EntrepreNorth

Benjamin Scott | Project Director

Benjamin Scott is a member of the Tłı̨chǫ Nation and a true Northerner at heart. He has a passion for supporting organizations to redefine business practice through an Indigenous worldview, and sharing business knowledge and tools to help build entrepreneurial leadership and capacity within communities. In addition to his role as Project Director of EntrepreNorth, in his spare time, Benjamin offers strategic business services through Feed the Fire Business Consulting to support Indigenous focused organizations on pathways to economic self-determination, resurgence and resilience. Prior to diving into entrepreneurship, Benjamin worked alongside First Nation communities to improve homes, save energy, and reduce costs, and spent about ten years working in government in a number of management roles targeted at maximizing benefits for Northerners, closing gaps in the labour market, and leading the development of territory-wide skills and postsecondary education strategies. He holds a MBA in Aboriginal Business and Leadership from SFU, a BA in Urban Studies from UofC, a Leadership Certificate from UofA, and is an Action Canada Fellow Alumni.

Misty Ireland | Associate Director 

Misty is a Dehcho Dene. She was born in the Northwest Territories (NT) and is a member of the Tthets’e’hke’deli First Nation, more commonly referred to as the Jean Marie River First Nation. The ‘Dene’ perspective is an integral part of her life and the way she views the world around her. 

Misty has certificates in Business, Leadership, and Indigenous Trust Officer Management, and prior learning in Psychology and Environmental Management. She has worked in the Tourism Sector, Municipal Government, Territorial Government, and Aboriginal Government. She currently sits on the Dehcho Investment Management Board and previously held appointments to the NWT Species at Risk Committee and the NWT On the Land Collaborative.  

Misty is an entrepreneur and the sole proprietor of Dene Roots, a small business specializing in smudge sprays, handmade essential oil products, and wildcrafted goods. Misty is a proud mother of one child and enjoys spending her free time with family and friends. All these experiences contribute to the positive attitude and calm grounded energy that Misty brings to all that she does.

Xina Cowan | Community Manager

​Xina spent the first 29 years of her life in Montréal, QC and now calls Yellowknife, NWT home. Her ancestry is Irish, Scottish, and Mohawk and she is honoured to be learning her family's shared histories. After studying Human Relations at Concordia University, Xina moved to the Eeyou Itschee Cree community of Wemindji in 2013 and began her career in Indigenous programming. Since then, Xina’s work has taken her all across the North. As EntrepreNorth’s Community Manager, her focus is marketing and communications, community engagement and partnership development. She is the creator of EntrepreNorth's podcast series Venture Out ​(launching in Spring 2021) and is in the process of becoming an ICF-Certified Coach. 
 
Prior to this position, Xina was the Development Manager for Indigenous projects at Youth Fusion and was also the Editor of WIOT Magazine. Her (not so) side passion is promoting Indigenous fashion designers and artists. She is a Community Outreach Associate for Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO) and is particularly invested in supporting the incredible talent coming from the Circumpolar Arctic. 

Tammy Oliver-Snook | Program Coordinator

​Tammy Oliver-Snook, B. Comm., CAPM, was born and raised in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, where she studied at Memorial University for a Bachelor of Commerce and a minor in Economics. Upon completion of her academics, Tammy received the Chevron Canada Ltd. Term Scholarship in Business, Earth Sciences, Economics, and Engineering. In her young career, she has worked in a variety of industries including banking, security, marketing, event planning, and now entrepreneurship.

Utilizing skills acquired from these varied positions, and with a list of goals to achieve in mind, Tammy is always eager to expand her knowledge and get involved any way she can. Active in her community, she is currently volunteering as a Board of Directors’ member with Habitat for Humanity Northwest Territories based out of Yellowknife, NT as well as a Strategic Relations Lead committee member with Women in Project Management based out of Edmonton, AB.

She enjoys communicating with others and problem-solving by taking a big-picture perspective without losing sight of details. Tammy has always been passionate about inclusion and women empowerment. During her time as Miss Newfoundland and Labrador 2018, she had a goal to encourage women of all age groups and backgrounds to be themselves, unapologetically.

Cassandra Blondin Burt | Investment Readiness Catalyst

Cassandra Blondin Burt is a two-spirit entrepreneur, consultant, artist, and mother. They are the founder and operator of Free Range Medicine and the principal consultant for Adze Consulting. Cassandra is a member of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and currently lives on their home territory, Denendeh (the Northwest Territories). They were raised on unceded Coast Salish territory and spent the past ten years living in Snuneymuxw Nation territory (central Vancouver Island).

From a young age Cassandra has been deeply involved in family-operated businesses and they hold a deep appreciation for social innovation and the positive impacts that community-led economic development has on young families and intergenerational healing. 

They have worked as a consultant for almost half a decade with a variety of clients (from the arts sector to school board administration), and have sat on the Board of Directors for Truth to Reconciliation Gabriola and Literacy Central Vancouver Island. Prior to moving North in 2020 they worked with CHLY (VIU community campus radio) coordinating the Indigenous Media Collective and producing the collective’s weekly radio program - Medicine Talk Radio. 

​As EntrepreNorth’s Investment Readiness Catalyst they will work alongside investors and support other Northern entrepreneurs to gain access to mission aligned capital to bring their own visions into reality. Cassandra believes that innovative, Indigenous-led entrepreneurship has the capacity to inspire economic futures that heal more than they harm.