Committee Member
John R. Welch is a Canada research chair (tier II) and associate professor at Simon Fraser University. He began his career as a university professor in 2005, following two decades working for and with the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona. Collaborations in Apache Country included the establishment of the tribe's Heritage Program, Historic Preservation Office, and the Fort Apache Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to using historic preservation and cultural perpetuation as the basis for economic and community development. Welch continues as an advisor to the tribe's Heritage Program and a member of the foundation board of directors. He recently completed the National Historic Landmark nomination for the Fort Apache and Theodore Roosevelt School Historic District. Welch's teaching and research partnerships at Simon Fraser University are engaging the Apache, Katzie, Tla' Amin, and Tahltan Nations in efforts to understand and enhance links between sovereignty and cultural heritage stewardship policy and practice.
