OUR LEADERSHIP

A proud member of the Bilijk Wolastoqiyik (Kingsclear First Nation), Ryan Dunbar is the visionary founder and President of SOAR Professional Services. With over 20 years of experience as a professional engineer, hydrogeologist, risk assessor, senior technical advisor, and multi-disciplinary team project manager, Ryan holds a deep commitment to leveraging his technical expertise to drive tangible, positive change in Indigenous communities.

His extensive experience and understanding of Indigenous governance, services, funding, and the regulatory environment has allowed him to support the delivery of economic development, environmental, planning, housing, infrastructure, capacity building, and renewable energy projects that have positively impacted the lives of Indigenous people across Canada. To this end, Ryan and his team have been involved in securing funding and financing for over $1 Billion dollars in capital expenditures.

Ryan founded SOAR Professional Services in 2021 to provide an accessible platform for Indigenous engineers, geoscientists, planners, and knowledge holders, offering them the tools and opportunities to compel change in their communities. Ryan is dedicated to co-creating solutions based on community experience and creating a welcoming environment for the next generation of Indigenous professionals. Ryan also serves on a number of Boards and as a technical advisor, including most recently as part of the Circle of Experts for the Assembly of First Nations Advocacy Initiative for a Chemicals Management Plan, as well as representing his Nation at the Standing Committee on Clean Energy and Environmental Stewardship at the New Brunswick Legislature.

A proud Wolastoqey woman from the Salmon clan, Shyla O’Donnell has served as Operations Lead at SOAR Professional Services since 2022. Shyla is a seasoned leader with extensive experience reporting to a board of Chiefs for her Nation, where, among other key functions of a Nihkanatpat, she excelled at managing teams and budgets and was instrumental in co-creating and implementing strategic plans and community visions of success.

Shyla holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and Environmental Management (Honors) from the University of New Brunswick. Her diverse background includes working with industry in British Columbia, government roles in British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, and positions with Indigenous NGOs and her First Nation community in New Brunswick. Her expertise spans large-scale Environmental Assessment Projects, Indigenous Land Resource and Use research, and the successful negotiation of numerous agreements on behalf of her Nation.

At SOAR, Shyla weaves Indigenous Knowledge with western science in project work and has developed a unique framework that encourages SOAR staff to measure and enhance their positive impact on Indigenous Peoples. She is passionate about her Nation—the Wolastoqey Nation —and provides them with ongoing support on critical issues such as forestry and land back. Shyla has close to two decades of experience with the duty to consult and accommodate and is dedicated to intensive community engagement and working towards free, prior and informed consent rather than simply meeting the baseline of the duty to consult.