Maxine Bruce is a member of the Lil’wat Nation, living in Mount Currie B.C. Maxine is employed by the Lil’wat Nation as the Territory Stewardship Manager. She holds over 30 years of experience in the field of natural resource management. She has achieved a combination of on-the-job training as well as formal with a passion towards indigenous title and rights. Maxine has many years of experience working with the Federal Fisheries Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy programs where she administers a multi-year agreement to undertake a large-scale salmon stock assessment program. And more recently is working in collaboration with the Ministry of Forest on visitor use management strategies for recreational sites in the hopes of addressing the negative impacts on Lil’wat territory. Much of Maxine’s training comes from her experience working many years on the coast of British Columbia in the management of freshwater and marine aquatic resources management where she gained skills to administer programs such as salmon stock assessments and the brokering of commercial and aboriginal fishing license regimes to environmental impacts around aquaculture and archaeology. These skills call for “a heartfelt motivation for change”, and Maxine has that. Maxine comes from a large family of three brothers and seven sisters and many cousins, and appreciates that her parents taught their children about the Lil’wat culture. Maxine Bruce is moving into her 16th year as an elected Band Councillor for the Lil’wat Nation with a focus on economic development and self-government. As an elected leader, Maxine utilizes a lens that that focuses on the Lil’wat people being first and ensures that everything she does is for the people and by the people.