Chief Mel
Grandjamb
Chief
Fort McKay First Nation
Mel Grandjamb was elected chief of Fort McKay First Nation (FMFN) on April 5, 2019. In this role, Chief Grandjamb will also serve as the Board Chairman for Fort McKay Group of Companies (FMGOC) – which operates 3 limited companies, 100% owned and controlled by the Fort McKay First Nation.
With designations in Building Construction Engineering Technology and Project Management from NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology), Chief Grandjamb has 30 years of construction and industry experience. Previously, he has held roles as Project Manager of Capital Projects with Frog Lake First Nation and Construction Specialist at Syncrude Canada. Within Fort McKay First Nation he has held a variety of leadership positions such as Chief, Project Officer, Director of Capital Projects Department, along with CEO and Board of Director of Fort McKay Group of Companies. Most recently Chief Grandjamb has served at President of Fort McKay Alcor, an organization he co-founded 2015. Which today has over 300 skilled workers, proving to be one of the fasted growing companies in the region.
Chief Grandjamb is extremely passionate about his community and makes it his goal to be actively involved. Chief Grandjamb founded the AWAKE Cultural Camp Series, which provides guided camps at no cost to community members, allowing them to learn traditional hunting, fishing and trapping skills through hands-on- training. He is also a Native Provincials Hockey coach for various levels, and donates resources to a variety of functions and events within the community.
As the Fort McKay First Nations Fire Chief, he has led the firefighting team to the provincial- wide level Aboriginal Firefighting Competition and won four provincial championships and one national championship. In 2016, Chief Grandjamb also received the Council Commendation Wildfire Metal, an award that recognized major contributors during the first 100 hours of the Horse River Wildfire. On top of his amazing work for the community, he is a proud father of six children and has one grandchild.