Board of Directors

Darlene Marshall, FNHP, CIL

Chair

Eskasoni First Nation, NS

Darlene Marshall is the Housing Director and Emergency Management Officer for her community, the Eskasoni First Nation located in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Eskasoni First Nation is the largest Mikmaq community east of Montreal.

She has dedicated her career in the housing field for the past 30 years and has been a part of many positive changes within her community by providing a better quality of life for the community’s band members. As a band member, parent and grandparent Darlene sees the importance of being a role model for youth, especially in the field of housing. It is important for youth to see that housing goals are attainable and can make their community a place where they want to call home.

Rosie Charles, FNHP

Vice-Chair

Prince Albert Grand Council, SK

For almost four years, Rosie Charles has held the position of Housing Circuit Rider Trainer and one year as Program Manager with Prince Albert Grand Council. In her position Charles serves as a mentor to twelve First Nation communities with respect to their housing administration and management functions, conducting assessments, and providing support and assistance where needs are identified. Prior to holding this position, she served as a Housing Manager and a Housing Consultant.

She was proud to be one of the first members of the First Nations Housing Professionals Association to achieve certification by way of the Prior Learning and Recognition (PLAR) pathway.

Tabitha Eneas, FNHP, CIL

Secretary-Treasurer

Penticton Indian Band, BC

Tabitha Eneas is a member of the Penticton Indian Band. She has worked for her community in multiple areas for 25 years, building experience and capacity in On Reserve Housing, Policy and Governance.

She is currently working with multiple communities and organizations provincially and nationally through her business Siya & Sage Consulting.

Tabitha is a member of the FNHPA Board and has received designations as a Certified Aboriginal Professional Administrator, Certified Indigenous Leader, First Nations Housing Professional, Professional Lands Manager and a Certified Project Manager.

Tabitha’s commitment is to work within a framework of love, safety and transformation based in cultural teachings.

Roxanne Harper, FNHP, CIL

Director

Turtle Island Associates, Ottawa, ON

Roxanne is Mi’kmaq from the Eel Ground First Nation in New Brunswick. 

Roxanne is a founding Board member of the First Nations Housing Professionals Association (FNHPA).  She is a partner in Turtle Island Associates Inc, an Aboriginal business committed to supporting the efforts of First Nation communities by providing housing advisory and training services. 

Roxanne has worked on Aboriginal housing issues for over 30 years and has extensive experience moderating workshops and facilitating community consultations. Roxanne has co-developed several adult educational curricula (e.g. Enhanced Arrears Management, Portfolio Management by Housing Tenure) and facilitates sessions to First Nation clients across the country. 

Roxanne holds a certificate in Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University, N.S. and is a certified FNHP.

Seetta Roccola, FNHP

Director

Interlake Reserves Tribal Council, MB

Seetta is a member of the Pinaymootang First Nation; Treaty 2 Territory in Manitoba. She has a Business Administration Diploma from Red River Community College and has been involved in various aspects of First Nation housing for over 30 years.

Seetta’s housing journey began at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in 1987. During her 10 years at CMHC, she worked in the delivery and administration of Non-Profit Housing specializing in Urban Native and On-Reserve Housing Programs. While there, she took several courses to increase her knowledge in the housing industry including all the course requirements for the Certified Property Management (C.P.M.) program. 

After leaving CMHC to pursue other options Seetta accepted the position as Housing Advisor for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. 

In 1998 a position became available in the housing department of Interlake Reserves Tribal Council which Seetta saw as an opportunity to provide services to her home and neighboring communities. She has been there ever since. During this 20 plus year period, Seetta worked for the Tribal Council as a NISI Inspector, prepared housing proposals for CMHC and ISC, assisted in policy development and training and many other areas of housing and capital for the member communities. She has also served as the Manitoba Representative for the First Nations National Building Official’s Association since almost the beginning of this organization. During this time, Seetta worked as an independent housing advisor for other First Nations and also spent two and a half years juggling her own job and the Housing Manager position at the Fisher River Cree Nation.

