Featured Employee – Jodi Carlow

Jodi is Manager of Indigenous Relations at RAM with a diverse skillset and a breadth of experience from her work in Indigenous engagement in western Canada. Over the past decade, she has worked with First Nations, businesses, and government agencies at the provincial, territorial, and federal levels, applying a proactive and collaborative approach to ensure projects’ successes and Indigenous advancement.

Jodi specializes in economic development and strategic planning, treaty negotiation and treaty implementation, land use planning, and heritage consulting. She currently sits on the board for several Indigenous-owned businesses in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. Skills training and capacity building for Indigenous communities are incorporated into Jodi’s work at every available opportunity.

Tell us about your role at RAM? What do you like most about it?

I am RAM’s Manager of Indigenous Relations and I was brought on to enhance the ability for RAM to engage Indigenous communities and ensure we are meeting our commitments on Indigenous inclusion and advancement. I love working with people, building relationships and making certain that RAM is an active part of reconciliation efforts by being a platform to improve socioeconomic standing of Indigenous communities where we work. It is rewarding to see positive change for individuals and families.

What do you find most challenging at RAM?

I am enjoying the challenges of the new programs and the rigor that comes with working with this team, and keeping up with the social action!

What advice would you give to recent new hires?

To participate in the lunch and learns and social aspects of RAM. The comradery and team building creates an effective scaffold to bounce ideas and develop additional skills.

What are 3 career lessons you’ve learned this far?

    1. Listen to other ideas – we all think differently or have had different experiences, and it is often beneficial to try a novel approach.
    2. Career choices – if a door opens for a new opportunity, it is ok to take it. You will learn something along the way. Getting out of my comfort zone and trying something new has led me to great places – including working with RAM!
    3. Empathy – I work with businesses and also Indigenous communities, and everyone is in my work day with their own story before getting there.

What do you like to do on your days off?

I enjoy spending time with my two kids who are 12 and 15 and keep me mountain biking, skiing, and finding new adventures. For a bit of down time, I will head out for a run with my dog or a horseback ride in the trails behind my house.

Interested in learning more about our Indigenous Engagement initiatives? Head over to our About Us page.