CREE SCHOOL BOARD                                                                             2018-Present

Chairperson

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Student engagement and success

• insistence  on a data-driven approach to decision making

• Boldly and courageously examine the hard truths about our education system: Our absentee rate, our school leaving rate, the percentage of students who are bullied, the numbers of students who deal with mental health issues, including anxiety and depression,

• Promote identity construction as a focus: support development of Cree history program, support language and culture initiatives, support land-based education

• Ensure reporting to Council of Commissioners includes measures to increase standards for both elementary and secondary schools

• Surveys to determine student needs in the youth sector, engagement sessions with post secondary students to determine needs and strengths of the program

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Community and parental involvement:

• ensure that the bylaw clearly states the direct relationship between local school committees and the governing body, the Council of Commissioners

• Ensure that the school committee honorarium issue is settled for implementation in the coming school year.

• Meetings with local associations and community visits, meetings with local school committees when possible

 

Engagement at the regional level:

• focus on collaboration with communities, Cree Health Board and Cree Nation Government for COVID response

• Engagement of Cree Health Board, Apitisiiwin Skills Development, and others in capacity development/ training and qualification needs

• Engagement of regional associations and  partners in strategic planning

• Collaboration with the CHB in key areas: MOU on suicide prevention and mental health initiatives, MOU on youth services and youth protection

• Support for the Cree Language Commissioner through language survey of students in elementary and secondary

• participation in regional and local events: CNYC, 2-Spirit Conference and events, CWEIA, CHB Mental Health

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Transparency:

Focus on sharing of information through social media, regional radio and other communication vehicles, presentations at local events, presentations at regional events, participation in regional meetings such as Council/Board and presentation at regional general assembly, ensuring Council of Commissioners’ meetings are accessible to the public, sharing highlights from meetings with the public

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Change in governance framework for the CSB

• ensure that the elected commissioners’ legal responsibility to ensure accountability and standards is clearly delineated

• Ensure that the voices of our communities set the direction for the CSB

• Empowering commissioners as elected community representatives to ensure responsiveness to community needs

• Ensuring the Council of Commissioners ability to ensure the CSB is transparent, accountable, and results-oriented

 

Change in by-law:

• to ensure relationship between the locally elected school committees and the commissioner is clearly defined so that there is a direct link from the voice of the people at the local level to the governing body of the CSB

 

Education Act:

• initiation of process with Quebec to begin legislated changes that will ensure Cree self-determination in education

 

Cree CEGEP

• progress on the file, initiation of positions and a department that will oversee the development of  Eeyou Higher Education that will serve the needs of our communities and ensure that our young people can remain at home and pursue post secondary education if they wish

 

Capacity development

• a consultative approach that ensures the needs of the communities remains at the centre of decisions about training and post-secondary program offerings

• Engagement of regional organizations and entities to determine areas where it is necessary to produce qualified Crees to fill positions

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AANISCHAAUKAMIKW CREE CULTURE INSTITUTE                       2014-2018

Executive Director

  Recent professional activities

• Strategic, long-term planning geared towards mandate fulfillment, while ensuring accountability to stakeholders at the regional, provincial and national levels.

• Financial and organizational restructuring to ensure accountability and effectiveness, and streamline human and material resources with a focus on mandate attainment.

• Development of short and long term planning tools and implementation in all departments.

• Development of stakeholder engagement framework, strategy and plan.

• Development of comprehensive 5 Year Plan for organization.

• Negotiation of major funding agreements with provincial and national partners

• Focus on strategies for capacity development of staff.

• Development of partnerships with Cree communities, regional entities, and various levels of government within Eeyou Istchee.

• Development of partnerships beyond Eeyou Istchee with heritage organizations throughout Quebec and Canada and other First Nations cultural institutes and organizations.

• Cyclical evaluation and analysis of programming to ensure effective and strategic planning process.

• Ensure collaboration between various department positions and with other departments in the organization.

• Reporting to the Board of Directors on financial position, organizational development, mandate realization and goal attainment.

• Reporting to major partners and stakeholders.

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AANISCHAAUKAMIKW CREE CULTURE INSTITUTE,                      2011–2014

Director of Programs

   Highlighted professional activities

• Development of 5 Year Program Plan for Education, Library, Archives, Museum, geared towards meeting regional, on-site, academic, research, educational and tourism industry needs.

• Program development and implementation at local, regional, and virtual levels.

• Community, youth and elder involvement to increase the cultural relevancy of programming developed.

• Focus on strategies for cultural maintenance initiatives through capacity development of staff and other stakeholders.

• Work closely with community partners to identify their needs and challenges and provide solutions-oriented collaborative actions.

• Developed employee work plans and assessments to ensure accountability and productivity.

• Re-evaluate and analyze programming to ensure effective and strategic planning process.

• Ensure collaboration between various department positions and with other departments in the organization.

• Reporting to the Board of Directors on mandate realization and goal attainment.

• Initial set-up of Programs Department including organizational structure and staffing

• Development of planning process, accountability structures, and work monitoring tools

 

 

LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY, Thunder Bay, Ontario                               2016 - 2018

  Instructor (contract) in Indigenous Education, Master’s of Education Program

• Developed and taught Indigenous Education course in the Master’s of Education Program

• Developed and taught Indigenous Research Course in the Master's of Education Program

 

 

CREE SCHOOL BOARD, Chisasibi, Quebec                                         2001 – 2011

Education Services

• Project and research coordination

• Language Arts and Social Studies consultation

• Curriculum development and implementation

• Community, youth and elder involvement to increase the cultural relevancy of curriculum developed

• Focus on strategies for literacy development in professional development of teachers and recommendations for schools

• Work closely with teachers to identify their needs and challenges and provide solutions-oriented inservice.

• Develop board-wide student assessments in order to gather valid and reliable data for analysis

• Examine student data, share information and analyze programming to ensure effective and strategic teaching and student evaluations.

• Collaborate with colleagues towards achieving the goals of the strategic plan in line with increased student success.

• Provide best counsel to the board on issues pertaining to education, learning and school success.

• Provide specialized training to meet specific needs to classroom teachers.

 

 

MCGILL UNIVERSITY, Montreal, Quebec                                          Summer 2010

  Instructor, Bachelor of Education Program

• Taught required course in the Bachelor of Education Program

 

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PRIVATE CONSULTANT, Chisasibi, Quebec                                     2000 - 2001

  Writer, A History of Quebec and Canada

• Co-author history textbook from a First Nations perspective for the secondary level

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JAMES BAY EEYOU SCHOOL, Chisasibi, Quebec                            1997 – 2001

  Secondary Teacher

  Taught a variety of subjects at all levels of secondary

·         Secondary Remedial Teacher

·         Secondary 2,3,4,5 Moral and Religious Instruction Teacher

·         Secondary 4/5 History of Quebec and Canada teacher

·         Secondary 1, IPL

·         Generalist: English Language Arts, Math, Geography, Ecology, Moral and Religious Instruction

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