Currently, Seetta is the Technical Services Manager at IRTC and works with programs such as Housing, Climate Change, Emergency Management and others.

Joanne Oskatamin-Potts, FNHP

Director

Ermineskin Cree Nation, AB

Joanne is a member of the Ermineskin Cree Nation which is part of the Treaty Six Territory. The reserve is situated in central Alberta. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Native Studies from the University of Alberta. She is a mother, grandmother, and a sister to 8 siblings. A few extracurricular activities Joanne enjoys are golfing, reading, and walking. She also like to sew my own ribbon skirts.

Joanne has worked for her Nation the past 29 years in various management capacities as well as having served as the Tribal Administrator for a few years working along side Chief and Council. She has very much enjoyed working in the management area because it gave  opportunities to set the direction for the organization through planning and policies.

The past five years Joanne has been working in the housing sector for the Nation in a management capacity as the CMHC Project Manager. he has learned so much working in the housing sector and appreciates having the opportunity to make a difference with housing for the Nation. Joanne completed the First Nation Housing Professional Association certification in January 2023. She said it certainly has been challenging but at the same time rewarding especially when I see the homes completed and knowing that the life of the homes has been extended another 20 years for families!

Joanne has served on several boards and committees in her Nation during her employment namely, Ermineskin Education, Miyowahkohtowin Education, Kanawehmawasohwin CFS Board, and Housing Committee. Joannes involvement with boards and committees allowed her to get to know her community and see the needs at a wholistic level. It also gave her a  wider perspective of where the future of housing should move toward in my community. And lastly, She looks forward to learning more from being involved with FNHPA as a board member.

Teneal Nole, MBA, FNHP, FNHM

Director

Dease River First Nation, BC

Teneal lives in Northern BC in the community of Dease Lake located in Tahltan Territory, two (2) hours from the Yukon border. She has ten years of experience in housing in rural communities, some only assessable by narrow dirt roads, one way in and one way out. She has experience working with communities only accessible by air or boat, but each community has faced their own set of challenges. Even with 100-200 KM separating them, they cand be very different. Teneal has successfully obtained millions of dollars in housing renovation funds and new builds funds since 2018 and worked hard to bring 2 communities out of significant health and safety maintenance by creating plans for maintenance and prevention in all three communities.

Teneal realized the importance of leadership support with housing, strategic planning, and policy enforcement. She believed that housing will only go as far as leaders allow it to go. Teneal has taken the step to obtain her First Nations Housing Manager certification through Vancouver Island University, as well as being certified as a First Nations Housing Professional through the First Nations Housing Professionals Association (FNHPA). Further, she has taken numerous CMHC workshops such as mold identification, client counselling, rent collection, and identifying home maintenance. Most recently, Teneal successfully completed a Master's in Business Administration and Indigenous Business in Leadership in the summer of 2023 with Simon Fraser University. Using her education, experience, and passion for the work, she has the motivation and skills to take on many challenges in the housing field to help our people.

Sasha Young

Youth Director

Opaskwayak Cree Nation, MB

Sasha Young is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation; Treaty 5 Territory in Manitoba. Currently, she resides in her home community and serves as the Tribal Housing Advisor for the Swampy Cree Tribal Council (SCTC), where she supports eight First Nation communities under the Council’s guidance.

Sasha’s career in housing began three years ago when she joined the SCTC’s Housing Trainee Program, a position funded through the Canadian Mortgage Housing Corporation’s Housing Internship for Indigenous Youth. This program provided her with the opportunity to explore various career paths within First Nations housing.

Before venturing into the housing sector, Sasha gained valuable experience as an electrical apprentice in her community. This background helped shape her foundational understanding of the housing field, and she quickly became passionate about pursuing a career in it.

In 2024, Sasha furthered her professional development by enrolling in the First Nations Housing Professionals Program, where she is actively working towards earning her FNHPA designation. The program has opened doors for growth, including an opportunity to apply for the position of Youth Board Director with the First Nations Housing Professionals.