Home › About ITAC › Staff Directory

URL copied!

Staff Directory

Led by the CEO, ITAC staff are responsible for the day to day operations of the organization including activities and plans as approved by the Board of Directors.

Executive Management

Brady Smith

Chief Strategy Officer

Brady Smith was recently the Executive Director of the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre.

Brady Smith

Brady Smith is a long-time Whistler resident and was recently the Executive Director of the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC). He previously managed business and economic development for Whistler Sport Legacies and has worked senior positions during the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He also served as past chair of the Whistler Chamber of Commerce. When not working, Brady can be found hiking, biking, skiing and fishing and spending quality time with his family.

Cecilia Point

Director of Finance

Cecilia contributes to the overall success of the Association by effectively managing all financial tasks.

Cecilia Point

As the Director of Finance for ITAC, Cecilia contributes to the overall success of the organization by effectively managing all financial tasks for the organization including financial accounting and reporting, developing, implementing, and ensuring compliance with internal financial and accounting policies and procedures, developing and maintaining financial accounting systems as well as preparing and reviewing monthly results and monthly variance reporting. Cecilia also prepares budgets and financial reports for funding applications and project management accounting.

A member of the Musqueam Indian Band, Cecilia has worked in the travel and tourism industry in excess of 25 years. Her career began at American Airlines and Air Canada working in Finance, Pensions and Pricing, she later joined Tourism BC working in Partnership Marketing’s inaugural Aboriginal Tourism division, and more recently held the position of Finance Manager at Aboriginal Tourism Association of BC. Cecilia has a certificate in Business from the University of British Columbia, supplemented with courses in Finance, and First Nations Studies including hən̓q̓min̓əm̓ (Musqueam language). She has donated a tremendous amount of her time to her nation and a number of local Aboriginal causes, which currently includes sitting as a volunteer Board Member on 2 cultural and women’s organizations in Vancouver’s downtown east side.

Keith Henry, B. ED

President & CEO

Mr. Henry has become an international Aboriginal cultural tourism leader receiving Aboriginal/Indigenous recognition as the former CEO for Indigenous Tourism Association of British Columbia.

Keith Henry, B. ED

Mr. Keith Henry is a Métis person that was born in Thompson, Manitoba and raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Mr. Henry achieved a B.Ed. from the University of Saskatchewan in 1995.

Mr. Henry began his career in 1995 with teaching positions and has become well known for his strategic administrative and negotiations skills. Since 1998 Mr. Henry has led numerous provincial, federal and industry negotiations on a variety of issues. He has been directly responsible for financial administration of a number of Aboriginal non-profits and has a proven track record of success.

Mr. Henry has become an international Aboriginal cultural tourism leader receiving Aboriginal/Indigenous recognition as the former CEO for Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia (AtBC). In April 2014 the inaugural World Indigenous Tourism Alliance award recognized the work of AtBC and Mr. Henry’s leadership. Mr. Henry has been spearheading the growth of authentic Aboriginal tourism in Canada as he worked to redevelop the national Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada as elected chair when this organization incorporated in April 2015. In October 2015 Mr. Henry took the full time role as the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada’s CEO.

In Canada Mr. Henry continues to be recognized across the country as one of the leaders in Aboriginal tourism and has led many new initiatives including the national strategy entitled “The Path Forward 2016-2021”, contributions to the development of national standards on market readiness and authenticity, cruise industry opportunities and the national Aboriginal tourism research project on the economic value of Aboriginal cultural tourism. Mr. Henry was instrumental in the development of the national Aboriginal tourism strategy The Path Forward 2016-2021 which will focus on increasing Aboriginal market readiness, increasing jobs, and increasing revenues. Over the course of the last number of years Mr. Henry has been invited to numerous international locations to support Aboriginal tourism strategies.

Mr. Henry volunteers time in the Aboriginal community and maintains several board positions including the former President of the Industry Council for Aboriginal Business, former chair of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, current Chair for the Native Education College, member of the Minister’s Council on Tourism, former member of the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Aboriginal Opportunities Committee, member of the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance, member of the International Marketing Committee Destination Canada member, and current President of the BC Métis Federation.

Sébastien Desnoyers-Picard

Chief Marketing Officer

Sebastien has spent his career developing strong relationships with industry leaders across the globe.

