When Cheryl Perich Williams was a small child, quiet and watching, if she she saw a way to help others, she would.

An early memory of a citizenship award presented to her at the end of Grade 3 still makes her feel uncomfortable, yet reaffirms what gives her satisfaction.

“I was painfully shy, and yet I was empowered with the ability to give my help, for stepping in when I saw a need,” she said.

Cheryl’s pride in being a helper and humbleness for being singled out is evident as she talks about her new job with Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council. “I think it is a perfect fit for me,” she said of her new job as community relations manager. “I am excited for our future.”

She said the new job also marks a new direction for the tribal council. “Our board, the leaders from our 11 nations, wants us to move in way that are going to be more relevant to our communities in the coming years. I am looking forward to being part of that.”

Born in Edmonton, Cheryl moved to the Lower Mainland with her family in 1970. After graduating from high school, she lived in southern Alberta and southern Ontario. She attended the University of Western Ontario earning a certificate in journalism before starting a family.

Her two grown children are members of Tsawwassen First Nation. “TFN is truly a blessing to me,” she said. “They have embraced me and I am honoured to be involved in the community.”

Even before her work with the NmTC, most recently as a project manager, Cheryl had an impressive resume. Previous employers include: several federal government departments, international accountants Deloitte, small companies and TFN. Plus, she once started a family-owned café, Yohalla. Just before joining NmTC almost six years ago, she had eight years of customer service experience at Delta Cable.

Since she has been with NmTC, she has studied project management through a continuing education program, taking her classes on Saturdays. Courses included project monitoring and control, effective preparation/start-up of projects and managing cultural diversity.

When not at work, Cheryl enjoys traveling, photography and golf.

“I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to do some travelling and I look forward to continuing to explore and enjoy our world,” she said, adding that when the weather is dry, she likes to swing her clubs at the golf course and has been lucky to get a 20-foot putt now and then.

ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION VITAL FOR MOVING FORWARD
Leaders from Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council nations were among those teaching and learning at the highly interactive Aboriginal communications conference in Vancouver in mid-November. One of the keynote speakers in the first gathering of its kind was Chief Kim Baird of Tsawwassen First Nation. Below are some of her comments as she opened the conference as well as those of two participants. Hosts for the Changing the Face of First Nations Communications event were Indian and Northern Affairs, NmTC and Tewanee Consulting.

Chief Kim Baird
Not only is this the right thing to do, but, in our experience, it is also the only way to go if we are to move forward as a people, to build the types of community, society, economy and environment that we want.

Best practices and tips from the pros were on offer at BC’s first Aboriginal communications conference in Vancouver in mid-November.

Hosts for the event – titled Changing the Face of First Nations Communications – were Indian and Northern Affairs, Nautsa’ mawt Tribal Council and the Tewanee Consulting.

The conference featured workshops, panel and hands-on learning opportunities and focused on media relations, community engagement, branding and use of the internet. Communications experts from a variety of companies and organisations shared case studies, best practices and challenges during workshops.

Workshop presenters included Tanya Corbet and Valerie Cross-Blackwell who have been instrumental in communicating Tsawwassen First Nation’s messages. One of the keynote speakers was TFN Chief Kim Baird who spoke about the role of communications in treaty making and economic development.

Conference delegates learned about how the media works and best practices during a panel discussion by Daphne Bramham of the Vancouver Sun, Tina House of Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and Justin Beddle of the Northshore Outlook newspaper.

After the panel discussion, participants toured the newsrooms of the Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers as well as the CBC. They met with reporters and editors and were able to practice ‘pitching’ a story and interview skills.

The conference also featured presentations by BC Assembly of First Nations regional chief Jody Wilson-Raybould, BC treaty chief commissioner Sophie Pierre and Jim Richards from the Rick Hansen Foundation. They highlighted the importance of strategic, inclusive and frequent communications.

Wilson-Raybould said the conference and INAC’s First Nations Communications Toolkit were “awesome tools” both for nation-building and sharing Aboriginal stories.

DOWNLOAD THE TOOLKIT HERE

BC’s Aboriginal Communications Conference

The conference featured presentations by BC Assembly of First Nations regional chief Jody Wilson-Raybould, BC treaty chief commissioner Sophie Pierre and Jim Richards from the Rick Hansen Foundation. They highlighted the importance of strategic, inclusive and frequent communications.

BC Assembly of First Nations regional chief Jody Wilson-Raybould said the conference and INAC’s First Nations Communications Toolkit were “awesome tools” both for nation-building and sharing Aboriginal stories.

DOWNLOAD THE TOOLKIT HERE