Chelsey Karbowski
ITSD Hub Director
Chelsey Karbowski is the Director at the ITSD Hub. She is a mixed descent Mi’kmaw woman from the community of Indian Head First Nation in Newfoundland.
Chelsey grew up in Unama’ki (Cape Breton), and currently resides in Punamu’kwati’jk (Dartmouth), Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia).
Chelsey joins the ITSD Hub with more than a decade of experience in the marine conservation, and fisheries and oceans sectors where she developed expertise in fisheries management, fisheries policy, stakeholder engagement, and project management, all of which have been firmly grounded in Indigenous rights, values, and perspectives.
Chelsey previously worked with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on both National Indigenous Fisheries Policy, and Indigenous Fisheries Programs, where she pushed for meaningful change in how the Department approaches Indigenous fisheries, by promoting collaboration and self-determination.
As a Mi’kmaw woman of mixed descent, Chelsey remains grounded in the concept of Etuaptmumk (Two-eyed seeing), which is “learning to
see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous
knowledges and ways of knowing – and seeing
from the other eye with the strengths of Western
knowledges and ways of knowing” ~ Elder Albert Marshall.
Her goal is to increase our understanding of the aquatic environment, promote the sustainable use of all resources, remove barriers for Indigenous women within the fisheries and oceans sector, and harness her skills and experience to benefit all Indigenous communities, and peoples, across Turtle Island.
Keshia Moffat
ITSD Training Development Coordinator
Keshia Moffat is a Training Development Coordinator at the ITSD Hub. She is a Mi’gmaq woman
from the community of Ugpi’ganjig (Eel River Bar First Nation) in New Brunswick.
Keshia has a wealth of experience in the fisheries field. She previously led training initiatives for commercial fisheries operations in her community where she designed and implemented training programs covering safety protocols, sustainable fishing practices and equipment handling. Keshia has also played a significant role in conservation programs, including the Atlantic Habitat Salmon Restoration Program.
As an Indigenous person, Keshia is committed to supporting and empowering Indigenous communities in developing sustainable and self-determined fisheries that respect traditional practices and values. Because of her lived experience and Indigenous values, she is well positioned to make a positive impact in creating safe and sustainable fisheries practices for future generations.
ITSD Hub Organizational Chart
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Overview
The Indigenous Program Review (IPR) in 2016-2019:
- identified that to offer and sustain meaningful employment and career progression, communities would need more training tools and support, and
- recommended that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) secure a long-term funding source to augment the training and skills development activities its programs cannot fully support. This includes training related to commercial, scientific, technical, and management careers in fisheries, oceans, aquaculture, fish habitat, and aquatic resources.
This led to the Indigenous Training and Skills Development (ITSD) Hub project.
The ITSD Hub will offer training coordination and development services across collaborative and commercial programs.
The National Indigenous Fisheries Institute (NIFI) will act as the national, external Indigenous body assigned to track, coordinate and organize training to link Indigenous communities and groups to other federal, provincial, territorial, non-governmental and industry training and skill development activities.
Communication Team
The ITSD Hub Manager and ITSD Hub Training Coordinator are housed at NIFI. They work to establish lines of communication and share information to create efficiencies across members of the project.
Working Group
The ITSD Hub Working Group includes Management Committees that are representatives from regional collaborative and commercial fisheries programs (CPMC, AICFI-MC, PICFI-MC and NICFI-MC). They provide strategic direction to the ITSD Hub implementation. The ITSD Hub Manager and Training Coordinator attend management committee meetings to gather feedback on developed resources, understand training needs and provide progress updates.
Development Team
The ITSD Hub Development Team (CDT Training Advisor, AICFI BDT Training Advisor, PICFI BDT Training Advisor and NICFI BDT Training Advisor) includes program leads and training advisors with links to the regions. They focus on resource development, data collection and coordination and other key statistics.
