Charlene is a trailblazer. She has had many firsts in her career. Charlene is the first aboriginal woman to hold the title of director at the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and the first female internal auditor hired at West Coast Energy. She is the first aboriginal person to earn the Chartered Accountants (CA) designation in BC and the first aboriginal woman in Canada. In 2011, Charlene received the prestigious Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) designation.
In her role with the Auditor General of Canada, she worked on a number of high-profile performance reports, many of which have contributed to changes in the areas of education and child and family services, applying her experience and knowledge to benefit her First Nation culture. Charlene credits much of her success to her strong connection to her culture and family and continues to participate in cultural sharing events and potlatches.