Sébastien Desnoyers-Picard

As the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada’s (ITAC) Chief Marketing Officer, Sebastien Desnoyers-Picard has spent his career developing strong partnerships and relationships with industry leaders across the globe and is passionate about raising awareness of the many opportunities for Indigenous tourism. Prior to joining ITAC, Sebastien spent 10 years serving the Quebec Indigenous tourism industry, first as General Manager with Tourism Wendake and then as a marketing advisor with Quebec Indigenous Tourism. Throughout his career, Sebastien’s work with media has helped produce award winning stories in France, Germany, Canada and the USA. In 2019, Sebastien was recognized with the Explore Canada Award of Excellence, based on nominations from the media.

As a member of the Huron-Wendat Nation, and past Chief in his community, Sebastien is trilingual and a strong advocate for Indigenous rights and traditional way of life, which he still practices. Sebastien has a diploma in Business, a degree in Sales and Marketing, and has completed an Indigenous studies program at Laval University. Sebastien takes great pride in defending Indigenous interest throughout all aspects of his life and career and focusses on bringing creative solutions to bring indigenous people, communities, and tourism industry forward.

Teresa Ryder

Director of Business Development

Teresa is responsible for overseeing the development and stability of Indigenous tourism associations across Canada.

Teresa Ryder

As the Director of Business Development, Teresa is responsible for overseeing the development and stability of Indigenous tourism associations across Canada as well as product development and grant initiatives to support Indigenous tourism entrepreneurs and Indigenous communities investing in tourism. In 2020, Teresa led the $16 million Stimulus Development Grant program for ITAC- an effort made to stabilize more than 675 Indigenous tourism operators as they navigated the loss of travellers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also overseen the growth of the International Indigenous Tourism Conference – the largest Indigenous tourism conference in the world – since 2018, being a part of this project for many years since its inception.

Teresa is proud to be of Musqueam descent. Upon finishing her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology at Simon Fraser University, Teresa has spent more than 10 years in Indigenous tourism development, starting her career with Indigenous Tourism BC. She has worked with Indigenous tourism operators and partners to grow Indigenous tourism while implementing regional and provincial destination development strategies and improving the market readiness of operators. She is an experienced speaker, facilitator and trainer and advocate for the betterment of Indigenous Peoples. Teresa is passionate about Indigenous tourism not only for the economic benefits but also for the social impact on Indigenous People and communities who thrive in business while sharing unique stories from coast to coast to coast.

Teresa currently sits as a board of director for the Tourism Industry Association of Canada where she advocates alongside national tourism professionals for tourism.

Team Members

Angela Ryder

Industry Coordinator

Angela Ryder

Angela is from the Musqueam Nation and is working towards finalizing her degree in Human Resources at BCIT School of Business. Angela joins the Marketing team as the Industry Coordinator and membership support. She will be responsible for managing the new CRM as well as managing the digital assets management system. She will also be of great support in the delivery of the 2019 International Indigenous Tourism Conference.

Genevieve Huneault, MA

Development Manager

Genevieve Huneault, MA

Genevieve is a regenerative tourism specialist with a long-standing commitment to social and environmental justice. She has over 10 years of experience integrating sustainable tourism systems with specialties in Indigenous tourism, gender & outdoor recreation, regional food systems management, and community-driven tourism development. Genevieve has worked closely with non-profit organizations, governments, entrepreneurs, innovators, and social enterprises across Canada and Internationally to integrate regenerative practices across their work. Genevieve holds a Bachelor’s of Tourism Management from Vancouver Island University and a Master of Arts in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies from the University of Northern British Columbia.

Holly Courchene

Manitoba Coordinator

Holly Courchene

Representing: Manitoba

Holly, a member of the Peguis First Nation, will lend her expertise to supporting Manitoba Indigenous tourism operators in their product development activities. Her role will be to support entrepreneurs and community-owned tourism enterprises in strengthening their business offering to make them more market or export-ready. Holly holds a Business Administration Diploma with a major in Marketing from the Red River College. An entrepreneur herself, Holly believes in building economies for Indigenous people and supporting local businesses in finding success in their endeavors.

