CINSA 2020 KEYNOTE AND GUEST SPEAKERS February 18, 2020

Chief Emily Whetung Chief of Curve Lake First Nation Chief Emily Whetung grew up in Curve Lake and left only to pursue a higher education at Trent University and Osgoode Hall Law School. She married a Mohawk from Wahta and convinced him to build a life here on the Chemong side of Curve Lake. She returned to Curve Lake 8 years ago when she secured a position to practice Real Estate Law in Peterborough and started to work on the next generation of Whetungs, raising two lovely little boys ages 3 and 5.

Lorenzo and Jodi Whetung are her parents. Murray Whetung is Lorenzo’s father and Daniel Whetung was Murray’s father. Always proud to be an Anishnaabe Kwe from Curve Lake, Emily looks forward to leading our Community in the coming years. Her door is always open, but O’Gimaa is a busy job and you might want to make an appointment, so you don’t have to wait! February 19, 2020

Sylvia Maracle Executive Director of the Ontario Federation of

Indigenous Friendship Centres Sylvia Maracle is a Mohawk from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Maracle has worked in all levels of education throughout her 41 years as Executive Director of the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres. Maracle has been the founding chair of the original Ontario Aboriginal Education Council, dealing with post- secondary institutions. Maracle was founding member of the Trent University Indigenous PhD program. Maracle holds Doctor of Laws Degrees from the University of Guelph; York University; Trent University and Queen’s University.

Mayor Diane Therrien Mayor of the City of Peterborough

Diane completed her undergrad degree at McMaster University in Hamilton before moving to Peterborough to complete her Master’s Degree in Canadian and Indigenous Studies at Trent University.

She has experience in the private, public, and non-profit sectors, and has worked for the former Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, the Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network, and Trent University.

Diane was elected to city council in 2014, and in 2018 was elected mayor of Peterborough.

Christopher Sheppard President of the National Association of

Friendship Centres Christopher Sheppard is Inuk, a beneficiary of the Nunatsiavut Government born in Happy Valley Goose Bay and raised in the northern Inuit community of Postville, Nunatsiavut.

In 2004 he made the move from Postville to St. John’s, NL, where he became actively involved in the urban Indigenous community. His long-standing commitment to community service has included representing urban Indigenous youth in the Atlantic region; working in various roles at the First Light St. John’s Friendship Centre in St. John’s, NL; serving as a Commissioner to the Human Rights Commission of Newfoundland and Labrador and being elected to the Youth Executive of the National Association of Friendship Centres’ (NAFC) for the first time in 2008.

In 2016, he was re-elected Vice-President of the NAFC for a second term which was followed by his election as President in 2017. Chris recently made the move from St. John’s, NL to Saskatoon, Sk with his husband Jacob where he is the Program Director for the Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan (AFCS).

Jocelyn Formsma Executive Director of The National Association of

Friendship Centres Jocelyn Formsma is the Executive Director of the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC). Ms. Formsma is a member of the Moose Cree First Nation in Northern Ontario. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Ottawa. Ms. Formsma has over 15 years of work and volunteer experience building strong relationships and advocacy on behalf of Indigenous peoples. She is called to the Bar of Ontario and has worked as a lawyer for a First Nations owned law firm. Prior to this, she worked for numerous national Aboriginal organizations and First Nations organizations. In addition, Ms. Formsma serves as the Chairperson of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Board Member of the National Indian Child Welfare Association, Founder of the Morningstar Fund and is an Advisor to the Ontario Indigenous Youth Partnership Project. As Executive Director, Ms. Formsma brings her legal training and passion for Access to Justice to her work with Indigenous peoples in urban environments and the Friendship Centre Movement towards innovative, positive and effective systemic change for Indigenous peoples. February 20, 2020

David Roy Newhouse

Professor and Chair of Indigenous Studies, Trent University David Newhouse is Onondaga from the Six Nations of the Grand River community near Brantford, Ontario. He is Professor of Indigenous Studies at Trent University in the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies and Professor of Business Administration in the School of Business Administration. He has been Chair of the Department of Indigenous Studies, now the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies, since 1993.

His research interests focus on the emergence of modern Indigenous society, focusing on emerging Indigenous communities. He also teaches 1600 students per year in two first year courses in Indigenous Studies.

He was awarded the Trent University Teaching Award for Educational Leadership and Innovation in 2016. Locally, he served on the board of directors for the Nogojawong Friendship Centre in Peterborough and is the Co-Chair of the Trent Indigenous Education Council. He is the Co-chair of the SSHRC Indigenous Advisory Circle and the Science Officer for the CIHR Indigenous Peoples Health Research competitions.

February 21, 2020

Drew Hayden Taylor

Award-Winning Playwright, Author, Columnist, Film Maker and Lecturer During the last thirty years of his career, Drew Hayden Taylor has done many things, most of which he is proud of. An Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nations in Ontario, he has worn many hats in his literary career, from performing stand-up comedy at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., to being Artistic Director of Canada’s premiere Native theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts. He has been an award-winning playwright, a journalist/columnist (appearing regularly in several Canadian newspapers and magazines), short-story writer, novelist, television scriptwriter, and has worked on numerous documentaries exploring the Native experience. Most notably as a filmmaker, he wrote and directed REDSKINS, TRICKSTERS AND PUPPY STEW, a documentary on Native humour for the National Film Board of Canada, and for CBC, co-created SEARCHING FOR WINNITOU, an exploration of Germany’s fascination with North American Indigenous culture.