A respected leader, champion of social justice and fierce advocate for Indigenous children and youth, Hereditary Chief Mary Teegee, Maaxswxw Gibuu (White Wolf), will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Northern British Columbia during the 2026 Convocation ceremony.
A proud member of the Luxgaboo (Wolf) Clan, Teegee is Gitk’san and Carrier from the Takla Lake First Nation. The hereditary chief has dedicated her life to empowering First Nation communities through leadership grounded in healing, health and wellness.
“I firmly believe cultural revitalization is the way forward for First Nations in healing from the atrocities that occurred through colonization,” she says. “For programs and services to actually benefit First Nations people, they have to be built on a foundation of culture and traditions, with wellness at the centre.”
Teegee served as chief negotiator and as deputy chief for the Takla Lake First Nation before joining Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) as executive director of Child and Family Services in Prince George more than two decades ago.
Since then, her focus has been on advancing the rights, well-being and cultural strength of Indigenous children and youth, and their families. Now serving as CSFS’s Chief Administration Officer of Child and Family Services, Teegee has been a leading voice in advocating for systems change, working with communities and at provincial and national levels.
“My goal has always been to support the reformation of child and family services so that First Nation children are protected, taken care of by their own families and have the freedom to live up to their full potential,” says Teegee. “When children are grounded in their identity and culture, they have the foundation they need to thrive.”
In addition to overseeing a host of programs, Teegee worked in partnership with the Mediate BC and UNBC to develop the CSFS Family Justice Facilitation Program, resulting in the certification of nearly two dozen First Nation mediators to serve families living in northern B.C.
She also played a significant role in the Highway of Tears initiative, working in collaboration with Indigenous partners, community organizations and researchers at UNBC to support efforts to address violence against Indigenous women and girls and promote safety, awareness and healing along northern B.C.’s Highway 16 corridor.
Teegee contributes to numerous provincial and national organizations. She is the President of the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society, a Centre of Excellence for Indigenous early learning and child care. As the B.C. representative on the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, Teegee worked with the society’s executive director, Canada’s foremost Indigenous children’s rights advocate Dr. Cindy Blackstock (UNBC Hon LLD 2012), and the Assembly of First Nations from 2007 to 2016 on the complaint filed under the Canada Human Rights Act which eventually found the federal government underfunding of on-reserve child welfare services racially discriminatory. Teegee is also the Chair of the Indigenous Child and Family Directors Forum and represents British Columbia on the National Advisory Committee on First Nations Child and Family Services Program Reform
An accomplished presenter, Teegee has shared her knowledge at conferences across Canada and internationally, helping to raise awareness of the challenges facing First Nation communities while promoting pathways forward grounded in both traditional knowledge and education. She was the Executive Producer of the highly acclaimed documentary “Highway of Tears” and produced and wrote the award-winning documentary “For Love” which is narrated by Shania Twain.
“Education is a powerful tool for change,” she says. “When we bring together Indigenous ways of knowing with academic learning, we create opportunities not only for individuals, but for entire communities to move forward in a good way.”
Teegee holds a Master of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business, where she received the Dean’s Convocation Medal. Her extensive contributions to community have been recognized through numerous honours, including the 2025 King Charles III Coronation Medal, the 2024 Indigenous Woman of Distinction Award from the BC Native Women’s Association, the 2023 Janusz Korczak Award and the 2022 Prince George Community Citizen of the Year – Lifetime Achievement Award.
As she reflects on this latest recognition from UNBC, Teegee emphasizes that her work has always been collective.
“This recognition belongs to the many people I have walked alongside—Elders, families, leaders and communities—who continue to guide and inspire this work,” she says. “Together, we are creating a future where First Nations children are safe, supported and proud of who they are.”
Mary Teegee will be awarded the honorary Doctor of Laws degree at UNBC’s 2026 Convocation ceremony in Prince George.