Jason Picard-Binet

Sales Manager

Jason Picard-Binet

Graduated in marketing for tourism and hospitality from St. Lawrence College in 2008, Jason held several jobs in the field of Indigenous tourism: tour guide, officer in charge of wildlife management at an outfitter’s, officer in charge of welcoming visitors in the Montmorency Forest. When the Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations opened its doors in 2008, Jason was hired as the Sales and Banquet Coordinator. In 2010, he joined Tourism Wendake and was in charge of sales development and marketing for the entire tourism infrastructure of the Huron-Wendat Nation. He was also actively involved in media relations, in the publication of the tourism guide and in setting up the website to promote Wendat culture in Quebec, the rest of Canada and abroad.

Later on, as Projects Officer (Outfitters) for Quebec Aboriginal Tourism (QAT), Jason drew his expertise and dedication to supporting managers and owners of Indigenous outfitting businesses in Quebec. He worked closely with the Quebec Outfitters Federation and contributed to the adoption of sustainable and authentic business practices that meet international standards. This, in turn, helped to overcome current industry challenges while attracting more foreign customers to the outfitters.

In October 2018, Jason became QAT’s Marketing Advisor. In this new role, he worked towards promoting Quebec’s Indigenous cultures and tourism enterprises in key markets such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Besides participating in a number of international trade shows and fairs, he oversees nearly thirty fam and press tours within the province’s 11 nations and 55 Indigenous communities every year, supervises the editorial process of the Origin(e) magazine and advises the 37 regional and sectoral tourism associations in Quebec on Indigenous tourism. Jason was also involved in Indigenous gastronomy by organizing the Indigenous culinary event À la rencontre des Grands Chefs in collaboration with Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.

Finally, he offers personalized marketing support to QAT members, he was the lead of the Indigenous traditions roundtable of the Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec, Member of the board of directors of the Association des réceptifs et forfaitistes du Québec and represented Quebec on the board of directors of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. Toward that combination of experiences and career success of the last 12 years, he built an impressive network of contacts in the tourism industry.

Joe Hidayat, CPA, CMA

Controller

Joe Hidayat, CPA, CMA

Joe Hidayat, CPA, CMA moved to Canada from Indonesia seventeen years ago. He studied law before becoming an accountant. Passionate about finance and accounting, he holds a CPA, CMA professional designation in Canada. He is also member of the AFOA Canada.

Joe has previously worked at University of British Columbia as a Senior Financial Specialist and then moved to FinTech Company, Hyperwallet, as a Risk Fraud Analyst. He currently works at ITAC as a Controller. He enjoys implementing his interdisciplinary experience to develop strategy to solve complex problems, drive organizational growth, and deliver value to stakeholders.

Joe loves travelling, culinary experiences and music. He is grateful to be working for an Indigenous Corporation, so he has a chance to support a bright positive future for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together.

Manpreet Kaur

Bookkeeper

Manpreet Kaur

Manpreet Kaur joined the Finance Department as Bookkeeper after graduating from Capilano University with a Business Management Post Baccalaureate Diploma. She had previously completed her internship in ITAC’s Finance Department where she demonstrated a great capacity for finance-related tasks.

Melanie Bingham

Project Coordinator

Melanie Bingham

Melanie Bingham is of Secwepemc decent, born and raised in central British Columbia. She holds a Diploma in Tourism Management and 9 years of experience in the Indigenous tourism industry. Melanie worked in management at her community’s tourism business Xatśūll Heritage Village before starting her 8-year career at Indigenous Tourism BC. Melanie’s passion for Indigenous communities and seeing projects through to completion is what has led her to continue her career in Indigenous tourism nationally.

Ryan Rogers

Communications Specialist

Ryan Rogers

A proud member of the Musqueam Nation in Vancouver BC, Ryan assists the Chief Marketing Officer in achieving ITAC’s annual KPIs. His work is focused on the travel trade in the Asian Markets, corporate communications and managing media relations. His role also includes producing content for social channels and providing visual support to staff and provincial coordinators.

Ryan has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of British Columbia and has been working in the Indigenous tourism industry for the past 6 years. Prior to working with ITAC, Ryan worked as the marketing coordinator with Indigenous Tourism BC. He takes great pride in representing Indigenous interests in his career.

Sherry Daniels

Executive Assistant

Sherry Daniels

Sherry is the Executive Assistant who provides logistical and administrative support to the ITAC Board of Directors as well as the President & CEO. She has worked in Métis politics for more than 20 years and also spends time on her first love – interior design. Sherry is Métis from the Belhumeur & Hayden families in the Qu’Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan. She makes her home in BC now and loves fitness and being outside in the garden.

