Staff Directory

Allison Modin is originally from Simcoe, Ontario, near Six Nations of the Grand River and lives on Vancouver Island in K’omoks territory. Allison obtained a Graphic Design Diploma from Seneca Polytechnic at the Seneca@York campus in Toronto. She comes from a diverse background in design and is also an artist and illustrator. 

Allison started working with Indigenous clients after she moved to Vancouver, BC, and fell in love with the diverse cultures, histories, and Indigenous people’s connection to the land. As an ally, she applies her design skills to make positive impacts, and now working in the Indigenous tourism sector has enabled her to do just that. Advocating for the environment and Indigenous rights is important to her. As a settler on this land, she loves to give back and be a part of the solution to help Indigenous communities thrive again. 

Outside of work, she spends most of her free time in nature, whether it’s mountain biking, snowboarding, or just hiking through the woods. 

Angela is from the Musqueam Nation and is working towards finalizing her degree in Human Resources at BCIT School of Business. Angela is the Project Manager for the Marketing team. 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.

April Thompson is a member of Saugeen First Nation #29 in Ontario. She is a graduate of George Brown College and holds a Diploma with Honours in Special Events Planning, and an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration Hospitality Operations Management Degree.

After planning events for her home community, she joined ITAC in late 2021. Working closely with other departments and teams, April enjoys bringing people together to create meaningful events and unforgettable experiences. 

In her free time, April enjoys reading and being outdoors. With a passion for community, April continues to learn about the different nations across turtle island and the impact and potential tourism has for indigenous communities. She is proud to be a part of this flourishing industry.

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 Fraser 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.

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.

Sheldon McRae is Cree and Ojibway and is originally from Manitoba. He has a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) from the University of Calgary and a Public Relations Certificate from Simon Fraser University. Sheldon has a solid background in corporate communications, event management and brand activations. 

A passion for keeping up with social trends has enabled him to work in various sectors, such as boutique agencies, non-profit organizations, television broadcasting, and technology. He chose Indigenous tourism because its work that has positive impacts on communities is what is important to him. Moreover, Indigenous tourism enables him to learn more about the diverse Indigenous communities across Canada and more broadly to connect to Indigenous cultures.

Sheldon enjoys yoga, keeping active, giving back to the community as a volunteer board member and attending arts and cultural events. 

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.

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.

A proud member of the Saskatchewan Métis Nation, Zane is honoured to work as Creative Content 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.

Sébastien is a proud member of the Huron-Wendat Nation from Wendake, Quebec, and has spent over 20 years celebrating and sharing Indigenous culture as a senior leader. A former elected chief in his community, he has long been dedicated to strengthening tourism as a means of cultural and economic development.

As President & CEO of Destination Original Indigenous Tourism, Sébastien leads a groundbreaking international enhanced marketing collective made up of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), and New Zealand Māori Tourism. During his time as ITAC’s Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, he helped launch Nations, Destination Indigenous, and the award-winning “The Original Original” campaign—each setting new benchmarks for Indigenous tourism.

A passionate advocate for Indigenous rights and culture, Sébastien’s work with global media has earned him several prestigious accolades, including the Explore Canada Award of Excellence. He continues to champion innovation, inclusion, and meaningful progress for Indigenous communities across the globe.

tartanbond is Canada’s leading integrated communications agency with a proud PR and digital marketing pedigree. tartanbond supports ITAC with full service public relations services including media relations, reputation management and content creation. Founded 31 years ago, tartanbond is one of the fastest growing integrated marketing groups in North America and Europe. Headquartered in London, tartanbond 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.

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