Kalina Newmark is a graduate from Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and now a brand manager for Starbucks’ Instant packaged coffee business.Illustration by Chief Lady Bird
Kalina Newmark, who is Shúhtagot’ı̨nę and Métis from the Tulita Dene First Nation, grew up in the Northwest Territories and B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. She is a graduate from Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and now a brand manager for Starbucks’ Instant packaged coffee business. For Ms. Newmark, who comes from a long line of Dene and Métis leaders, celebrating Indigenous success is crucial to empowering future generations.
Could you take us through your time at Dartmouth?
In my first year, I worked with [college] president Jim Yong Kim. I was in his office when he became president of the World Bank, and where I had the unique opportunity to attend Dartmouth Board of Trustees meetings, the presidential national debate, and dignitary visits. I feel fortunate to have had those experiences as a young professional.
Oftentimes, I felt lonely being one of a few Indigenous people in the spaces I was in, but I always felt like I came from strong people. My mom’s a residential school survivor. I would tell myself that I have the skills to be successful, and that being Indigenous is a special sauce. I think that the power of a column like this is to show others that we have successful Indigenous professionals doing great things. You just might not know their names.
How did you manage to go from an undergrad to work in the president’s offices?
Mr. Kim offered fellowships in different offices on-campus that were only open to recent graduates. I was president of the Native Americans at Dartmouth student organization, and we met with Mr. Kim and his chief of staff, who thought I might be interested in this opportunity. Over 40 people applied to work in the president’s office, and I was their first choice, which was an incredible feeling to have.
How did you get into business?
My father is a businessman. He was a pivotal person behind the Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway, and runs E. Gruben’s Transport Ltd. My mom told me that I’d be in his office colouring books as a child, and I used to pretend to be the boss. I felt like it was part of who I was, and as Indigenous people, we are entrepreneurs at heart. We are very creative, and so when I went to Dartmouth, I really wanted to study something I was passionate about. What I liked about my studies is that even as an Indigenous person, I didn’t know why my family experienced things like Bill C-31. [The bill addressed gender discrimination under the Indian Act that saw Indian Status stripped from women through marriage to men without status, among other things.] It was so profound and special to be able to learn from other native professors and about your own history. I always had an interest in business, like my father, but I didn’t know if I wanted to make it a career. After working for several years, I had felt that I wanted to continue learning, and I wanted to pivot to consumer marketing. I ended up receiving a full-tuition scholarship as a Consortium [for Graduate Study in Management] fellow to attend the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and focused my studies to transition to this next step in my career.
How does your Indigenous world view play a role in your job right now?
Traditionally, we each had a role in the community that was viewed as valuable. The way that I try to incorporate this Indigenous teaching with my teams is to bring people along, be transparent, and share strategy, but also to make sure each person feels valued and that they know that their contribution is helping us reach our goal. The idea of valuing each person’s contribution at the same level is really important to me.
Do you have advice to Indigenous youth that might want to pursue a business career?
I would encourage people to study and participate in the things that they’re passionate about, because those areas are where they will shine and to lean into their strengths. That’s what has helped me excel.
More recently, I’ve learned to share my goals with others. It can be hard, when you are unsure, and maybe not as confident, but I’ve started sharing with people I work with that my goal is to be the first Indigenous woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company. That’s a huge ambition when you think about the fact that there are 74 women CEOs on that list, and only two of them are Black. I don’t know any that are Indigenous, or that identify as Indigenous.
How does being Indigenous inform your world view? Do you ever catch yourself in Indigenous thought?
All the time. That is my wiring and who I am, but there is also a time and place to share. In a business meeting, it might not always be the opportunity to do that, but where I think it’s valid and important to express our perspectives is in the ways we speak to others – ensuring that is authentic and genuine. I feel like it’s my responsibility because I have lived experience to treat all people as equal and valuable.
What drives you as a businesswoman?
What’s most important to me is that I make my family proud, and that I’m a kind person, that I’m a person that helps others. We have Dene values in our community that I try to live by. I don’t do what I do to win an award or to get highlighted. What drives me as an Indigenous businesswoman is that I love the work that I do. I don’t think I would be good at it if I didn’t.
When I share about my experiences, it’s because I want to reach an Indigenous audience. If other people get to hear that story as well, that’s great. This excellence exists within our community, and we don’t see enough of us succeeding that we think we can get there or that we can reach the highest of highs. By hearing the stories and the struggles that people before us have had to go through, you know that you can do it too. A lot of us are not driven by title or pay, but we’re really driven because we know that our story can help youth, our future leaders.
What should non-Indigenous people read/watch to be better allies and get a better sense of being Indigenous?
CBS News’ 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper had a residential school section, and they did a great job. The woman getting interviewed is a residential school survivor, who said that she was an angry person for a long time. She talked about how she passed that on to her kids, and that what brings her hope are her grandchildren, the future generation. I was raised by a residential school survivor. I feel like the healing that my siblings and I are doing will help to heal my mom’s grandchildren.
How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?
We have traditional ways to manage, such as smudging or praying or talking with our elders. When I went to Dartmouth, I felt like I knew more because of what I was learning in my courses. I remember going back home to visit my family, asking them questions, and hoping to get answers from them. That’s not how we learn as Indigenous people — you must sit down with them. One of our elders shared this with me. He said that the elders knew when you got it because they would see it in your eyes. So, if you kept hearing the same story, it means you weren’t ready yet for that next step. I always find going home as a way to balance.
There is this idea within our community that the only way you can only give back is if you’re in your community as a tribal leader, band leader or band councillor. There are other ways to give back, and I feel like I’m doing that. Even if I don’t live in my community, I’m representing my people everywhere I go. A big part of my balance is making sure I go home to my lands to be with family and to eat our traditional foods.
Another way is doing things I love, like play sports and cook food. It’s about finding that balance between the traditions that we have as a part of where we come from and doing things that bring us joy.
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