Suzanne Reeves

Senior Marketing Strategist

Suzanne Reeves

SURE Media is a newly created strategic marketing communications enterprise with Suzanne Reeves as Principal. Suzanne supports ITAC in the implementation of content marketing programs and partnerships. From promoting Canada as a tourism destination, to helping shine a global light on the country for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Suzanne has built her expertise upon work focused on delivering results for private and public sector companies and has experience working together with Indigenous and Francophone communities. She leads teams and resources to create and implement complex programs that reach and engage with consumer, public, stakeholder and shareholder audiences.

As Executive Director for Destination Canada over the past 5 years, Suzanne led the design, development and implementation successful national Sales & Content Marketing programs for the US Leisure Travel Market (keepexploring.ca) and the Domestic Millennial Travel Program (farandwide.much.com) for Canada’s 150^th anniversary celebration bringing together co-investors from across the country.

Suzanne served as Director Communications for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games including the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays and Director Marketing and 25^th Anniversary Relay Communications for the Rick Hansen Foundation. Prior to that, she spent 7 years in Ottawa for Federal Government departments and 10 years in Toronto for private sector clients providing communications, video production and Business Events support.

Originally from Montreal Quebec, Suzanne is bilingual and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario.

Tracey Pascal

Saskatchewan Coordinator

Tracey Pascal

Representing: Saskatchewan

Tracey Pascal is a status member of the Pasqua First Nation, Treaty Four, in Saskatchewan. She was born in Thompson, Manitoba and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. Tracey’s background in communications started with the Government of Saskatchewan as a Communications Consultant. After that, Tracey became the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Advisor for Statistics Canada’s Aboriginal Communications Program. As an Advisor, Tracey connected with Aboriginal organizations and communities, primarily First Nation, to promote and raise awareness on the data collected by Statistics Canada on the Aboriginal population. This also included planning events and acting as co-trainer for a series of free introductory statistical training courses. Tracey’s previous position was as Membership and Communications Manager for the First Nations Power Authority of Saskatchewan (FNPA), a not-for-profit, start-up mandated to assist First Nations communities in developing renewable energy projects. Tracey’s main role was to manage FNPA’s membership, plan FNPA’s Annual General Meeting and Conference, and engage First Nation communities to promote FNPA and its services. Tracey received a Bachelor of Arts from the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv), formerly the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC), with a major in English and minor in Indian Studies. In 2000, Tracey was funded by the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation and completed the Indian Communications Arts Summer Institute in Journalism at FNUniv.

Zane Buchanan

Digital Marketing Manager

Zane Buchanan

A proud member of the Saskatchewan Métis Nation, Zane is honoured to work as Digital Marketing Manager for The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. Formerly known as ”The Saskatchewanderer”, Zane is now the founder and creative director of CIVL Creative, a content studio for nonprofits and community/cultural initiatives.

Advisors

Malcolm MacPherson

Legal Advisor

Malcolm MacPherson

Malcolm MacPherson is a lawyer and negotiator of Mi’kmaq and Metis heritage. He was born and raised in Vancouver. Called to the bar in 2003, Malcolm has primarily practiced law in the area of economic development as it applies to First Nation clients. He has particular expertise in the large scale economic development of reserve lands – term sheet process leading to definitive agreement (focus on real estate). Malcolm was instrumental in a prominent multi-million dollar CP land transaction and development at the Tsawwassen First Nation. Malcolm also has expertise organizing and negotiating large scale proponent development proposals (oil and gas) – regulatory, engagement, economic development, supply chain management/goods and services. In his spare time, Malcolm is fond of fishing and travelling.

Agencies

Beattie Tartan

Communications Support

Beattie Tartan

Beattie Tartan is Canada’s leading integrated communications agency with a proud PR and digital marketing pedigree. Beattie Tartan supports ITAC with full service public relations services including media relations, reputation management and content creation. Founded 31 years ago, Beattie Tartan is one of the fastest growing integrated marketing groups in North America and Europe. Headquartered in London Beattie Tartan has four offices in Canada – Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Victoria. Clients include global, national and local brands spanning 12 industry sectors including tourism, health, retail, real estate and tech.