Senior Team Members
Joe Gallagher
Chief Executive Officer
Joe Gallagher is a member of the Sliammon First Nation and serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the interim First Nations Health Authority. In his work for the interim First Nations Health Authority, Joe is responsible to provide senior-level coordination and leadership to the implementation of the Tripartite First Nations Health Plan, Transformative Change Accord: First Nations Health Plan, and other First Nations plans and agreements in health.
Joe holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Victoria and has over 20 years of experience working with many First Nations communities in British Columbia through various consulting projects as one of the principals of Visions First Nations Planning Group.
Tanja Dyck
Executive Director, Partnerships and Transition
Tanja is Cree from Nelson House First Nation in Northern Manitoba, but grew up in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Tanja graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with degrees in Commerce and Law. Prior to joining the First Nation Health Council, Tanja spent 15 years with the Department of Indian Affairs working in various positions including Estates Officer, Funding Services Officer, Self-Government Policy Advisor, Implementation Negotiator and most recently as the Manager of Education. As the Executive Director, Partnerships and Transition, Tanja provides senior leadership for governance transition work with First Nations and Inuit Health, Health Canada. Tanja also supports the First Nations Health Council and interim First Nations Health Authority with implementation and strategic planning.
Michelle DeGroot
Executive Director, Health Actions
Michelle DeGroot is the Executive Director, Health Actions. Prior to this position, Michelle was the Vice-President Health Policy and Advocacy. Michelle is Secwepemc and a member of the Kamloops Indian Band. In her capacity of Executive Director, Health Actions Michelle is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Transformative Change Accord: First Nation Health Plan and the Tripartite First Nation Health Plan in areas of Primary Care and Public Health, eHealth, Health Human Resources, Mental Health and Addictions, Maternal and Child Health, Research and Surveillance, and Health Planning and Capital.
As executive director, Michelle works with senior leaders from the provincial and federal health systems to coordinate and facilitate Tripartite Collaboration, First Nations involvement in decision making, and systemic change.
Michelle brings to the interim First Nations Health Authorityover 15 years’ experience in First Nations and Aboriginal non-profit organizations, four of them at a senior level. Michelle enjoys golfing, travel, photography and reading.
Harmony Johnson
Executive Director, First Nations Health Council
Harmony Johnson is from the Sliammon First Nation and serves as the Executive Director of the First Nations Health Council (FNHC). In this role, Harmony provides strategic advice and coordination for the work of the FNHC to provide political oversight and leadership for the implementation of the Tripartite First Nations Health Plan. Her previous roles have included providing technical support to Sliammon’s treaty negotiations, acting as CEO of the First Nations Forestry Council, and serving as Director of Policy at the First Nations Summit.
Deborah Schwartz
Executive Director, First Nations Health Directors Association
Deborah Schwartz is the Executive Director of the First Nations Health Directors Association.
Deborah brings to the role an extensive background in Aboriginal Health. She previously served as Executive Director for the Aboriginal Health Branch of the BC Ministry of Health. More recently she was the CEO for Norway House Health Services Inc. Deborah brings to her new role a dynamic combination of government, community and health director experience.
Deborah’s key areas of expertise are leadership and system transformation, organization and board development, communication and facilitation, and project and performance management.
Deborah worked closely with the interim First Nations Health Authority, First Nations Health Council and Federal partners over the last few years as one of the Provincial representatives and brings a strong understanding of the Tripartite First Nations Health Plan including many of the Governance, FNIH-Transfer and Health Actions components of the plan. Having worked for the Province she has developed strong working relationships with Aboriginal Health Leads within the Regional Health Authorities.
Heather Squire
Senior Advisor, Policy and Strategic Initiatives
Heather Squire is the Senior Advisor, Policy and Strategic Initiatives to the CEO of the interim First Nations Health Authority. In her role as Senior Advisor, Heather is responsible for developing strategic direction and initiatives in coordination with the CEO and other senior management and government partners. She also assists in supporting and coordinating the communication, policy, and planning initiatives with the senior management team.
Heather holds a BA from SFU with a double major in anthropology and sociology, and First Nations and is currently completing her M.Ed in Counselling Psychology from UBC. Prior to joining the First Nations Health Council, Heather spent 6 years with the BCAFN in senior roles in policy, communications and strategic advising, including advising Shawn Atleo’s successful campaign for National Chief in 2009. Heather is also a certified fitness instructor and spent a year in 6 Nations, which she spent building log homes.
Heather recently married Dallas Squire, and spent spring 2009 enduring studio lights as a participant on Slice Networks reality TV show “Bulging Brides”. She is an outdoors and sports enthusiast and enjoys nothing more than running her dog in the trails of her home community of Squamish, BC