Elder Carleen Thomas Chancellor Installation with Emily Carr University

Elder Carleen Thomas Chancellor Installation with Emily Carr University

News & UpdatesElder Carleen Thomas Chancellor Installation with Emily Carr University

Elder Carleen Thomas Chancellor Installation with Emily Carr University

May 11, 2022

Alongside Tsleil-Waututh family, Musqueam & Squamish relatives, Chief & Council, and Tsleil-Waututh leaders, Elder Carleen Thomas, ‘Unsakhalote’, became the new Chancellor of Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

This is a special moment for our community and historically, as Carleen is the first Indigenous person to hold the Chancellor position at Emily Carr University. At the Installation ceremony, Carleen was presented by her sister Leah George-Wilson, with a cultural address from relative Gabriel George, and blanketed by her sister Deanna George. Carleen was recognized for her spirit and passion in education and support of decolonization, and her commitment for following her father’s footsteps in continuing to share Tsleil-Waututh knowledge with us, students, the broader community, and for future generations to come.

Carleen is an educator, a former elected council member who held the Community Development portfolio for health & education, and the Special Projects Manager for the Treaty, Lands & Resources department for Tsleil-Waututh Nation. She was appointed by the Board of Governors and assumed the position of Chancellor of Emily Carr University on August 3, 2021.

Congratulations Carleen!

Here are some highlight photos from the ceremony:

Latest Articles

Join us at the FIFA Fan Festival™ from June 11 to July 19, 2026, at Hastings Park in Vancouver. səlilwətaɬ Members and staff will be on site educating visitors from all around the world about our rich history, culture, lands, and waters.
səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) partnered with the Royal Netherlands Football Association to provide a week-long coaching program for six soccer coaches from Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Squamish Nation.
Tsleil-Waututh Nation and the Province of BC have co-developed and co-signed an updated marine water quality policy, called xaɬəmət ct tə səlilwət / Water Quality Objectives for səlilwət (Burrard Inlet). xaɬəmət ct tə səlilwət means “protect Burrard Inlet” in the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language.
We welcome the world to our shared territories during FIFA World Cup 2026™ Vancouver in these uplifting welcome videos produced by Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC).
səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) celebrated the opening of our first Sports Field in community, an incredible milestone for our community. Our new full-sized turf field is a space for connection, recreation, and for future generations to gather, play, and grow together.
səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation)’s Treaty, Lands and Resources (TLR) Department, in partnership with the Kelp Rescue Initiative (KRI), have developed key findings, recommendations, and next steps for q̓am̓ (bull kelp) restoration and offsetting work in səlilwət (Burrard Inlet).