Patricia Baxter is First Nations and is skilled in training and facilitation. She has worked with Indigenous communities at all levels and the private sector within the oil and gas and mining sectors. She has extensive experience in community development, human resource development, health, program planning, evaluation, cultural awareness training and as an advocate for Indigenous women’s issues.
PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Self-Employed Contractor, Consultant and Facilitator
Since 1993, Patricia has been facilitating and designing a wide range of Indigenous subjects for governments, private sector corporations and Indigenous forums at the national, provincial and local levels. Patricia's skill set will provide session design for roundtables, workshops, strategic planning and consultation forums as well as community kitchen table dialogues. She is skilled at getting the business done while respecting and hearing participants' voices. Patricia can manage difficult topics and situations to bring a room together.
Key Projects
Prime Minister Roundtables, Consultant and Facilitator
Patricia worked on the Prime Minister Roundtables with Indigenous people and all corresponding sector national round tables including the National Summit with Indigenous Women and five First Ministers. These were large sessions consulting with over one thousand Indigenous leaders and community members in the First Nations, Metis and Inuit constituencies.
Patricia brings strong skill sets in designing dialogue sessions in various settings. She works effectively with participants who are passionate and may require guidance to support their positive input, feedback and collaboration to ensure the business of the day is successful. She is excellent at designing culturally appropriate methods to support facilitated sessions. One example was "Building Business Partnerships" between the private and public sectors and Indigenous communities.
Patricia is passionate about Indigenous women's issues and has provided support for human resource and labour development with the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) and Indigenous women. She is also an experienced design and delivery facilitator for Indigenous awareness and cultural competency training for groups. Patricia continues to design and deliver Indigenous Awareness sessions geared for government and private sector employees.
Government Relations, Consultant
Over the years, Patricia has designed various initiatives with government for her client to support new directions for economic development, new legislation and policy, and human resource development partnerships for Indigenous and private sector partners. She is often called upon to advise, support and facilitate internal and external meetings between three stakeholders: Indigenous people; Governments – provincial, federal; and Corporations. She is an experienced Co-Chair with past experience with the Ontario Government Departments and Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy for seven years. She has delivered cultural awareness training for public servants for twenty years.
Human Resource Development Canada, Consultant
Patricia is the Co-Chair of the Indigenous Works board. As a result, she has worked extensively with corporations on strategic planning and the inclusion of Indigenous people in their companies. This includes projects with the mining and forestry sectors as well as oil and gas. She has also acted as the Advisor to the Minister and Secretary of State and senior officials on the coordination and consultation of Indigenous groups on social security reform issues by the federal government. in 2015 she conducted sensitive internal consultations for a federal department aimed at increasing the hiring of Indigenous people across Canada. She has recently in collaboration completed a publication for the BC government for Aboriginal youth seeking career development.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
From 1976 to 1991 Patricia built her skill set by working in service to Indigenous organizations and communities from the westcoast to eastcoast, and serving as the Executive Director for the BC Association of Indian Friendship Centres in Vancouver, BC, to the Assistant Regional Coordinator at the Office of Native Employment in Toronto, Ontario. These roles laid the foundation for Patricia’s passion and experience.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Currently Co-Chair /Board Member, Indigenous Works
Member, Sheguiandah First Nation
Member of Grants committee, Board member, Co-President, Canadian Women's Foundation -
Co-Chair, Indigenous Healing and Wellness Strategy Joint Management Committee
EDUCATION
Certificate, Strategic Visioning, Grove Consulting International, 2006
Certificate, Reclaiming Our Capacity as Leaders, Restoring Sane Practices, 2006
Certificate, Facilitation action with Leaders, Margaret Whetley, Cap Code Institute (Certificate Training)
Certificate, Skilled Facilitator, Roger Schwartz and Associates, Cape Cod Institute, 2005
Certificate, Effective writing, Basic Staffing Course (PSC) 1977 - 1978
Dogwood, Grade 12, Cedar Hill Secondary - Victoria, B.C., 1974
PUBLICATIONS
Co-developed BC Aboriginal Career Guide for Youth, 2016