Velma McColl is delighted to join First Peoples Group as a strategy advisor during a time of growth and opportunity.
A Westerner with more than 20 years in Ottawa, Velma is committed to resilience in all things. She has worked as a change agent from within the political and public policy system, with a deep focus on climate change and sustainability. Her orientation is always toward collaboration and creative solutions across cultural, economic, geographic and social boundaries. In her 17 years at Earnscliffe, a national lobbying boutique, she drove growth and diversification in the business.
Velma has worked on a variety of equity, gender and international development issues. She supported efforts to expand the agenda for the AFN in the last election, to create the first Indigenous Law Degree at the University of Victoria and as Chief Negotiator for the creation of the Equality Fund in 2019, a ground-breaking model that mobilizes investment from philanthropy, business, government and citizens for feminist causes and impact. She has recently joined the Black Opportunity Fund Board to support the same structural change for the Black community.
Earlier in her career, Velma advised federal Cabinet Ministers on political strategy, policy and communications and worked in government and politics in British Columbia and Alberta. She is a proud mother to a strong and independent young woman.