Coast Funds announces three First Nations women to board of directors

Coast Funds announced today that they have appointed three First Nations women to their board of directors.

The new members, Christina Gray, Ts’xwiixw Megan Moody and Kii’iljuus Barbara Wilson were officially appointed at the organization’s annual general meeting on July 5.

“We are grateful for the depth of knowledge and experience each of these women bring to the board,” Percy Crosby, chair of Coast Funds’ board of directors, said in a statement.

“I am thrilled with the brilliance and strong leadership they bring to Coast Funds,” K̓áwáziɫ Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations and Coast Funds member, said. “They are all important role models in our communities, particularly for young women and girls.”

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Christina Gray was nominated by the North Coast Stewardship society. She is a Tsimshian member of Lax Kw’alaams, as well as Dene-Métis from Łutselkʼe in the Northwest Territories. Gray is a lawyer and Indigenous law scholar, having worked with the Aboriginal Legal Services in Toronto and as a senior research associate at the Centre for International Governance and Innovation in Waterloo.

Gray is currently pursuing a Masters of Law at the University of Victoria, where she has contributed heavily to projects involving the Indigenous Law Research Unit. She is also a Yellowhead Institute Research Fellow at the First Nations think tank.

Moody was nominated by the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance (CCIRA), and is a member of the Nuxalk nation. She brings a deep wealth of fishing knowledge to Coast Funds, and has worked as a biologist for the CCIRA after earning her Master of Science degree from UBC. She returned home to Bella Coola in 2013 to work as stewardship director for the Nuxalk Nation.

Moody moved to Masset in 2017, where she works as a manager of the Stewardship Director’s Committee with the Coastal First Nations – Great Bear Initiative. She is also a Central Coast delegate for the First Nations Fisheries Council.

Wilson is a member of the Haida nation, where she currently sits on the nation’s council as an elected member. Wilson brings extensive experience in stewardship, Indigenous justice and education, among other areas. She has served as the chair of Indigenous Justice and Residential Schools, and has also served as chair and been a member of the Legal Aid Society for approximately 30 years.

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