LEADERSHIP
Dawn Madahbee Leach
ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ms. Madahbee Leach is the General Manager of the Waubetek Business Development Corporation and the Chair of the National Indigenous Economic Development Board. She is a proud member of the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation on Manitoulin Island in Central Canada where she has served as a member of her community’s Council. Since 1988, she has been General Manager of the Waubetek, an Indigenous Financial Institution that provides financing and economic services to Indigenous entrepreneurs and First Nation communities. Under her leadership, Waubetek has proudly invested more than $100 million in 3,500 Aboriginal businesses. She studied at York University and Laurentian University where she graduated with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Law. She has been recognized with numerous national awards and has been a speaker at international forums in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Paris, Germany, the US and the UN on Indigenous economic development.
Dawn was instrumental in the development of the OECD’s first ever international Indigenous 2020 report, Linking Indigenous Peoples to Regional Development. She continues to lead the series of the National Indigenous Economic Progress Report that began in 2012. Besides serving on the Board of the Indigenous Centre of Excellence for Mineral Development she currently serves on the National Indigenous Economic Development Board as well as the boards of Peace Hills Trust and NioBay Minerals Inc.
Carolyn Chisholm
BOARD MEMBER
Ms. Chisholm is General Manager, External Affairs Canada at Rio Tinto. She is responsible for government relations, external affairs and policy for Rio Tinto in Canada. She is also an active member of many industry associations on behalf of Rio Tinto, including the Mining Association of Canada, and the Mining Association of British Columbia. Prior to joining Rio Tinto, Carolyn worked for more than twenty years in external affairs and public policy, in the private sector as Vice President of the Natural Resources and Environment Group with a public affairs firm, and as senior advisors to Ministers at the federal and provincial levels. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (First Class Honours) in Political Science from St. Francis Xavier University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Carleton University.
Brian Davey
BOARD MEMBER
Mr. Davey is the Executive Director for NADF in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Prior to working with NADF, he held positions with Matawa First Nations Management, First Nations Equity, Economic Renewal Initiative and the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, including working as a private management consultant. Brian has over 35 years of experience working in the public and private sectors on First Nation business and economic development issues as an elected First Nation’s Leader, Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director, Manager and Management Consultant. Much of his experience is focused in Northern Ontario in the resource sector, infrastructure development and financing.
Brian is a Native Studies graduate from Trent University. He was born in Moose Factory, Ontario and is a member of the Moose Cree First Nation.
Todd Malan
BOARD MEMBER
Mr. Malan is Chief External Affairs Officer and Head of Climate Strategy at Talon Metals. In this role he has responsibility for all external engagement and climate strategy including carbon mineralization, operational emissions, energy and the “Green Nickel” product franchise. Todd previously led the corporate relations team for global mining and metals leader Rio Tinto in the Americas region and globally for the Rio Tinto aluminium product group. Before joining the mining and metals sector, Todd was a Managing Director at Goldman, Sachs. He is a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle and studied at Birkbeck College at the University of London as a Hansard Scholar. Todd is based in Washington D.C.
Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk
BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Mykytczuk is currently serving as the Interim CEO and President of MIRARCO (Mining Innovation, Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation) in Sudbury, Ontario. She also serves in the role of Interim Executive Director of the Goodman School of Mines at Laurentian University. Until May 2021, she was an Associate Professor and Industrial Research Chair in Biomining, Bioremediation and Science Communication at Laurentian University. She continues to operate her research lab and supervise graduate students as part of her ongoing research efforts to expand biotechnology applications in mining.