Leadership Team

Harold Calla, FCPA, FCGA, CAFM

Executive Chair

Harold is a member of the Squamish Nation located in North Vancouver, British Columbia.

After many years of experience in international business, he worked with the Squamish Nation as a negotiator in the areas of economic development, land management and finance and served eight years on the Squamish Council.

He has also acted as an advisor and an arbitrator for First Nations in Western Canada.

Scott Munro, FCPA, FCA, CAFM

Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Scott is Kaska Dena (Yukon Territory).

As Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the FMB, Scott liaises and builds relationships with Indigenous governments and rights holders, partners, and organizations across the country. He is responsible for overseeing the Standards and Certification, Capacity Development and Corporate Services business lines. Scott works closely with the CEO and Board of Directors to advance FMB's mission and strategic objectives.

Since joining the FMB in 2011, Scott has developed strong relationships with First Nations governments, including their elected and hereditary leaders; staff in many federal government departments such as CIRNAC, ISC and Statistics Canada; institutions like OSFI, the Bank of Canada and CPP Investment Board; and Indigenous organizations like AFOA Canada and the AFN.

Scott is currently the Chair of the Canadian Public Sector Accounting Board's Indigenous Advisory Group and is active in building partnerships with professional organizations to promote reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. By engaging with the International Sustainability Standards Board, Scott has been successful in achieving more recognition of Indigenous leadership within this emerging field.

Scott has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Queen's University and FCPA, FCA, and CAFM designations. He brings over 20 years of finance and leadership experience from both the private and public sector.

Grant Christoff, LLB, ICD.D

General Counsel & Director
Strategic Opportunities

Grant is a member of Saulteau First Nations, part of Treaty 8 in the northeastern portion of B.C.

As the FMB's General Counsel he is responsible for providing governance and legal advice to the First Nations Financial Management Board.

Prior to joining FMB in 2021, he served for six years as legal counsel with the First Nations Health Authority and on a contract basis with his own community. Before that, he practiced public law for over 20 years, within the federal Department of Justice. He finished his public service career as the Director of the Aboriginal Law Section, accountable for all litigation and advisory services in the B.C. region.

Grant also sits as a Director on the boards of a not for profit and crown corporation.

He is a graduate of and previously an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria Law School.

Catherine Irwin-Gibson, BA, LLB, MPA

Associate Director
Strategic Opportunities & Legal Counsel

A settler and a lawyer from Tiotiake (Montreal), Catherine practiced as a litigator and gained experience in Aboriginal Law. She then worked with an Indigenous consulting firm specializing in governance, where she gained extensive experience supporting First Nations initiatives. Some of these initiatives involved the FNFMB, which is how Catherine began her relationship with FMB, and led to her joining the team.

Having joined the FMB as Legal Counsel, Catherine is now the Associate Director, Strategic Opportunities.

Catherine holds a BA (Political Science and Hispanic Studies) from McGill University, an LLB from Université Laval, and a Masters in Public Administration (Indigenous Governance) from Queen's University.

Her passion is to support First Nations in pursuing their long-term goals.

Shayla Point, BA, LLB, MBA

Director
Indigenous Engagement, Laws and Relations

Shayla is a member of the Musqueam Indian Band.

As a Director, Shayla leads the Indigenous Engagement, Laws and Relations team. She joined the FMB in 2011 and is honoured to support First Nations across Canada.

Shayla brings extensive experience working with First Nations from her practice as an associate lawyer at an aboriginal law firm in Vancouver. Her practice area included economic development initiatives, aboriginal rights and title claims, duty to consult & accommodate, and government negotiations.

She leads her team to engage with First Nations to promote the First Nations Fiscal Management Act and to support First Nations in developing their own financial administration laws. Her team also supports First Nations along their journey through the FMB Certifications.

Shayla holds a BA (Psychology) and a LLB from the University of British Columbia, and a MBA (Indigenous Business and Leadership) from Simon Fraser University.

Her passion is to support First Nations in their pursuits of social and economic development.

Melanie Assiniwe, CPA, CA

Director
Capacity Development, Intervention and Prevention

Melanie Assiniwe is the Director of Capacity Development and Intervention (CDI) with the First Nations Financial Management Board (FMB) and brings a wealth of experience in accounting and leadership to her role.

