Shawn Atleo, A-in-chut, Ahousaht, 1967-
He is National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations
following his election in 2009. A hereditary Chief of the Ahousaht
First Nation, he was British Columbia Regional Chief of the AFN,
and was elected as a member of its Executive Committee in January
2004. For the past twenty years, Atleo has been a negotiator,
facilitator, mediator, strategic planner; as a community activist,
he has worked tirelessly for the rights and freedoms of his people.
As the BC Regional Chief, Atleo is also a founding member of the
BC First Nations Leadership Council (BCAFN, Union of BC Indian
Chiefs and First Nations Summit), which allows all three organizations
to collectively work together to protect the interests of First
Nations in BC and to ensure that Aboriginal Title and Rights are
recognized, accommodated and reconciled through government-to-government
relationships. The new Vancouver Island University, formerly Malaspina
University-College, appointed Chief Atleo as its first Chancellor
in September, 2008. Atleo has a Masters of Education in Adult
Learning and Global Change from the University of Technology in
Sydney, Australia. Atleo is also President of Umeek Human Resource
Development. He lives in Ahousaht off the coast of Vancouver Island
with Nancy, his partner of 20 years, and their two children, Tyson
and Tara.