Joe Pierre
Joe was raised in the Community of ʔaqʾam formerly known as the St. Mary’s Indian Reserve and is a citizen of the Ktunaxa Nation. He attended the University of Calgary in the Fine Arts. At the U of C Joe met several other First Nations people interested in Theatre and they collaborated to form the Crazy Horse Theatre Company. The company mounted several productions in Calgary all of which were written by Aboriginal writers. Joe also worked for a season with the CBC production “North of Sixty”. Joe was a storyteller at the very first Proctor Storytelling Festival and he has presented at several other festivals throughout the Kootenays. Currently he is employed by School District 5 Southeast Kootenay and is a member of the Board of Directors for the First Nations Education Steering Committee. Joe served as a councilor for the St. Mary’s Indian band for 8 years and was a member of the Board of Governors for the College of the Rookies for 6 years. In the Fall of 2016 Joe was elected back to the ʔaqʾam council, this time in the capacity of Chief Councilor. Ultimately serving two terms as Chief of his community, Joe is very grateful for the honour of serving ʔaqʾamnik. He is husband to wife Jennifer and a father to Jude. Together they are known as “Triple J”.
Garry Merkel
Director
Garry has been working with the Ktunaxa Nation Council as a Senior Negotiator since 1994 and has First Nation business development experience from 4 years as CEO at Tahltan Development Corporation. Over the last 40 years some types of things that he has been involved in include creating businesses, schools, various land management arrangements, public policy, foundations, working relationships and governments. I am often sought out to help groups work through difficult situations in unknown territory.
Wally Penner
Director
Wally began his career in the 1960’s doing Geo-technical surveys on the High Arrow Dam. He then transitioned into an Engineering & Design Technician for the Ministry of Transportation and Highways Construction Branch. In the 1980’s Wally began working as the Regional Development Officer for the Kootenay Development Region. In the mid 1990’s Wally began managing the Columbia Basin Power Projects Information office in Castlegar.
John Zimmer
Director
John is a retired lawyer. He was formerly a partner with the Cranbrook BC law firm of Miles, Zimmer & Associates. He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in 1976, and a Bachelor of Laws in 1979. He was admitted to the Bar of Saskatchewan in 1980 and the Bar of British Columbia in 1993. John is currently a retired member of both the Law Society of BC, and Law Society of Saskatchewan. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in December 2011. He is an active member of his community having previously served on the Boards of many organizations including the Cranbrook Rotary Club, the Cranbrook Regional Hospital, East Kootenay Crimestoppers, the College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia, the Board of the Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust and the Canadian Mental Health Association, East Kootenay Branch. John’s professional and diverse experiential background brings valuable skill sets to the Board, which compliments and expands current expertise.