Our Land For the Future Trust

Danny Yakeleya

Chair

Danny Yakeleya was born in Tulita. Before being named Chair of the of the OLF Trust, he served as the Tulita representative at the Partners Table. Danny also mentors the IPCA and Guardians Program in Tulita.

Danny has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary and a CGA designation. He was the Implementation Negotiator on the Sahtu Team for the Sahtu Dene Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement. He also served as Councillor and Mayor of the Hamlet of Tulita, as President and Director of the Fort Norman Metis Land Corporation, and President of the Tulita District Land Corporation.

Danny was chief negotiator for Self-Government for Tulita and is a board member on the Public Utilities Board of NWT. He was also on several boards, including the NWT Power Corps, and Aurora College. He received the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for service to his community and territory in 2012.

Danny is proud of his Shuta’otine and K’alo heritage and returns to walk in the Mackenzie Mountains every summer.

steve ellis

Director

Stephen grew up twice. He spent his childhood in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and his early forays into the Canadian Shield and prairies fostered a great love of the land. He then spent his early adulthood in Lutsel K’e, Northwest Territories amongst the Denesoline, and there adopted a deep appreciation for the people, land and culture. There he and his wife Tracey started raising their family, and he worked with northern communities to address critical land, resource and governance issues for fifteen years.

Now living with his family in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Stephen works as Program Lead, Northern Canada for MakeWay, a national philanthropic foundation devoted to fostering community solutions to environmental sustainability, economic prosperity, and community wellbeing challenges. He is focused on working with northerners to amplify next generation northern leadership, foster sustainable livelihoods, achieve wise land and water stewardship, and catalyze cultural resurgence.

sandy houston

Director

Sandy is a philanthropic leader and the Chair of the Metcalf Foundation. Recently retired, Sandy was the Foundation’s first President and Chief Executive. Under his leadership, Metcalf became a leading force in advancing the arts, supporting climate solutions, and strengthening communities.

Prior to joining Metcalf, Sandy practised corporate litigation at Osler’s and was a founding partner at Stitt Feld Handy Houston, Canada’s first law firm to focus predominately on alternative dispute resolution. Sandy was the founding chair of Community Food Centres Canada and Ontario’s Greenbelt Foundation, chaired Philanthropic Foundations Canada and served on the board of directors of MakeWay Foundation, the Toronto Foundation, and The Walrus, among many others.

He continues to be an active director and advisor to a number of charities and is a Senior Fellow at Massey College.

misty ireland

Director

Misty is a Dehcho Dene from Tthets'éhk'edélî First Nation (Jean Marie River), NT and the founder of Dene Roots, a business offering intuitive entrepreneurial services, energy work, essential oils and wildcrafted products with experience in business, governance, and environmental stewardship.

Misty has served as a Band Councillor, Prosper NWT Board Member, and Project Lead for Protected Area Strategies for Tthets'éhk'edélî First Nation (Jean Marie River). She is an EntrepreNorth alum and mentor, and has held roles in government, investment, and community organizations. Today, Misty focuses on supporting Indigenous entrepreneurship, mentorship, and sustainable land use, guided by traditional knowledge and a deep connection to her community.

amos scott

Director

Amos Scott is a member of the Tlicho Nation and lives in Yellowknife with his family. In addition to being a board member for the OLF Trust, Amos works for two Indigenous-led stewardship initiatives in the North. He splits his time between the Northern Indigenous Stewardship Circle and the newly formed Caribou Guardians Coalition as Executive Director for each.

Amos made the leap into Indigenous conservation and stewardship four years ago after years working as a broadcast journalist and producer of film and television. Throughout the years, Amos has gained extensive experience serving on various boards and participating in grant decision making for his roles in film and arts funding. He considers continuing land-based practice as a necessary skill and value he brings to his work.

gretchen tearle

Director

Gretchen Tearle leads The Pew Charitable Trusts’ land conservation efforts in Canada, working with Indigenous leaders and organizations, conservationists, scientists, and businesses toward a shared vision of conserving the boreal forest in Canada for the benefit of current and future generations.

During the planning and development of the Northwest Territories: Our Land for the Future initiative, Gretchen supported private fundraising efforts and served as the technical representative on behalf of Pew and other philanthropic partners in negotiations with Indigenous and public government partners that led to successful conclusion of the final agreement.

Before joining Pew in 2011, Gretchen served as development director for a California-based nonprofit in that provides support services to survivors of domestic violence. Prior to that, she worked for the National Audubon Society’s public policy office in Washington, D.C.., Gretchen holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude in political science from Kenyon College.

David Wright

Director

David is a law professor and a member of the Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Research Group in the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law. Prior to his faculty appointment, David held positions with Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, the Gwich’in Tribal Council, the United Nations Development Programme, the Government of Nunavut, the law firm of Stewart McKelvey, and the Marine and Environmental Law Institute at Dalhousie University.

David holds an MA and JD from Dalhousie University and an LLM from Stanford University. During his graduate studies at Stanford Law School, David was a fellow with the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. His research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed academic journals, including the Journal of Environmental Law and Practice, McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law, Georgetown Environmental Law Journal, and Arctic Review on Law and Policy.

Dahti tsetso

Chief Executive Officer

Dahti Tsetso is Tłı̨chǫ Dene living in Yellowknife, NT and she is the inaugural CEO for the Our Land for the Future Trust. Dahti was formerly the Deputy Director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative (ILI). During her time with ILI, Dahti led the convening efforts for the NWT: Our Land for the Future Agreement, which finalized in November 2024.

Dahti was also formerly the Director of Lands & Resources for Dehcho First Nations (DFN), where she worked collaboratively to develop a regional Indigenous-led stewardship and Guardians program known as Dehcho K’éhodi. She also led finalization of the Edéhzhíe Establishment Agreement to formally designated Edéhzhíe as a 14,200-square-kilometre joint Dehcho Protected Area and National Wildlife Area.

Dahti graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Conservation Sciences and Bachelor of Arts in Native Studies. She holds a Diploma in Indigenous Language Revitalization from the University of Victoria. She lives in Yellowknife with her husband and three children.