A new senior leadership team is in place at Thunder Bay-based Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN).
Gary Dokis has been promoted from secretary-treasurer, a position he’s held since 2022, to chief administrative officer. Abby Robinson is NAN’s new executive director.
Dokis, a member of Dokis First Nation, near North Bay, is also a trustee for the Okikendawt Hydro Revenue and the Dokis Community Trust since 2021. He’s been a director on the Chiefs of Ontario Board since 2019.
Robinson, a member of Muskrat Dam First Nation in the Kenora District, is said in a NAN news release to have significant experience in program delivery and partnership development. She held key roles at Indigenous Services Canada, including as acting director of regional plans and partnerships and senior manager in First Nations and Inuit Health.
In a statement, Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said both bring “strong track records in leadership, governance, and administration that will be invaluable to the revitalization of this organization."
“We look forward to Gary sharing his vast leadership experience to lead our directors and senior managers. Likewise, Abby has a wealth of knowledge from an extensive career at Indigenous Services Canada that will support her work with the executive council,” said Fiddler.
“We are confident that Abby and Gary have the knowledge and experience we need to address the many challenges we face, ensure greater accountability to our chiefs, and make us more responsive to the needs of our communities,” he added.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation is a political organization representing 49 First Nation communities and 45,000 people in the James Bay Treaty No. 9 area and on the Ontario side of Treaty No. 5, covering a landmass of two-thirds of the province.
