We are honoured that Elder Roberta Price will join the CES c2017 as the Conference Elder.  She is a member of the Coast Salish peoples and was an Elder Advisor for the 2015 CES BC & Yukon Evaluation Society Conference.  She is an Elder Advisor and research partner at the University of British Columbia and participates in many other community projects.

Elder Roberta Price will provide a Coast Salish traditional welcome to the territory and an opening for the conference, offer a prayer and blessing at the Awards Luncheon, and will also close the conference with her reflections.  We have been working closely with Dr. Kim van der Woerd, member of our Conference Advisory Committee and Keynote Speaker, to support Elder Roberta Price’s participation.

Each Elder has a unique story on their journey and experience being an Elder. The Aboriginal Healing Foundation describes an Elder as: “[S]omeone who is considered exceptionally wise in the ways of their culture and the teachings of the Great Spirit. They are recognized for their wisdom, their stability, their humour and their ability to know what is appropriate in a particular situation. The community looks to them for guidance and sound judgment. They are caring and are known to share the fruits of their labours and experience with others in the community.”

Learn more about Elder Protocol and Guidelines from the Council on Aboriginal Initiatives at the University of Alberta: https://cloudfront.ualberta.ca/-/media/ualberta/office-of-the-provost-and-vice-president/indigenous-files/elderprotocol.pdf

We encourage you to introduce yourself to Roberta Price during the conference.  We are excited to have her join us as we reflect on the conference theme, Facing Forward: Innovation, Action and Reflection.