Our Team
Towagh Behr, M.A.
Director of Research & Operations
As Kwusen’s Director of Research & Operations, Towagh provides strategic direction for Kwusen’s research and digital teams. He loves engaging directly with our Indigenous clients and finding solutions to the diverse issues they face.
Prarie Blake
Director of Technology
As Kwusen’s Director of Technology, Prarie is responsible for all things technical and leads Kwusen’s software development team as they maintain and enhance our in-house software services: Community KnowledgeKeeper (CKK), GeoKeeper, and NationsConnect.
Zorah Staar
Finance Manager
Zorah is Kwusen’s Finance Manager. She has more than 20 years of experience in finance accounting and management.
Research Team
Alissa Cartwright, M. Phil
Indigenous Rights Research Manager
As Kwusen’s Research Manager, Alissa manages the completion of Indigenous Land Use Studies, Cumulative Effects Assessments, Cultural Heritage Assessments, and other types of research studies.
Sarah Raven, M.A.
Indigenous Rights Researcher
As an Indigenous Rights Researcher on Kwusen’s research team, Sarah works on Indigenous Land Use Studies, Repatriation Projects, and other research studies in a variety of roles, including leading interviews and community workshops, conducting archival and museum collection research, and report and memo writing.
Sophia Bain, M.A.
Indigenous Rights Researcher
As an Indigenous Rights Researcher on Kwusen’s research team, Sophia works on Indigenous Land Use Studies and other research studies in a variety of roles, including leading interviews and community workshops, conducting archival research, and assisting with report and memo writing.
Stella Spak, Ph. D.
Anthropologist
Stella Spak received her PhD in Social Cultural Anthropology (Canadian Resource Co-management Boards and Their Relationship to Indigenous Knowledge) from the University of Toronto in 2001.
Hailey Ackinclose, B.A.
Indigenous Rights Research Assistant
As a member of Kwusen’s research team, Hailey provides data management support on the company’s research projects.
Tasha Drolet, B.A.
Indigenous Rights Research Assistant
As a member of Kwusen’s research team, Tasha provides data management support on the company’s research projects.
Massimo Calabrese, B.A.
Indigenous Rights Research Assistant
As a member of Kwusen’s research team, Massimo provides data management support on the company’s research projects.
Digital Team
Rachel Flindall, Ph.D.
Digital Services Manager
As Kwusen’s Digital Services Manager, Rachel supports Indigenous territorial stewardship, language revitalization, and governance by leading a team in providing support and training on Kwusen’s digital tools.
Lisa Stefanson, B.A.
Digital and GIS Support
As a member of Kwusen’s digital team, Lisa primarily works on GeoKeeper program design, form coding and testing, and providing support for CKK and NationsConnect, with a focus on spatial data management.
Sophia Torres, B.A.
Digital Support
As a member of Kwusen’s digital team, Sophia brings her expertise as a user of Kwusen’s software to support and train staff from other First Nations, and test software developments as we move into CKK2.
Nana Yu, B.Sc.
Software Developer
Nana has a degree in Computer Science and Technology from National University of Defence Technology, China.
Adam Valair, B.Sc.
Software Developer
Adam has a BSc Geography and diplomas in GIS and Computer Systems. He also has 15 years of experience making maps and building applications.
Greg Sebastian
Software Developer
Greg is a Software Developer at Kwusen and works on increasing Kwusen's software offerings.
Jonah Mamakeesic, ᐲᑗᐎᑕᒻ
Software Developer
Jonah is a software developer at Kwusen, specializing in UI design and front-end development for our software.