Currently employed part time as Senior Manager Strategic Partnerships with the Invasive Species Council of BC. David Walkem was a Councillor of the Cooks Ferry Indian Band from 2018 – 2022 and served as Chief from 1990 to 2018. He has an MBA (1984) from University of Western Ontario and an BScForestry (1980) from UBC. Prior to being elected as Chief he worked for the federal government in native economic development, with the TD Bank as an assistant Branch Manager, and for the BC Ministry of Forests in Forest Research. Currently he is on the corporate Boards of Esh-kn-am Investments Joint Venture, Swl’eps Limited Partnership, Stuwix Resources Joint Venture, and the Community of Interest Panel for the Mining Association of Canada. He is a Registered Professional Forester (now Retired), the first registered Status Indian in BC to achieve that designation. In 2001 he was the recipient of the ‘Forester of the Year’ award from the Association of BC Professional Foresters, and in 2007 he received an award from the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards Foundation for his achievements in the Environment and Forestry. He lives in Spences Bridge, BC and is a proud Father, Grandfather and Great-Grandfather.
For community volunteer Boards he currently serves as Secretary on the First United Community Church Ministry Society in the downtown east side of Vancouver, and on the Canadian Council on Invasive Species. He served as President and Treasurer on the Board of the Native Education Centre in Vancouver from 1990 – 2007. He was a founding Director and Co-Chair of the Stl’atl’imx / Nlaka’pamux Legal Services Society providing legal aid to aboriginal communities in the Lytton and Lillooet areas, until it was closed.