Jennie McPherson (Vandermeer)

Operations Senior Advisor 

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Jennie McPherson (Vandermeer) is Sahtúgot’ı̨nę (person from Great Bear Lake) and was raised in Délı̨nę, Northwest Territories. A speaker of Dene Kedǝ́ (North Slavey), she holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Royal Roads University and is completing a Master’s in Indigenous Language Revitalization at the University of Victoria. For over two decades, she has worked across community, territorial, and federal levels to advance Indigenous-led conservation, language revitalization, and wellness. Her background includes wildlife biology, water monitoring, environmental assessment, protected area establishment and management, and policy grounded in Dene knowledge.

Jennie leads the First Nations Women Transforming Conservation Fellowship at the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, supporting Indigenous women leaders grounded in language, culture, and land-based knowledge. As part of the convening team for the NWT: Our Land for the Future (NWT PFP) negotiations, she played a key role in facilitating dialogue and relationship-building that secured multi-million dollar, long-term support for Indigenous-led conservation. She has contributed to national efforts like the Land Needs Guardians movement and helped shape initiatives rooted in Indigenous leadership, including work in program design, coordination, and advising. Based in Tłegǫ́hłı̨ (Norman Wells), she continues this work through her consulting practice, offering project management, facilitation, and guidance to support Indigenous-led efforts.

A direct descendant of the prophet and spiritual leader, Ɂehtseo Erǝ́yah (Prophet Louis Ayah), she sees her work as a continuation of her family’s teachings and responsibilities. She supports efforts that center language, culture, and strong relationships, guided by the belief that wellness comes from living in respectful connection with the land, one another, and ancestral knowledge. Jennie loves to travel internationally to learn from Indigenous healers and language holders, seeking teachings that supported her own healing. Reconnecting with her Dene identity—language, land, and spirituality—continues to guide her efforts, and she does her best to carry those teachings forward. Her journey is also supported by training in yoga, nutrition, and wellness, which she integrates into her work as tools for healing and balance.