Kirsten Whitney

MarCom Brand Specialist

My traditional name is Qwezqwazíźken, which means Blue Bird in St’át’imcets. My English name is Kirsten. I am a Marketing Communications and Brand Specialist from the St’át’imc Nation, with experience supporting Indigenous communities and collaborating with non-Indigenous partners across British Columbia.

My work focuses on shaping clear, thoughtful, and culturally grounded communications through visual storytelling, publications, brand identity, and messaging. I support survivor-centred work by helping communicate priorities in ways that honour survivors’ voices and remain accountable to community. I hold a Bachelor of Design (BDes) from Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

I live and work on the unceded and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, with gratitude and respect as a guest. I stay connected to my home community of T’ít’q’et (alkaline earth), one of the eleven communities within the St’át’imc Nation.

As an intergenerational residential school survivor, with both of my grandmothers having attended residential schools in British Columbia, my work is shaped by the strength, resilience, and knowledge carried forward through generations. The teachings of the P’eg’p’íg’lha (frog), my clan within the St’át’imc Nation, and the guidance of Elders shape how I approach my work.

I see marketing and communications as tools to support Indigenous communities in sharing their stories, strengthening their presence, and building futures grounded in self-determination and care for coming generations. I am honoured to be part of the team at the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.