Indigenous History Month Profiles

Dr. Robert Andrews is the AFOA Alberta’s Executive Director and Program Director of Indigenous Business and Assistant Professor within the Faculty of Business at Athabasca University. He is a member of the Kainaiwa Nation (Blood Tribe). Robert has developed and delivered management programs to Indigenous organizations across Canada and has authored numerous teaching case studies. He designed a culturally relevant management program for First Nations’ senior management. Robert co-developed the curriculum for Harvard Business School’s executive certificate, Leading People and Investing to Build Sustainable Communities for Indigenous Leaders. He has facilitated and offered training to many diverse groups, including First Nations’ Chief and Council and Federal and Provincial Departments, as well as professional associations and organizations. He innovated management undergraduate instruction for Indigenous people at Athabasca University to address systemic barriers in post-secondary education. He also co-developed their Indigenous major within the Bachelor of Commerce program as part of the No-Limits initiative with the CPA Education Foundation and AFOA Alberta. He is the co-lead on the world's first-of-its-kind Indigenous Learners in Accounting, a program designed to reduce the barriers faced by Indigenous learners pursuing their accounting certification in partnership with CPA Western School of Business.    Robert holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Calgary, an MBA with Distinction from Cornell University, Graduate Certificates in Evaluation and Social Impact Strategy from the University of Victoria and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Calgary. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants Association (FCPA, FCMA).

Janelle Baker is Associate Professor in anthropology at Athabasca University and is a CIFAR Future Flourishing Fellow. She is recipient of the 2024 Canadian Association of Alberta Faculty Associations Distinguished Academic Early Career Award. Her research is on Indigenous and Local Peoples’ traditional wild food and medicine security and sovereignty. Since 2006, she has collaborated with Bigstone Cree Nation environmental monitors using community-based ethnographic methods to record experiences with environmental contamination. Dr. Baker is a Lead Author and member of the Indigenous Knowledge and Local Knowledge Task Force for the United Nations Environment Programme Global Environment Outlook (GEO)-7. She is the Vice President Elect of the International Society of Ethnobiology.

Corinne Bossé is a Learning Designer at the Faculty of Graduate Studies. As part of her current portfolio, she focuses on leading and coordinating professional development projects and partnership initiatives relevant to an online learning graduate environment. Overall, Corinne has more than 20 years’ experience in teaching, designing, developing, managing, researching and evaluating curriculum development projects to facilitate and improve learning outcomes.

Kimberley Nault (pronounced No) Brown has kinship connections to Red River and is a proud Métis scholar and graduate student working on a Doctorate of Education  Degree at Athabasca University. Having taught in Alberta K-12 education for over 30 years, she works as a teacher and Indigenous  liaison and is passionate about sharing her culture and teachings with both students and teachers. Her research interests involve employing Métis Research Methodologies to explore the experiences of Métis learners in K-12. 

Kimberley is a former member of the Alberta Métis Education Council. She holds a Master of Education in Distance Education.  She has sat in Curriculum Working Groups with Alberta Education focusing on grades 1-3 English Language Learning and Indigenous integration.  She has presented on Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing across the country.

Priscilla Campeau is Cree – Saulteaux. She is a member of Muskowekwan First Nation in Saskatchewan and has been a visitor on Treaties 6 and 8 territories for the past 25 years. She has been with AU, working in such disciplines as criminal justice, governance, law and management, and Indigenous Studies. She is currently the lead of Nukskahtowin (Meeting Place), a centre that integrates Indigenous knowledge within the university structures in the areas of program and course development. Priscilla is also the chair of Indigenous studies and teaches an undergraduate course entitled “Indigenous Women in Canada” and a graduate course entitled “Indigenous Knowledge and Education.” Her research interests include Indigenous women, Indigenous knowledge, and the intersections of Indigeneity within the various disciplines, and the inclusion of Elders within those spaces.

Dr. Lois Edge is an educator and researcher whose work focuses on Indigenous knowledge systems, Indigenous women’s epistemologies, and culturally grounded approaches to Indigenous education, health and community wellbeing in northern contexts. Her work privileges ancestral knowledges, Indigenous methodologies, community-engaged research, and relational accountability. Her early doctoral research, My Grandmother’s Moccasins, examines the cultural, aesthetic, and pedagogical significance of Indigenous beadwork traditions highlighting the role of storytelling and cultural arts in transmitting knowledge across generations. Ongoing work encompasses Indigenization and Indigenous cultural resurgence within higher education through curriculum design, community partnerships, and cultural heritage initiatives in collaboration with Indigenous community organizations in northern Canada.

