Dr. Alanaise Ferguson is an Indigenous scientist-practitioner and educator in counselling psychology. Her work aims to decolonize mental health practices by addressing serious manifestations of colonial violence such as gang and gender-based violence. As one of very few Indigenous registered psychologists in B.C., she maintains active service within several Indigenous communities. Ferguson produces work considered meaningful to psychological practice in the areas of identity reclamation, collective healing and restitution from damaging colonial processes including Indian Residential schools. Her work attracted the attention of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, The National Parole Board of Canada, and the National Headstart Association of Canada.

George Nicholas studies the evolving relationship between archaeology and Indigenous communities, intellectual property and intangible heritage, and the archaeology and human ecology of wetlands. He advances Indigenous heritage protection, social justice and decolonization. He developed and directed SFU’s Indigenous Archaeology Program on the Tk’emlups Reserve in Kamloops—the first of its kind in North America. Nicholas’ commitment to reconciliation and decolonization is evidenced in his work with the SFU-Aboriginal Reconciliation Council, the Indigenous Research Institute’s advisory board and the First Peoples

Cultural Council. He directed the international Intellectual Property in Cultural Heritage (IPinCH) project (2008-2016). In 2021, he received the Warren Gill Award for Community Impact.