David Walkem is the Chief of the Cooks Ferry Indian Band and vice-chair of the Nicola Similkameen Innovative Forestry Society. He is also the president of Stuwix Resources Joint Venture, which manages a forest licence for eight shareholder Indian bands in the BC interior.

Chief David Walkem is President of two other Band joint ventures with two sawmills, and manages a log home building business — Eagles Nest Log Homes — for four Bands. David graduated from the University of Western Ontario (MBA 1984) as well as the University of BC (BScF 1980) and was named Forester of the Year in 2001.