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 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.

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.

Digital Team

Rachel Soo, 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.