Douglas is a member of the Kasabonika Lake First Nation in Northern Ontario but currently lives in Thunder Bay Ontario.
As with many of his peers he experienced the Federal Government’s residential school’s policy but has refused to be a victim of it and instead has chosen to be victor. The energy of this choice has been dedicated to First Nation community development and advancement.
Douglas Semple was a member of the first senior management group of the Sioux Lookout MenoYaWin Health Centre as Vice-President of Corporate Services and Communications. He also held the position of CEO of the organization for a time and continues to be involved with MenoYawin as senior advisor to the Board and the CEO of SLMHC.
In other areas of his career, Douglas is widely recognized for his collaborative approach in bringing together landmark agreements between First Nations, private industry, and federal and provincial governments. In these diverse interest environments, he has always been able to keep the integrity of the First Nations interests while finding ways to craft successful working relationships.
Douglas has a BA in Political Science, a Masters in Public Administration and an MBA. He is the winner of the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Emile Nakogee Award for Leadership and the OHA’s Small, Rural and Northern Award of Excellence in 2007.