As an Anishnaabe-kwe from the unceded territory of Wiikwemikoong, ON, Melanie strives to live by the Seven Grandfather Teachings in all aspects of her life, as they guide all decisions on how to help her people across Turtle Island. She understands Indigenous traditions and values and incorporates these teachings into her daily work.

Building and advancing relationships with First Nations are top priorities for Melanie, along with collaborating with Tribal Councils, Non-profit organizations, and government partners. Her dedication to an open and collaborative approach has helped implement and inform Indigenous finance and governance decision-making, and form agreements to reflect best practices and Indigenous principles.

With Melanie's direction, the CDI team supports First Nations on their journey to achieve Financial Management Systems (FMS) Certification. The CDI team provides capacity development, training and guidance in financial management systems, human resources, and information management.

Laura Bouchard, CPA, CGA

Associate Director
Capacity Development

As the Associate Director for Capacity Development, Laura provides support to the Director and the Senior Managers as they assist Nations on their journey to Financial Management Systems (FMS) Certification. Since joining FMB in 2017, Laura has assisted several Nations with this achievement, both individually and as a team leader.

Laura is a CPA and CGA. Most of her career has been focused in the Indigenous, Government and Not-for-Profit sectors.

Laura is passionate about building capacity in First Nations communities and organizations.

Lee Fulla, CPA, CA

Director
Standards

Lee leads the Standards team, which establishes standards for Financial Administration Laws, Financial Management System, Financial Performance and the reporting of local revenues, and provides certification services in relation to those standards where applicable.

Natalia Valeev, CPA, CA

Director
Certification

As Director of Certification, Natalia provides support to FMB clients through the high quality certifications suitable for First Nation governments and organization. She develops and maintains the integrity of Financial Performance Certification, Financial Management System Certification and other forms of assurance and attestation.

In collaboration with others across FMB, Natalia supports development, improvement and implementation of certification guidelines and processes. Natalia has traveled to various communities across Canada, working with leadership to evaluate their governance systems and support their paths towards certification and self-governance.

She earned her Bachelor Business and Administration from Simon Fraser University in Accounting and Finance. Then, she pursued a Chartered Professional Account designation while working for one of the largest international audit firms, KPMG, where she stayed for five years.

Natalia has also been a director on the board for the not-for-profit Vancouver Society of Children's Centers since 2018.

Robert South, BA

Director
Public Affairs

Robert is an experienced government relations professional who works to ensure that governments across the country understand and support FMB's work. Having worked in Ottawa for nearly 20 years, he has a keen understanding of all levels of government and has developed an extensive contact network.

A first generation Canadian from England, he gained his Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of Calgary. Robert has had the opportunity to work with several First Nations organizations in his career on issues such as education and housing. Robert believes it is very important that he and other settlers understand Canada's history with Indigenous Peoples, and the need for meaningful action on reconciliation.

Sarah Berto, CPA, CA

Director
Finance and Operations

As the Director of Finance and Operations, Sarah leads the team responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of the FMB including finance, information technology, information management, access to information, asset management and contract administration.

Since joining the FMB in 2013 as a member of the Standards and Certification Team, Sarah has worked extensively with First Nations across the country along their journey to Financial Performance and Financial Management System Certification.

Sarah has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia and is a Chartered Professional Account (CPA, CA).

Jennifer Tetrault

Senior Human Resources Manager

As the Senior Human Resources Manager, Jennifer is responsible for guiding and managing the overall provision of Human Resource (HR) services, policies, and programs for FMB.

Since joining FMB in January 2020, Jennifer has built strong relationships with FMB employees and stakeholders while supporting the extensive growth of FMB staff numbers.

Jennifer is actively committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and ensuring FMB is an employer of choice. As the lead in FMB's commitment to a national DEI Code, put forth by the CFA Institute, she is committed to integrating DEI best practices to further develop FMB's recruitment, processes and policies.

Jennifer obtained a Certificate in Human Resources from the University of Calgary, is a member of CPHR of BC and Yukon, and is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Human Resources and Labour Relations at Athabasca University.