Melissa Hotain is currently serving as an Elected Councillor for the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, in what is now Southern Manitoba, a role she previously undertook over 20 years ago, and has come full circle. With a background in environmental studies, Melissa Hotain spent ten years working in policy analysis for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) on First Nations environmental and legislation issues. She was responsible for research, planning, policy analysis and strategic development related to the environment and First Nation matters, and participated in various regional, national, and international committees dealing with land, water, and environmental issues.
Melissa has worked as an Independent Contractor for the past 11 years, working on a variety of initiatives including research, policy analysis, facilitation and liaison services, conference coordination, proposal development, project management, program evaluations and strategic planning. She completed two years (2018-2020) with the Assembly of First Nations in Ottawa, Ontario where she worked as a Project Coordinator in Emergency Management and a Senior Policy Analyst in Water Issues.
She worked for 2 years (2020-2022) as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, Manitoba, leading the self-government file. Her experience with self-government began at 18 years old as the youth representative for the Steering Committee, and later as the Constitution Coordinator and Negotiations Manager.
In 2022, Melissa was appointed to the International Red River Board and is passionate about Indigenous water rights and issues. This is her second international appointment, previously nominated in 2015 by Canada to the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Roster of Experts, Joint Public Advisory Committee, Commission for Environmental Cooperation. She strongly believes in working to revitalize and apply traditional knowledge based on the philosophy of assessing actions and decisions based on the health and well-being of our future generations.