Our Team

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The Bent Arrow Team

We are governed by a volunteer board of directors and lead by a team who bring a range of expertise and perspectives to our organization. Our team includes Elders, community leaders, and professionals with backgrounds in law, finance, education, healthcare, social workers and youth workers. They provide strategic guidance, oversight, and accountability to ensure that Bent Arrow continues to make a positive impact on the lives of Indigenous children, youth, and families.

Board of Directors

Board Member photos

Roger Epp

PRESIDENT

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Roger Epp is a fifth-generation settler on Treaty Six territory, whose ancestors are buried in a country cemetery between the north and south branches of the Saskatchewan River system.  

Roger is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Alberta, where he also held a number of senior leadership roles: among them, founding dean of the Augustana Campus in Camrose, director of UAlberta North, and, most recently, interim dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Much earlier in his working life, he was a newspaper journalist.  

As a scholar, Roger has learned to write about the prairie West with a sense of care, memory, and obligation. His work includes the book, We Are All Treaty People: Prairie Essays as well as a co-produced documentary for CBC Radio’s Ideas. In 2013 he was asked to be honorary witness at hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at Ermineskin Cree Nation. He continues to carry the responsibilities of bearing witness and finding what the Commission called “a new way of living together.”  

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Don Padget

BOARD MEMBER

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Donald B. Padget serves as Senior Legal Counsel at the Alberta Human Rights Commission, bringing expertise in legal advocacy and human rights. Their background reflects a strong focus on community engagement and legal instruction.

As Board President and Board Member at Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, Donald contributed to cultural pride and well-being among Indigenous children, youth, and families in Edmonton. Their involvement emphasized an Indigenous lens in supporting cultural resources and family services.

Previously, Donald lectured and instructed at Bond University, fostering an ambitious learning environment. Earlier in their career, as a Public Law & Litigation Associate at Osler Hoskin, Donald focused on public law and litigation matters. They also volunteered at the Edmonton Community Legal Centre, providing free legal services to individuals facing financial barriers, offering accessible legal advice and information on various issues.

Donald’s academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Law / Doctor of Law from the University of Alberta, a Master of Arts from Queen's University, an LL.M. from York University - Osgoode Hall Law School, and a B.Soc.Sci.(Hons.) from the University of Ottawa. They also completed summer school at the Hague Academy of International Law and studied Spanish and French language immersion.

Board Member photos

Stephen Kaiswatum

BOARD MEMBER

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Stephen Kaiswatum is a member of the Piapot First Nation who holds a business degree. He currently serves as the Senior Advisor, Indigenous Markets (Alberta & British Columbia) with the National Bank of Canada, opening up financial opportunities for Indigenous communities.

Stephen brings a deeply personal perspective to his work, having grown up in Edmonton's Child and Family Services system. He holds fond childhood memories of attending family visit programs with Bent Arrow. Later, he was supported by McMan’s Supported Independent Living program, graduating with help from the Advancing Futures program.

Stephen considers himself a product of the system, one he successfully utilized and is deeply grateful for. Right out of university, he gave back by working for a First Nation, then for a non-profit connecting communities with nature. Today, he channels his personal experience, time, and knowledge into the corporate world to help Indigenous communities thrive.

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Johanne Johnson

BOARD MEMBER

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Board Member Johanne Johnson is a settler Canadian who is a consultant to organizations seeking meaningful engagement with Indigenous Nations. She also provides human resources
services to community-based Indigenous organizations.

She was previously the human resources manager of an Inuit-owned corporation where she engaged with many Indigenous partner organizations from Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Earlier in her career, Johanne spent several years in human resources and operational management in Canada’s hospitality industry.

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Dr Vicente A. Gonzalez

BOARD MEMBER

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Dr Vicente A. Gonzalez is a Professor of Digital Lean Construction and Canada Research Chair within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. He was faculty at The University of Auckland, New Zealand, for over 12 years before he moved to Canada.

Vicente has been a prolific author in Lean Construction-based planning and control, decision-making tools, and sustainability, and Computer Applications such as AI, mixed-reality, digital twinning and BIM applied to different human and engineering problems, with 155 journal and conference publications and 1 book to date.

Vicente has secured CAN$ 63 million+ in research and teaching grants and corporate sponsorships and graduated more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students in his career (including 13 PhD students). Vicente is a member of construction and engineering-related organizations and boards in Canada and abroad.

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Javed Sommers

TREASURER

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Javed Sommers, CPA, is a settler passionate about dismantling colonial systems and working towards a future on this land consistent with the optimistic vision of Treaty 6. Javed is an accountant who works for Indigenous Services Canada where he manages a team building and maintaining relationships with Treaty 6 First Nations in Alberta. 

Javed also has several years of board governance and financial management experience from a variety of volunteer roles. In 2019, Javed graduated from the Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta with a Master of Arts degree.

Javed is proud to live in the McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton with his partner and 10-year-old kiddo.

Our Leadership Team

Cheryl Whiskeyjack

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

cwhiskeyjack@bentarrow.ca

Murray Knutson

DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

murray.knutson@bentarrow.ca

Terry-Lynn Bigstone

DIRECTOR

terry.bigstone@bentarrow.ca

Jill Viegas

DIRECTOR

jill.viegas@bentarrow.ca

Lovette Ferguson

DIRECTOR

lovette.ferguson@bentarrow.ca

Jolynn Stevenson

DIRECTOR

jolynn.stevenson@bentarrow.ca

Lloyd Yellowbird

DIRECTOR

lloydyellowbird@bentarrow.ca

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