Staff Profiles
Cherlyn Billy
Policy and Implementation Officer, BC
Cherlyn is a member of the Shuswap “Secwepemc” Nation with ancestry extending into the Stl'atl'imx and Nlaka’pamux Nations in the Central Interior of British Columbia. She obtained both her Bachelor of Laws degree and Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia in 1995 and 2002 respectively. Ms. Billy has experience facilitating, coordinating, and researching programs in areas of employment and self-employment, land claims, health and law. She worked with the government, national aboriginal organizations, and with regional and community organizations. As a First Nations person, Cherlyn has looked at her work as part of an opportunity to learn about other people and to grow as a person. In fact, in 2000, she worked with a team and conducted interviews with former students of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in preparation for the book, Behind Closed Doors: Stories from the Kamloops Indian Residential School, published by the Secwepemc Cultural Education Society in 2001. While the job was to interview, it was the stories and the final results and healing that made the work rewarding. In 1999 to 2001, she also served a two year term as elected representative, or Chief, of her community, the Bonaparte Indian Band. She served the term with 6 representatives of her community. During that time, Cherlyn also sat at the table with 6 Chiefs and representatives affiliated with the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council working collectively to strengthen the goals and objectives of the Nation. Ms. Billy has worked in both the Provinces of British Columbia and Ontario for Aboriginal people. In all of her travels and work nationally, she thanks the people whose Nations she visited for allowing her to be there and for sharing. With that, Cherlyn is honored to be assisting the team at the National Centre for First Nations Governance as the Policy and Implementation Officer for the British Columbia Regional Office.