Dr. Elmer Ghostkeeper was born to parents Adolphus and Elsie Ghostkeeper at the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement in Alberta. He speaks ?uent Michif. Elmer is a father, grandfather, teacher, philosopher, community leader, business person, knowledge keeper and scholar. He is also author of the book Spirit Gifting: The Concept of Spiritual Exchange.

The book looks at the yearly Métis cycle of Mekiachahkewewin or Spirit Gifting, where humans engage in a collaborative project with the Earth for mutual survival. When resource industries come to Paddle River, the community's relationship with the Earth changes profoundly. Ghostkeeper describes his experience of opposing worldviews.

As a member of the Métis Nation, Elmer has worked throughout his life to promote the rights of Métis peoples in Canada, including advocating for the inclusion of Métis peoples among the Aboriginal peoples of Canada in the Canadian Constitution.

Elmer has served as president of the Alberta Federation of Métis Settlements Associations. He has worked extensively as a consultant to shape local, national and international policy, research, and teaching conversations about how Indigenous knowledge systems and western scientific traditions might work together.

Elmer developed Weche Teachings, A Partnership of Aboriginal Wisdom and Western Scientific Knowledge. He uses these teachings to explain and analyze modern day puzzles affecting Indigenous peoples. His vast experience as a business leader and adviser has resulted in Indigenous knowledge now being included in resource industry projects.

"Aboriginal wisdom is extremely important to the economic development and self-sufficiency of Aboriginal communities,” says Elmer.

In 2001, SunStar Resources Inc. was incorporated. It is an oil and gas company wholly owned and operated by the Métis people. Elmer became President and CEO. Elmer has also served as regional manager of Aboriginal Health Services for the Capital Health Authority in Edmonton, where he developed a unique program to help people live with and manage diabetes. Elmer also worked as assistant city engineer of Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory.

Elmer Ghostkeeper has been blessed with two sons and a daughter, and an “abiding passion for the horse and dog.”

Elmer is the holder of two Anthropology degrees from the University of Alberta. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the university in November 2022.

“I view life here on Mother Earth as a gift, a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment from the Creator.”

Cassandra “Cassie” Hill is a Haudenosaunee scholar, educator, storyteller, and founder whose work focuses on Indigenous women’s safety, trauma-informed education, digital wellness, and ethical technology. She is the Founder and CEO of Echoes of Us, a trauma-informed digital support platform designed to create safer pathways for survivors, women, youth, and communities navigating violence, disclosure, and systems of care. Cassie is currently completing doctoral research at Athabasca University on how online learning environments, digital platforms, and emerging technologies shape safety, trust, and belonging for Indigenous women in higher education. Her work brings together Indigenous knowledge systems, digital sovereignty, gender-based violence education, and community accountability.

Website: https://cassieh45.wixsite.com/cassandra-hill 
Echoes of Us: https://www.echoesofus.support/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassie-hill-614699257/

Dr. Ramses Ilarraza is the Interim Associate Vice President, Research at Athabasca University (AU). His scientific career in biomedical laboratory research has focused on the role of the immune response in asthma and other respiratory diseases, alongside contributions to additional fields of study. Dr. Ilarraza has co-authored two books, as well as multiple book chapters and numerous peer-reviewed research articles, several of which have been featured in leading journals in immunology. In his role as Interim AVP Research, he champions an active, ambitious, and inclusive research culture at AU, and works to expand opportunities for research that is equitable, community-engaged, and impactful.

Dr. Linda Manyguns

is a Blackfoot woman born on the tsuut’ina nation, now registered at Siksika. she is a grandmother to many children. she grew up in Europe as an airforce brat and in her early working years was a high steel construction worker, a chef and a union leader for cupe.

she has 4 degrees: BA Sociology; MA Sociology; LLB University of Ottawa and a PHD in indigenous philosophy from Trent University. while at law school fellow students nominated her for the Karim Green Spon award for outstanding achievement and she also received a sociology award for excellent achievements while completing her BA. she supervised four master’s students and two PHD students. she worked at the Indian land claims commission in Ottawa. She is now semi-retired after being a professor for over fourteen years.

her primary passion is to juxtapose traditional knowledge and teachings to build third space.  

Hello/Tansi! My name is Lexis Roy, and I am a young Métis woman, who grew up and currently resides in Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement, Alberta. My family names other than Roy include (but are not limited to) Bellerose, Delorme, Desjarlais, Durocher and Patenaude. For my education, I hold an Environmental Technician diploma, and I am a current undergraduate student, attending Athabasca University where I am completing my Bachelor of Science degree.

My love of interests includes learning about environmental protection and conservation, community enhancement and meeting new people and seeing new places. I am a co-founder of Wîcihitowin Indigenous Student Alliance, created and shared by other Indigenous students at AU. 

