Wayne Wallace is a descendant of the Wolastoqey Nation and a member of the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation with First Nation and French family roots in northwestern New Brunswick.
After acquiring a Bachelor of Education from the Université de Moncton and a Law Degree from the University of Ottawa, Wayne began a career as a federal public servant with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada where he spent 22 years working with First Nations in the context of Band governance, Specific Claims and treaty negotiations. Throughout his public service career, he gained valuable leadership competencies and skills as well as experience in negotiations, consultations, conflict resolution, establishing and maintaining partnerships, providing strategic advice, program and policy development, managing interdepartmental and intergovernmental files, financial and human resource management – to name a few.
From May 2017 to May 2021, as part of the Interchange Canada program, Wayne worked with the First Nations Health Authority as an Executive Advisor. During this period, Wayne:
- Supported, amongst other projects and initiatives, the organization in its response to the 2017 BC wildfires crisis;
- Co-led the planning, development and delivery of the First Nations Primary Care + Mental Health and Wellness Summit;
- Led work in support of the urban and away-from-home population including the research and development of the FNHA’s Urban and Away-from-Home Health and Wellness Framework which launched in October 2020.
On May 3 2021, Wayne joined permanently the FNHA as the inaugural Director, Urban and Away from Home and looks forward to continuing to support the health and wellness of all First Nations people in BC, including the urban and away-from-home population and the broader Indigenous population.
