Kristy Tomkinson is a thoughtful and conscientious collaborator who is passionate about storytelling that inspires curiosity, creates meaningful connections, and advances social justice. She has more than 12 years of experience in communications and program development with several national and international non-profit organizations.

A Canadian citizen of European ancestry, Kristy is grateful for the opportunities to learn from a wide range of contexts and knowledge systems. She studied International Development, then Capacity Development and Rural Extension at the University of Guelph. Her master’s thesis examined the outcomes of a youth training and employment initiative hosted by the Kuhkenah Network – a First Nations owned and operated Information and Communications Technology service provider in Northern Ontario.

Kristy went on to work in China, complete an Aga Khan Foundation Canada Fellowship in Kenya, and intern with Youth Challenge International. As a Program Communications Manager with the Mastercard Foundation, she oversaw the development and execution of multi-faceted communications strategies for youth education, entrepreneurship, and employment programs in East Africa.

Kristy comes to the IISAAK OLAM Foundation after three years of supporting the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership’s (CRP) communications and knowledge mobilization work. She continues to support the CRP through her management of the IPCA Knowledge Basket – a digital space created to honour, celebrate, and catalyze Indigenous-led conservation pathways in Canada, including Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs).

Kristy currently lives with her family in the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit in what is now known as Guelph, Ontario, and considers Vancouver Island her second home.