Where Are They Now? Natasha Overduin

The POLIS Water Sustainability Project is turning 20 this year! We couldn’t have made it this far without the support of our colleagues, partners, advisors, funders, water leaders, and many many supporters across B.C. (and beyond!) who give their time and energy and continually champion the necessary and crucial work of water sustainability and watershed security. To celebrate some of the people who have made this milestone possible, POLIS Communications Director Laura Brandes got in touch with several “POLIS alumni” to find out what they’ve been up to since leaving POLIS, and to ask if there are lessons from their POLIS days that they still carry with them…

Natasha Overduin joined the POLIS team in 2014 and worked here for five years in a variety of roles, including as Program Manager for a unique joint partnership initiative between the POLIS Water Sustainability Project and the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources. Her career is dedicated to watershed sustainability and reconciliation, and she currently works for Compass Resource Management as a professional facilitator with a focus on co-governance. She builds consensus, commitment, and accountability among cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary groups. Her goal is to help groups get to better outcomes—not only on the land and in the water, but in conversations, relationships, and decision-making. She’s proud of her contributions to co-governance, shared decision-making, and Indigenous-led resource management in the Nicola valley, the Cowichan and Xwulqw’selu watersheds, Metlakatla First Nation territory, Peace-Athabasca Delta, and elsewhere in B.C.

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Laura Brandes: What is your current job and how long have you been there? 

Natasha: I’ve been a Facilitator and Governance Specialist at Compass Resource Management since November 2019. The Compass team brings decision analysis and facilitation support to the complex world of resource and environmental management and stewardship.

 

Laura: What was your job title at POLIS, and what did your role involve?

Natasha: I had a few roles, starting as a research assistant and eventually managing a joint initiative between POLIS and the Centre for Indigenous Resources focused on building and strengthening capacity for co-governance arrangements.

 

Laura: What was your biggest contribution to the work at POLIS? And what were the impacts of that work?

Natasha: I was the lead author of a Handbook for Water Champions: Strengthening Decision-Making and Collaboration for Healthy Watersheds. This publication was a culmination of years of collective applied research, learning, and action. I believe this work, and the team behind it, helped inform and catalyze policy and governance initiatives we see thriving and making change in B.C. today.

 

Laura: Are there any skills or lessons from your POLIS days that you still carry with you today?  

Natasha: Have fun!

 

Laura: What adventures have you been on since leaving POLIS? Are there any major milestones—either personally or professionally—that you’d like to share? 

Natasha: Since joining Compass, I’ve supported eight different Indigenous-led or government-to-government initiatives across B.C. and Alberta. I’m fascinated by the common themes and also the unique differences across these groups and watersheds—all are working to drive change and make a difference in their communities and ecosystems. It’s really exciting to see the watershed governance movement growing, strengthening, and transforming.  On a personal note, I moved from the Kootenays to Vancouver Island, and during the pandemic I got a certificate from Simon Fraser University in creative writing.

 

Laura: There are some big concepts that are central to our ongoing work at POLIS—like ecological governance and watershed security. What do these concepts mean to you? And, in particular, has your understanding of these ideas changed over time, based on where your career has taken you and what you’ve learned in the last 20 years?

Natasha: We deliberately called the Handbook for Water Champions a FIRST edition. We’ve all learned so much in the past few years. The world is a different place. It might be time for a second edition!

 

Laura: Do you have any favourite POLIS memories you’d like to share?

Natasha:  The Watersheds events were special. They did a lot to build relationships, and a common sense of purpose.