Sts'ailes CAO Appointment / Introduction
/June 11th, 2026
Chief and Council Announcement – Chief Administrative Officer Appointment
As you are all aware, Chief and Council posted the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) position on April 1, 2026. In accordance with the Sts’ailes Personnel Policy, the posting closed on May 1, 2026.
All required hiring procedures were followed throughout the recruitment and interview process. Following the completion of interviews and ratification by Chief and Council at a duly convened meeting held on June 9, 2026, the position has been officially filled. Effective June 10, 2026, Tamara Andrew has been appointed as the Sts’ailes Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
Chief and Council would like to clarify the roles of both the CEO and CAO positions. The CEO will continue in their current role, providing leadership in the strategic direction of the organization, leading negotiations, and managing external relations. The CAO will report directly to Chief and Council and will be responsible for overseeing all administrative operations of the organization.
The creation and appointment of the CAO position is intended to address the administrative oversight needs of the organization. Both the CAO and CEO will report directly to Chief and Council and will work collaboratively to lead the Sts’ailes administration in the best interests of the Sts’ailes people.
Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please feel free to contact any member of Chief and Council in person or by email at Secretariat@stsailes.com.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to our community.
Sts’ailes Chief and Council
Introduction
Ey swayel,
I want to take the time to introduce myself, my name is Tamara Andrew. I am deeply honoured and humbled to be selected by Chief and Council to be the Sts’ailes Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), starting June 10th, 2026. For those who don’t know me I am a member of Seabird Island. My dad was the long time Sts’ailes finance director. In terms of my educational background, I have a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a major in accounting and minor in psychology. Additionally, I am half-way through a Master of Public Administration. My passion is in building and maintaining systems that uplift people and traditional knowledge systems, that are embedded within culture, language, etc. I’ve worked in Sts’ailes within governance and planning for roughly 6 years.
In my time here, I have remained committed to working alongside the community and supporting the implementation of Sts’ailes vision, reversing systemic colonial harm and strengthening Sts’ailes identity and well-being by uplifting Sts’ailes knowledge systems and asserting its right to self-governance and self-determination. The focus of my work has been and will continue to recognize and build on the work that came before me. My role is not to change direction, but to support it, strengthen it, and work alongside you in achieving collective community goals.
To address the most pressing question about the CEO and CAO differences and relationship. The CAO position will report directly to Chief and Council and oversee all administrative operations. The CEO will continue to hold his position and help to guide the strategic direction of the organization, lead negotiations, and external relations. The CAO position is meant to fill the administrative oversight gap. Willie is gifted at articulating Sts’ailes vision and leveraging it in our assertion efforts and building our vision. My position will increase the focus on implementation efforts, leveraging my education in accounting, finance, administration, and policy.
In terms of what you can expect, any changes will be implemented gradually, recognizing that restoring this position as Chief and Council originally intended is already a significant transition. We will be gradually strengthening administrative, communication, financial, and personnel practices. I would like to start by increasing accountability measures for time, finances, and wellness for myself. I will be implementing this with Chief and Council. Additionally, I really support and believe in fair processes. I’m really happy that my position when through the full hiring process and I’m hoping we can keep that momentum going. I would also like to increase our efforts in promoting and advocating for lateral kindness within the organization and community.
The link below can be used to submit any questions about this change, and I will make some questions cards available at the Sts’ailes Administration Building front reception as well. I will do my best to answer them in the next newsletter (I might condense some questions that are similar).
Sts'ailes Community CAO Questions – Fill out form
All my relations,
Tamara Andrew, BBA (Psych), MPA (Candidate)
Sts'ailes
Chief Administrative Officer
4690 Salish Way | Agassiz |BC | V0M 1A1