OUR TEAM
Krystal Abotossaway
President
Krystal Abotossaway is from Aundeck Omni-Kaning First Nations and Chippewas of Rama First Nations. She is an urban Ojibwe Anishinaabe Kwe. Krystal is a well sought after expert, speaker and leader on Indigenous engagement. As Senior Manager at TD Bank, she is currently rotating through the various centre of excellences within the HR function. Providing strategic counsel, execution support, and collaborating across internal teams and external partners. Krystal has successfully completed her Masters degree at York University in Human Resource Management.
As the President of the Indigenous Professional Association of Canada she is helping to redefine the agenda and identify new measures for advancing the opportunities for and the capabilities of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples.
Krystal is recognized across Canada–in the media and within the broader Indigenous community–as an expert spokesperson for bridging strategies that will enable more Indigenous youth to achieve their aspirations and dreams. Her thought leadership in advancing Human Resources knowledge on Indigenous engagement is informed by her academic background and ongoing leadership roles on multiple Boards in the GTA.
Danbi Cho
board member
Danbi Cho is the Lead of Impact Canada at the Mastercard Foundation, where he drives strategic initiatives to create lasting systems change for Indigenous youth and communities. A proud member of the Miawpukek First Nation with Mi’kmaw and Chinese ancestry, Danbi brings over a decade of expertise in strategy, transformative partnerships, research, and evaluation.
His career spans leadership roles at the Assembly of First Nations, Teach for Canada, and the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, where he helped secure critical policy changes and investments that strengthened Indigenous economic and educational outcomes. Danbi’s work in Indigenous research and evaluation was further shaped by the SSHRC Indigenous Research Capacity and Reconciliation – Connection Grant, reinforcing his commitment to embedding Indigenous knowledge into strategic frameworks that drive impact. He additionally serves on the boards of the Community Foundations of Canada and Kahwa:ii Dance Theatre and has previously served with the Conference Board of Canada and Native Child and Family Services of Toronto.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University and is pursuing an Executive MBA at Queen’s University. Passionate about Indigenous self-determination, he works to advance Indigenous leadership in education, employment, and economic development through systems change and impact-driven strategies. Outside of work, he enjoys mountain biking, fishing, hunting, and going on outdoor adventures with his family.
Quazance Boissoneau
board member
Quazance is an Anishinaabekwe from Garden River First Nation. Better known as Qua, she has worked at Humber College supporting Indigenous students and has been sharing information on post-secondary education with First Nation communities since fall 2013. She is an advocate for Indigenous mental health and wellness through physical movement. Her passion is on advancing Indigenous youth through sport and education. In her work she strives to promote balanced life styles for Indigenous people living in two-worlds. Born and raised in Northern Ontario, Qua is a former varsity athlete who studied at Algoma University. After moving to Toronto she found her home at Humber College. She holds two post-graduate certificates in Public Policy specializing in Indigenous Governance (Carleton University) and Sports & Event Marketing (George Brown College).
Jason Pearce
Board member
Jason Pearce is a Mi’kmaw originally from the Bay of Islands in Western Newfoundland. He has been an
IPAC member since 2013, a Board Member since 2016 and Co-chair of the Governance Committee since
2015. Jason is responsible for maintaining IPAC’s bylaws and policies, overseeing our Annual General
Meeting and helping ensure compliance with applicable legislation.
Jason is also Co-founder and President of Provatect, a boutique consulting firm specializing in
information management. Throughout his 20 year career, Jason has advised top corporations and
government agencies across Canada on records retention, privacy, data governance and general
compliance.
Dallas Fiddler
board member
Dallas Fiddler is a proud nêhiyaw (Cree) from Waterhen Lake First Nation in Treaty Six territory. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Saskatchewan and is pursing a Master of Social Work at York University. Dallas is passionate about the intersections of child welfare, mental health, and justice with particular interest in how Indigenous families engage with these systems and access services in urban settings. Dallas brings a range of experience related to Indigenous community engagement, communications, youth programming and research. Teams he has contributed to include: National Association of Friendship Centres; OKT Law; United Church of Canada; the Critical Health and Social Action Lab (University of Toronto); Creative Fire; and the City of Saskatoon. He currently lives in Mississauga, Ontario with his partner and son.