Board of Directors

Board mandate & other pertinent info

Susan Barberstock, Board Chair

 

Susan Barberstock is from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Susan is the Director of Community Wellbeing for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in her home community. Her experience combined with her education, a Bachelor of Social Work from Ryerson University, has assisted her in her career path working with both the urban Indigenous and on-reserve populations. Susan has also been involved with youth sports in many capacities: participant, coach, manager, spectator and parent.

Josh Cowan, Treasurer

Josh Cowan works on local efforts to support the expansion of Indigenous wellness efforts and mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises. He stewards forests for Little Forests Kingston, sits with the Indigenous Wellness Council, and organizes tree plantings in partnership with the City of Kingston. He recently retired from Kingston Community Health Centres as Director, Regional Services and Partnerships where he started an Interprofessional primary care team, helped consolidate 19 electronic medical records into a single instance, started a housing program for people experiencing homelessness in Lennox and Addington County, a Youth Hub providing support/access to services, and partnered with local physicians, the public health department and the Morningstar Mission to ensure COVID vaccinations are available to those who can’t or won’t go to mass vaccination clinics. Past work included; product owner for a medical billing and payroll system, procurement consultant, and executive director for a family health team. In his spare time, Josh loves to kayak, hike, cross country ski and is currently writing a “throughtopia” story on the climate and biodiversity crisis where Kingston turns into a “city in a forest”; Indigenous wisdom is honored and followed, nature based solutions are the default and land stewardship becomes a respected and well paid profession for many. 

Dora Yatemen, Secretary

Stacia Loft, Director

Stacia Loft (Ie’khahatakhe) is Kanyen’keha:ka from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. She received her Juris Doctor from Queen’s University in January 2020, and a Bachelor of Arts, Hons. from the University of Western Ontario in 2004. Stacia was recently appointed the Director of Indigenous Initiatives and EDII Programs at Queen’s Law. Stacia also serves as Deputy Grand Chief of the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians (AIAI) and as an elected Band Councillor on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Council. She completed her Articles with Amnesty International and was called to the Bar in May 2021.