Angeline Gillis, BA, LLB is a proud Mi’kmaw woman and member of Eskasoni First Nation. Growing up outside her community in East Bay Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Angie grew up surrounded by her family and her culture. She remains grateful as her unique upbringing gave her the strength and ingenuity to pursue her education. She is an alumni of Dalhousie University, and obtained her LL.B from Schulich School of Law and was called to the Nova Scotia Bar Society in June 2010.

Angeline is a practicing lawyer and has worked with The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM) since October 2011. In 2013, she became the Director of Environment and Natural Resources after successfully establishing several environmental programs for CMM’s Member Communities.

In 2019, Angeline was appointed by The CMM Board to be the organization’s Associate Executive Director. Making her to be the first woman to hold this position in the organization’s history, and in the largest tribal council in the east. Within this role, she provides oversight and guidance to all CMM’s departments, over a hundred staff, numerous files, projects, and services offered to eight (8) Mi’kmaw communities in Mainland Nova Scotia.

Angeline’s career has been primarily focused on the inclusion of traditional knowledge and modern science. She is passionate and unrelenting in creating real, measurable progress in the priorities that matter most to her organization’s communities.

Angeline sits as an advisor for the Assembly of Nova Scotia Chiefs’, Dalhousie’s Board of Governors, Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management External Advisory Board, the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) Board of Directors, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster Board of Directors, Natural Resource Canada’s Departmental Audit Committee, and the Indigenous Centre of Cumulative Effects Management Board of Directors.

Executive Director of The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq for the past 28 years, Dr. Julien is also a Mi’kmaw historian and human rights advocate. With over 40 years researching and documenting Mi’kmaw history, Donald shares his knowledge and experiences through speaking engagements, university lectures and research papers. Donald is a Member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Nova Scotia, which were granted for his work promoting Mi’kmaw history, language and culture. He has also been awarded two honorary degrees from Acadia University and Mount Saint Vincent University.

Donald is a peace time veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces and has served in the United Nations on a peacekeeping tour in Cyprus. He continues work with the Canadian Armed forces in a community advisory role for the RCMP Aboriginal Advisory Group, as well as the Auditor General on Aboriginal matters. He sits on the Advisory Board for Admiral of the Canadian Navy, and he was appointed Honorary Lt. Colonel in 2011. Donald and his wife Diane live in Truro, proud parents of four children, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Donald Julien is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre.

Wyatt White

Associate Executive Director, The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq

Wyatt White is originally from the Mi’gmaq First Nation of Listuguj, Quebec but called Nova Scotia home for more than 20 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science) degree from Acadia University and a Master of Education from St. Francis Xavier University.  Since joining the Nova Scotia public service in 2002, Wyatt’s career has spanned First Nations community development, intergovernmental relations, crown-Indigenous affairs, and for the past eight years, his attention had turned towards Indigenous education, coupled with his 15 plus-years of experience in facilitating public service training related to the Legal Duty to Consult, Indigenous Perceptions, Treaty Education and Reconciliation learning opportunities.

In the fall of 2021, Wyatt joined the faculty of L’nu, Political and Social Studies at Cape Breton University but after a term, realized his passion for teaching lies in helping to reshape the mindsets of public sector and not-for-profit employees, in our collective work of the indigenization and decolonization of organizations, and institutes through a lens of treaty education and reconciliation. Throughout his career, sound public policy decision-making and relational leadership have been at the heart of his career pursuits.

Wyatt was an active member of the Tripartite Forum from 2002 to 2015, as well as former board member for United Way Halifax.

In September 2022, Wyatt was thrilled to join The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaw as the Associate Executive Director.  He is a proud dog-dad to a puppy named Mabel who keeps him on his toes and is an avid curler when the weather turns cooler. Wyatt is always proud to continue calling Mi’kma’ki, our traditional and unceded territory, home.