Rowena Materne

Rowena previously served a term on the Board of Directors of SaskCulture & Creative Kids from 2021– 2023. During her time on the board, she was actively engaged in activities and represented the board on numerous occasions across the province. These included participating as an MC for FolkFest in Saskatoon, speaking at the grand opening of the Indigenous section of the Western Development Museum in Yorkton, and taking part in the opening ceremony of the Doukhobor Dugout House National Historic Site. Her family has long been active in the Filipino community, and Rowena has grown up promoting and celebrating her Filipino heritage through various community events, particularly in Northern Saskatchewan.

Through her background in Communication Arts and Management, a significant portion of Rowena’s professional career in Canada has been dedicated to working with Indigenous or Indigenous-focused organizations. Her experience spans a variety of sectors, including media, such as with Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation, Saskatchewan’s Aboriginal radio, and executive leadership roles in Indigenous health services, Indigenous government, and Indigenous economic development. In these roles, she has promoted Indigenous community cultural wellness and advocated for and created opportunities for cultural reconciliation. She has also been involved with the Canadian Federation of University Women, an organization committed to improving the status of women in all their diversity by promoting public education, human rights, social justice, and peace, and creating opportunities for women to apply their knowledge and skills in leadership and decision-making across political, social, cultural, educational, and scientific fields.

Rowena’s community advocacy roots were significantly influenced by her parents and mentors, who instilled in her a strong sense of responsibility to contribute to society, uplift others, advocate for those who feel they do not have a voice, and honour and celebrate cultural diversity. She views SaskCulture as a meaningful opportunity for Saskatchewan citizens to demonstrate their appreciation for the province’s rich cultural and heritage diversity, and to actively advocate for inclusion and belonging as strengths that help make Saskatchewan a welcoming and vibrant place to live, raise families, and celebrate diverse backgrounds.

Rowena has shared that her mother was among the early recruits of nurses who came to Saskatchewan from the Philippines in the 1960s. She grew up in La Ronge, where her mother worked as a nurse and her father, an agrologist, served as the Provincial Wild Rice Specialist after beginning his career in northern Saskatchewan’s economic development field. Rowena has two brothers and considers herself a proud “northerner,” shaped by a childhood rooted in the north and a lasting connection to the land and its people. She and her husband have travelled extensively with their son but always return to their home in Buffalo Narrows, a place that holds deep personal significance.

Professionally, Rowena has a background in communications and media, has held executive management roles for nearly 20 years, and has experience in post-secondary education and academia in both Canada and Australia. She holds an undergraduate degree in Communication Arts, an MBA focused on marketing, tourism, and project management, and doctoral studies centered on building ethical organizations. Her certifications in governance (Relationship Model) and in chairing boards through the Institute of Corporate Directors, along with her extensive governance experience, provide her with a strong understanding of board roles and responsibilities, and the confidence to contribute with accountability and integrity.