Elected President of the Haida Nation and a member of the Ts’aahl Eagle Clan, Gaagwiis has been involved in the governance of the Haida Nation since 2010. He has served the community as a manager, leader and educator, including managing Haida Heritage sites, visitor interactions, tourism infrastructure and planning related to Haida culture and language, and Indigenous tourism development on Haida Gwaii, the Northern BC region and provincially.
Gaagwiis was one of inaugural instructors of the Haida Gwaii Higher Education Society (Haida Gwaii Semester in Reconciliation Studies) and is a graduate of Royal Roads University with MA in Tourism Management. His Masters research project examined the landmark Gwaii Haanas Agreement as a demonstration of reconciliation in action. His research, which explored the effectiveness of the agreement at meeting employment and training objectives from a Haida community perspective, was recognized with a Governor Generals Gold Medal award in 2018.
During his time with the Council of the Haida Nation, Gaagwiis has served on SGaan Kinghlas/Bowie Seamount management board and as a member of the Archipelago Management Board of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site.