OneFeather Team Working On The Ground With Mohawk Council of Akwesasne: Aboriginal Rights and Research Office
Erik English
OneFeather is leading the development of technologies specifically designed to meet the needs of First Nations in Canada. Specifically, we are leaders in vote management services, electronic voting and member registrar management solutions. We work with First Nation's across the country providing digital solutions to enhance member engagement, increased member participation in important governance and community decision-making, and alleviating administrative pain and reducing cost associated with Band governance activities
We have the directive to educate and inform Members on the Tsikaristisere/Dundee land claim. The goal is to ensure. Members are informed of the land claim and advise Members on how to voice their opinion. Ultimately, the Membership will decide if the community accepts or rejects the proposed settlement agreement with Canada, specifically on the Tsikaristisere/Dundee land claim.
OneFeather is leading the development of technologies specifically designed to meet the needs of First Nations in Canada. Specifically, we are leaders in vote management services, electronic voting and member registrar management solutions. We work with First Nation's across the country, providing digital solutions to enhance member engagement, increased member participation in important governance and community decision-making, and alleviating administrative pain and reducing the cost associated with Band governance activities.
Our systems are designed by First Nations specifically to the needs of First Nations - built around our core Member Registrar Management technologies that provide safe and protected cloud-based solutions that allow the clean and efficient (and auditable) administration of your Member Registrar, along with a convenient, easy web-based interface enabling your members to update their contact information at their convenience...plus so much more.
OneFeather's secure encrypted transmission and storage of data and engagement provide the most current safety and protected data management architecture, all the while providing your members with the convenience of engaging their First Nation from any smart-phone, tablet or computer.
Below is our team assisting the Membership of the Tsikaristisere/Dundee land claim, informational and referendum education processes on the ground.
Lawrence Lewis
Lawrence is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation from central Vancouver Island. In his current role, as the founder of OneFeather, Lawrence works with Nations on elections & referendums, excellence in governance, project management, human resource management, economic development, and organizational leadership and success. Lawrence founded OneFeather in 2014 to give First Nations a much-needed communications platform to discuss important topics, increase community engagement, and build strong, empowered and unified Nations.
Lawrence brings vast indigenous experience and knowledge to the Akwesasne Dundee Land Claims Settlement Project. With generous team support behind him guided with a look from the past, who understand the end goal and the importance of this project.
Marc Storms
Marc has spent the last 27 years working with Indigenous Business and First Nation communities in capacity building and training and developing and implementing economic plans for prosperity. In his capacity to create and train boards of First Nation economic development corporations to serve as a CEO for said boards - Marc has built a solid reputation as an irreplaceable asset to business development, especially in the area of training. As the CEO of a First Nations consulting firm over the past 15 years and a long time associate of OneFeather, Marc has been involved in developing models for prosperity that address positive health and social outcomes through capacity building, education and training.
Marc brings to the Akwesasne Dundee Land Claims Settlement Project the experience, success and relationships that come with over a quarter of a century of commitment to Indigenous education and training, economic development, health issues and prosperity; as well as his executive-level experience creating and running various companies.
Community Engagement Specialists
Chessie (Katsitsiaroroks) Thomas
She:kon Sewakwekon. My name is Chessie Thomas (Wolf Clan). My parents are Krystal Thomas and Jeff Conners. My grandparents are Lois Thomas and Mike, and Charlene Thomas, all from Akwesasne. I have lived up and down the East Coast but have always called Akwesasne 'home'. I returned to Akwesasne in 2008 and, since that time, have been involved with community development, both professionally and personally.
As a result, I'm excited to be working with the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne's Aboriginal Rights & Research Office as a Community Engagement Specialist and efforts to resolve the Dundee Land Claim. Over the coming months, I look forward to interacting, learning and sharing information on the proposed settlement agreement. The opportunity to reclaim our ancestral lands for our community members' benefit makes me proud to be Onkwehonwe and, in particular, an Akwesasnoron.
Kayla Sunday She:kon Sewakwekon. My name is Kayla Kahnehratiostha Sunday. Parents are Pete Jr and Nancy Sunday; grandparents are Peter Sunday Sr (Darlene) and Norah Mitchell-Jacobs. I hold a Bachelor's degree from the University of Ottawa in Communications with a Minor in Psychology. My passion and past have typically brought me to jobs that facilitate community betterment (health, activity, education). My most recent position was with the SRMT as a Career Pathways Program Mentor in 2017. I hold the hope and the vision that I can use my gained skills and knowledge base to share and contribute to the community in any way possible, with the firm belief that education is the key to success.
I aim to bring the latest, most relevant and accessible forms of knowledge to the community regarding the Tsikaristisere Dundee Land Claim. I believe that it is more than just a referendum or a settlement – but a testament to our resilience as a community and a chance to foster positive historical change. Additionally, I see this as an opportunity to educate the community and our future generations to our continued story as a people.
Theresa Benedict She:kon Sewakewkon. My name is Theresa Kaheratonkwas Benedict. My parents are Daniel and Maureen Benedict; my grandparents are Ernest and Florence Benedict and Charles and Agnes Lazore. I am a recent graduate of Trent University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Indigenous Studies and a Minor in Political Studies.
I have always been optimistic about our community's future while working on the 2016 Canadian Census and working with the Mohawk Council as a summer student. I am confident regarding this referendum outcome, as my predecessors had a role in negotiating and fighting for this settlement. Everyone has a connection to this settlement claim. It is my goal that we acknowledge and expresses these connections to represent the community's voice best.
We are working with your teams to deliver our proven community engagement solutions to your eligible electors. Thank you for your continued support and partnership with OneFeather.
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