Keely Thompson-Cook and Brett Burrow join team as Communications and Programs Coordinators
Back in April of 2023, Pow Wow Pitch, North America’s premier pitch competition and non-profit organization supporting emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, welcomed its first ever team members to the Pow Wow Pitch family, Keely Thompson-Cook of Akwesasne, ON, as our first Communications Coordinator, and Brett Burrow of Victoria, BC, as our first Programs Coordinator.
Keely Thompson-Cook is a proud Mohawk woman from the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory and is a recent 2023 graduate of Carleton University. Keely studied at Carleton as a Political Science major with a minor in Communication and Media Studies and is using her education to highlight Indigenous entrepreneurs. She joined the Pow Wow Pitch team to spread her enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit amongst the Pow Wow Pitch community. Pow Wow Pitch is proud of her accomplishments and has been cheering her on as she supported Pow Wow Pitch while completing her studies simultaneously.
“Joining the Pow Wow Pitch team as my first job out of university has been a dream,” said Keely Thompson-Cook, Communications Coordinator at Pow Wow Pitch. “Finding my way post-grad was, and still is, a very scary and unknown period to experience but I am so happy to have found the Pow Wow Pitch family to cheer me on and make me feel supported in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Doing the work that we do everyday makes me so proud and I’m so excited to see where we go from here.”
Brett Burrow is a strong ally and advocate for Indigenous representation in education and joined the Pow Wow Pitch team after leaving a 6 year career at Shopify as a Specialist Support Advisor. She worked strongly at Shopify with the Build Native team and was introduced to Pow Wow Pitch as a mentor for the past two years, supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs at pitch competitions. Brett joined Pow Wow Pitch to get more involved with the programs that Pow Wow Pitch provides in support for Indigenous communities. Pow Wow Pitch welcomes Brett and her skills to the team to continue her powerful drive for uplifting Indigenous entrepreneurs.
“Joining Pow Wow Pitch has allowed me to get involved with work that feels good,” said Brett Burrow, Programs Coordinator at Pow Wow Pitch. “Pow Wow Pitch has welcomed me into a community I am proud to support and I’m so excited to be a part of the journey to continue building Pow Wow Pitch from here on.”
“We are so grateful to have Keely and Brett on our team,” said Sunshine Tenasco, Founder of Pow Wow Pitch. “Working with these lovely ladies for the past few months has been incredible. I see their drive and dedication everyday and we couldn’t be more excited to see them come into their own as leaders for the Pow Wow Pitch family.”
You can catch Keely and Brett at Pow Wow Pitch Programming through live events like the Ottawa Summer Solstice Festival, happening June 24th, and virtual events like the Virtual Auditions presented by EntrepreNorth, happening June 12th!