Our Directors
The BIDC leadership team are members of Black and Indigenous communities and are professionals within the spatial design fields and public realm + art, where they continue to experience the under-representation, mis-representation, and discrimination of these communities in those fields, working towards change through Black + Indigenous solidarity.
Lys Divine Ndemeye
She/Her
Founder + Co-Director
Design Cypher Director
Lys Divine Ndemeye is an award-winning landscape designer, artist, and educator (Adjunct professor at UBC School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture) with ancestral roots from Burundi.
Divine is the Founder and Principal of Remesha Design Lab, a research-design firm that provides services in landscape design, public art, and community engagement. Remesha Design operates within the framework of decoloniality, Indigeneity and Afrofuturism; a school of thought that combines ancient wisdom from Africa with technology and creativity to envision social change and alternative futures.
Divine works to center Black and Indigenous World Views into landscape systems. She focuses on community empowerment, sustainability, and community-led design approaches. Prior to pursuing a career in design, Divine worked in different municipalities in strategic and urban planning, and has over 10 years of experience in community building and engagement.
Divine is the founder and Co-Director of the Black+Indigenous Design Collective and is also the host and producer of the Design Unmuted podcast, a platform that elevates marginalized voices in design, art and all things creative.
Sierra Tasi Baker, K̓esugwilakw
They/She/He
Co-Director
MST Futurism Director
Sierra is an Indigiqueer Urban Design Consultant at Sky Spirit Studio. Sierra is from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and is also Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw/Musga̱mgw Dzawada̱’enuxw, Łingít (Tlingit), and Magyar/Hungarian. Sierra’s ancestral Kwak̓wala name, K̓esugwilakw, means “Creator” or “Creative One” or “One Who Carves Wealth/the Supernatural into the World”. Sierra holds a Masters of Science in Sustainable Urbanism from Bartlett School of City Planning at University College London, and has a degree in Environmental Design from UBC SALA. They received awards in Design Leadership and Youth Leadership for their work in the community from the City of North Vancouver and SALA’s Environmental Design Program. Sierra focuses on decolonization thən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓hrough Etiological Design, combining Indigenous design and research methodologies, oral history, primary archival research, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), Story of Place, Trauma Informed Design Practices, Two-Eyed Seeing and Coast Salish design techniques to develop unique architectural and urban planning solutions rooted in Indigenous sovereignty and Coast Salish values.
Krystal Paraboo
She/Her
Co-Director
Public Art Intensive Director
Krystal Paraboo is an award-winning independent Curator, Public Art Planner, Consultant and Writer based on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Krystal takes on Public Art Consulting and Independent Curation projects through Paraboo Projects, and is currently a Public Art Planner with the City of Vancouver.
Trained in art historical & curatorial methodologies, Krystal’s practice explores the strengthening of visual narratives through intersectional socio-political frameworks, identities, and stewarding of cultural solidarity movements as a decolonial processes working towards future building.
Krystal has a decade experience working in public and private arts institutions with a diverse set of artists in various stages of their practice. Her current, on-going research in public art centres commissioning approaches that restore and enhance public sites, land use, and communities through placemaking. From 2020-2021 Krystal developed and led the Black Strathcona Resurgence Project working towards the revitalization of the intersection of Hogan’s Alley and Chinatown through multiple mural projects. She also led the grassroots anti-racism initiative Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts (SEARA), dedicated to community mutual aid and raising over $300k across arts organizations for BIPOC artists affected by COVID-19.
Krystal was the recipient of the 2022 Women of Distinction Award in Arts, Culture & Design, and the co-recipient of the 2021 Heritage B.C. Award in Education, Awareness and Communication for her curatorial mural project Hope Through Ashes: A Requiem for Hogan’s Alley alongside artist Anthony Joseph.
Program Support
Ginger Gosnell-Myers
She/Her
Program Co-Lead
(MST Futurism)
Ginger Gosnell-Myers is Nisga'a and Kwakwak'awakw, whose 20 plus year career challenging colonial systems is creating new pathways for radical change. She is the first Indigenous Fellow with the Simon Fraser University Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, where she focuses on decolonization and urban Indigenous policy and planning. Recently, Ginger supported the development of the City of Vancouver’s Climate Justice Charter.
