indigenous Professionals Advisory Group and is a member of the Young Professionals of Nanaimo.

Brock Endean

Consultant

Brock Endean is an accomplished young Métis professional who is dedicated to strengthening the capacity and engagement of rural and Indigenous communities throughout Canada and internationally. Brock brings a variety of skills and experience in community development, youth engagement, project management, and education/training programs to the Indigenuity team, and also has a keen eye and ability to help our clients communicate visually through graphic and web design.

Brock has worked with numerous municipalities, First Nations and Indigenous organizations, non-profits, and corporations on projects ranging from strategic planning, public engagement workshops, social enterprise development, regulatory reporting, and education development for underrepresented populations. He believes that the best results are achieved by capturing the ideas, passions, values, and creativity of a community, then collaboratively finding the knowledge needed to move forward. Brock’s diversity of education and training includes studies in business management, tourism development, sustainable agriculture, creative facilitation, and public engagement, all which complement his work in building communities where members feel connected and their dreams can thrive.