Gena Marshall (she/her/they/them/nekm)
Director At-Large
Gena (pronounced “Genna”) is a proud tapuiwjijaqamijit (two spirited) pansexual L’nu mother. She is a status member of Potlotek First Nation, Nova Scotia. Also known as Chapel Island, her reserve is the cultural cradle of the Mi’kmaw people and a national historic site. Gena has lived all over so-called Canada and is grateful to currently thrive in Amiskwaciywâskahikan (ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ). Gena makes an effort to connect with the land daily, whether by cycling to work or taking her family for a walk in the spectacular river valley. She is a water protector and treaty defender who works to balance her responsibilities as a visitor to Treaty 6 in the spirit of reciprocity.
Although she is far from her home territory, she is fortunate to have her immediate family close by and Gena honors them by hosting a family dinner every Sunday. Reclaiming traditional parenting practices is very important to her so she keeps her young children close and involves them in adult life as much as possible. She is on a path of decolonizing her daily life by honoring her ancestors in many ways, including drumming, singing, beading, sewing and powwow dancing. She is also learning the Mi’kmaw language with her children with the goal of becoming fluently trilingual. During Gena’s time on the E2S board, she hopes to embody lateral kindness by uplifting others and encouraging everyone to live their most authentic life. By co-creating an environment of peace, friendship and community joy we can better support each other and share our gifts with the world.