Molly Salter is a member of the Métis Nation within Alberta, with Oji-Cree, Métis, and mixed European ancestry. She holds a BA in Psychology and Anthropology and works as a research assistant to Dr. Lana Ray (Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health and Resurgent Methodologies), who conducts research focused on Traditional Healing Knowledge and health justice, both of which are very important to Molly. Molly is a co-founder of the Wîcihitowin Indigenous Student Alliance at AU, a collective of Indigenous students and alumni who work to create a safe Indigenous-specific space for Indigenous students to connect and spur institutional change. Molly has also conducted community-based research culminating in her project titled, "Indigenous-Specific Spaces in Post-Secondary Education: Student Experiences and Visions for Change", which won second place in the abstracts competition as well as the People's Choice Award at the Graduate Student Research Conference (GRSC) n 2025. Molly believes we have an intergenerational responsibility to our ancestors and future generations to create and sustain a world where all of our relations can exist in balance with one another for generations to come. You can often find her on plant walks helping community members connect with our plant relatives, or hanging out on the land.

Dr. Meenal Shrivastava is Professor of Political Economy and Global Studies in FHSS and Associate Dean (Students and Awards) with the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Born in India, she taught for a near decade in South Africa - University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (2000-2006) and the University of Transkei (1998-1999). Dr. Shrivastava joined Athabasca University in 2006 and teaches in the areas of Political Economy, Global Studies, and International Relations. She was Chair of the Centre for Social Sciences from 2017 to 2020 and serves on several editorial and governance boards in Canada and beyond. She has been an invited speaker at various academic and literary events in Canada, India, South Africa, and the United States.

Dr. Shrivastava's research broadly examines the drivers and manifestations of ‘globalization’, and their impact on the institutions and practices of democracy. Her publications, talks, and courses cover themes as varied as aspects of democracy, public policy, development studies, global history, women/gender studies, and disciplinary building blocks, connected to the central thread of the political economy of our relentlessly globalizing world.

Her academic research has so far led to the publication of three books: Alberta Oil and the Decline of Democracy in Canada (AUP, 2015); Amma’s Daughters: A Memoir (AUP, 2018); Write in Power: An Anthology of the Personal and the Political (The Hidden Pen Collective: Bangalore, 2021). Additionally, she has published more than one hundred and fifty articles, book chapters, papers, and opinion pieces. Dr. Shrivastava also maintains a blog where she shares creative relational stories to illustrate how individual lives intersect with broad social-political trends, and why it matters.

Dr. Simon P. Sigué is Interim Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Full Professor of Marketing in the Faculty of Business. He has held various leadership roles, including Vice Dean in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Department Chair in the Faculty of Business, and has contributed to boards across Africa and North America. Dr. Sigué was President of the Academy of African Business and Development and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of African Business. His research focuses on marketing strategy, franchising, game theory, and international marketing, and has earned multiple awards, such as the Best PhD Thesis at HEC Montréal, the Best Conference Paper Award of the Academy of Marketing Science, and a nomination for Journal of Service Research Best Article Award.

Dr. Laurie L. Thompson is a Metis researcher and the Indigenous educational leader at Kikino School, located in her home community of the Kikino Metis Settlement. Her research and professional focus centers on the history of Indigenous education, instructional design, and Indigenous educational leadership. Additionally, Dr. Thompson specializes in digital workforce educational training and professional development.

Jennifer Wemigwans is Anishinaabe from the Wiikwemikoong Unceded Reserve. She is an Associate Professor at OISE University of Toronto, where she teaches in the Adult Education & Community Development Graduate program. Her book A Digital Bundle: Protecting and Promoting Indigenous Knowledge Online (2018) explores the prospects of education and digital projects in a networked world.

Keith Williams, Ph.D. is an associate professor (educational studies) in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, at Athabasca University.  His research is diverse and deals with Indigenous adult and higher education, psychedelics and other plant medicines, biotechnology and AI, and food systems. Keith does not identify as Indigenous, although he has paternal ancestry from a Haudenosaunee community on the northern shores of Lake Ontario, and deeply appreciates Haudenosaunee culture and values. Keith is committed to learning how to come into resonant relation with our more-than-human kin for collective flourishing and peace. Keith is an adjunct faculty with the First Nations Technical Institute and the International Jungian Psychedelic Association. 

Deanna Rausch is the Graduate Thesis and Academic Records Advisor in the Faculty of Graduate Studies at Athabasca University. She works from her home in amiskwacîwâskahikan on Treaty 6 territory.

Through her work supporting students on their thesis journeys, Deanna has contributed to the development of multimodal thesis formats and is interested in learning how academic institutions can create space for diverse forms of knowledge creation and dissemination.