She played an integral role in making Vancouver the world's first official City of Reconciliation, which was an outgrowth of her work on the landmark Urban Indigenous Peoples Study, the first comprehensive research of its kind in Canada. Ginger moves strategically from words to actions, draws strength from Indigenous communities and speaks truth to power.
Ginger is the chair of Greenpeace Canada’s Board of Directors and currently lives in the Squamish Nation community of Eslha7an.
Nathan Tamakeu Mudge
He/Him
Program Coordinator
(MST Futurism)
Nathan is Māori Kuki Airani from Aotearoa.
With experience in cultural administration, management, and production, Nathan is committed to community-driven and Indigenous-led initiatives. His work focuses on transforming creative industries with a strong emphasis on inclusion, innovation, and cultural integrity.
Rocío Vasquez
She/Her
Program Coordinator
(Public Art)
Rocío serves as a dedicated Program Coordinator in the non-profit sector, fluent in three languages and deeply passionate about social justice, anti-racism, and solidarity. She excels in managing and coordinating programs that drive organizational goals and support impactful initiatives.
Rocío is known for their collaborative approach, working closely with teams and community stakeholders to ensure program success and promote inclusivity.
Our Board
The incoming BIDC board is largely new members of Black or Indigenous ancestry, bringing a breadth of lived experience to the table along with valuable professional skills. This board has committed to the mission and ethos of BIDC and act to support the Directors and Teams in several capacities.
Nigel Delali Amenu-Tekaa
He/Him
Nigel is a biracial Black artist and educator with roots in Ghana (Eʋe land/Volta Region and Poland. Nigel is currently the District Resource Teacher for Diversity and anti-racism at the Vancouver School Board. Nigel has educated students in both alternative and mainstream schools and programs; built rapport and connected through discussion and teaching of video games, art, and digital media. His work is about embracing representation and celebrating diverse iden tities through Afro-Futurism. An educator for Liberation Nigel strives for empowerment through equity, anti-racism, innovation and community.
Nicholas George-Kofi
He/Him
As a proud member of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Nick serves as a First Nations support worker, committed to uplifting and empowering community. With a deep connection to his cultural roots, he practices traditional drumming and singing, carrying forward the rich legacy of his ancestors.
Storytelling is central to his identity, and he is honored to share the wisdom and history of his people through this ancient art. Speaker of Sḵwxúmesh sníchim and
hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, he strives to preserve and promote these Indigenous languages, ensuring their vibrancy for future generations.
Teena Aujla
She/Her
Teena is a multidisciplinary designer working in landscape architecture, urban design and community engagement. Residing on Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh lands, Teena builds cross-disciplinary community through social justice and equity in practice.
She has served as a BIDC Board member since 2022. She is a co-founder of urban design community organization Mela_City, and a designer for Prospect & Refuge Landscape Architects.
Raven John
She/They/He/That Bitch
Raven John, artist, involuntary comedian and Two-Spirit activist, is of Coast Salish, Shíshálh and Stó:lō Nation descent. This Two-spirit Trickster is a BFA graduate from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, with a major in visual art and minor in social practice and community engagement, as well as a graduate of the North West Coast Jewelry Arts program at the Native Education College. Raven is a visual artist, cultural consultant, mediator, storyteller, photographer and sculptor. A jack-of all-trades (and master of a few), their practice covers a wide array of mediums from provocation and humor, puppet making, ceramics, dressmaking, interactive electronics and Indigenous technologies.
Mack Paul
They/Them
kʷəlasəltən, whose English name is Mack Paul, is a Two-Spirit, 2-D digital artist from xʷməθkʷəyəm. ̓ Growing up their family ensured they were enriched with culture and tradition, which con tinues to guide them through to today. This led them to become a learner and advocate of their traditional language, hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓. kʷəlasəltən is a protocol coordinator at Musqueam and is an administrator at HOST consulting. They look forward to the journey ahead with kin that share these same values.
Amai Campbell
She/Her
Amai is a proud member of the xʷməθkʷəyəm Nation and is also proud of her Zimbabwean heritage. Amai is 17 years old and cares deeply about human rights and social issues and is someone who is always eager to learn and obtain knowledge.
She has served as an alumni leader in the Native Youth Program at the UBC Museum of Anthropology in the 2021, 2022, and 2023 cohorts. She is passionate about sports and fitness as well as creative writing and the arts.