Susan Tatoosh is a respected elder and mentor who, as executive director of the Vancouver Friendship Society, is credited with significant improvements to programing and services for the urban Indigenous community and helping some of the most marginalized populations.

Of Shuswap ancestry and a member of the Hupacaseth First Nation from Vancouver Island, Tatoosh has dedicated her life to working with people, bringing her leadership, governance, planning and management skills to the boards of almost every urban Indigenous organization in Vancouver.

She was instrumental in moving the homeless shelter from the basement and gym of the Friendship Centre to a permanent, well-managed shelter space in the Downtown Eastside.  She is also working with the City of Vancouver to construct a second shelter.

She also worked with the City of Vancouver on the Dialogue Project to bring together Indigenous people and new immigrants to build understanding between cultures and alleviate discrimination and racism.

As chair of the Aboriginal Community Career Employment Services Society (ACCESS), she worked with the BC Construction Association to create opportunities for Indigenous people. As a founding member of Urban Spirit Foundation, she assists urban Indigenous people to upgrade their education, find jobs and improve their earning power.

Earlier in her career Tatoosh ran the first  outreach program for native women in Canada.

In the 1980s, she moved to Vancouver and worked for Urban Images for Native Women, an employment training organization. She also worked on the federal strategy to increase the economic participation of Indigenous people living in urban centres.