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Dr. Michael Anthony Hart is the vice-provost (Indigenous engagement) at the University of Calgary.
He is a citizen of Fisher River Cree Nation. As a father of two teenage boys who are exploring the world and figuring out how to reach their dreams, he sees the need for and is deeply committed to, creating greater opportunities for Indigenous people. While he spent much time on reserve with his grandparents and extended family, he was raised in Winnipeg at a time when the population of Indigenous peoples was small and stereotypes of the people were numerous.
He personally understands the challenges that come with such a context, but also knows and supports the resurgence of Indigenous ways of being and knowing. His life’s work has focused on providing support and direction to his sons, creating space for people to reach their dreams and deepening his understandings of Indigenous ways of life in today’s context.
Michael has been supported throughout his life journey with the guidance of Elders from various nations and has spent several decades learning about his own peoples' traditional values, beliefs and practices.
Since 2012, Dr. Hart has held a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Knowledges and Social Work through the University of Manitoba. He has also held the role of acting director of the Master of Social Work in Indigenous Knowledges program at the University of Manitoba.
For the past 17 years, he has been a board member for the Aboriginal Social Workers’ Society in Manitoba and was a founding committee member. His work has spanned across Canada, including Manitoba, Quebec and Yukon.
Hart holds a BSW, MSW and PhD in Social Work from the University of Manitoba, as well as a BA in Psychology from the University of Manitoba.
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Dr. Marlyn Bennett (WaaWaaTe Ikwe | Northern Lights Woman) is an Associate Professor in Social Work and Education at the University of Calgary and a citizen member of the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation (Manitoba). She holds a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Children’s Wellbeing and has dedicated over two decades to advancing Indigenous child welfare and fostering culturally safe practices. Grounded in Indigenous qualitative research methodologies, including narrative inquiry, arts-based research, and digital storytelling, Dr. Bennett works closely with Elders, scholars, young people, and communities to support stories of wellbeing, advancing reconciliation and creating spaces for Indigenous voices. Her research goal is to contribute to meaningful change through collaboration and respect for diverse ways of knowing.
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Dr. Sulyn Bodnaresko is an adult educator working in the areas of Indigenous education and anti-oppression. Using she/her pronouns, she is a second- and fourth-generation settler with ancestral lineage from China and Romania. She brings lived experience as a racialized critical scholar to her role as the Indigenous Accelerator Program Manager within One Child Every Child. There, she works to create ethical spaces for Indigenous and settler researchers to engage for children’s health and wellness. In addition to being a runner, quilter, and mother, she is a helper who believes in transformative education and the healing power of relationships.
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Prof Dr Mbazima Simeon Mathebane is Head of Graduate Studies or Higher degrees at the College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa (UNISA). He also supervises postgraduate students. He previously chaired the Departmental Scientific Research Committee. His research interests include African indigenous knowledge systems, Afrocentrism and decoloniality. He obtained his B.A. and M.A. in Social Work from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and PhD from UNISA. He is a recipient of the Association of South African Social Work Education Institutions (ASASWEI)’s 2017 Social Work Up-and-Coming Educator of the Year Award. He previously served the Executive Committee of ASASWEI as Treasurer. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Indigenous Social Development (JISD) as well as the Journal of Environment and Social Psychology. He serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk and a reviewer for several local and international journals. His latest book chapter on: Decoloniality as total disentanglement with modern capitalist and neo-liberal complex: social work perspective is written from the vintage point of being an indigenous South African and his lived experiences of coloniality and apartheid in South Africa. His upbringing in a traditional Shangaan nation shaped his professional character and interest in indigeneity. Part of his research interest is the use of traditional art and music as sources of Afrocentric social work theory and practice models.
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Terri Cardinal (she/her) is nêhiyaw and a citizen of Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 Territory. She is a mother to three girls and daughter to Joe & Leona Cardinal. Terri serves as the Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Initiatives and Engagement at MacEwan University. With a clinical MSW from the University of Calgary, she is a PhD candidate in Social Work. She has worked in leadership for over 14 years with First Nations communities and in post-secondary. Terri co-hosts and co-created the podcast "2 Crees in a Pod," which amplifies and honors Indigenous voices. She is an active member of several councils and committees, advocating and supporting Indigenous knowledge initiatives.
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Dr. Vince Okada is an associate professor of social work and the BSW program chair at Hawaiʻi Pacific University. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and an MPPM in International Public Policy and Management from the University of Southern California. He was also a fellow in the Asia-Pacific Leadership Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu.
A native of Tokyo, Japan, Dr. Okada’s research and community work focus on Indigenous communities, particularly youth exchanges and education between Japan’s Ainu and Native Hawaiians. He supports the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s Hōkūleʻa and coordinates youth exchange programs in both Hawaiʻi and Japan.
Through his leadership and partnerships, Dr. Okada promotes culturally responsive education, cross-cultural collaboration, and the empowerment of Indigenous youth. He is also a co-founder of the League of Japan Social Work, which offers global professional development opportunities for social workers from Japan, and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Indigenous Social Development.
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Dr. Gladys Rowe (MSW) is Swampy Cree from Fox Lake Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba who also has family from Ireland, England, Norway, and Ukraine. Gladys is a scholar, filmmaker, poet, author, facilitator, researcher, and evaluator. Her work focuses on fostering decolonization and Indigenous resurgence at individual, organizational, community, and systems levels. She is the host of Indigenous Insights: An Evaluation Podcast. Gladys has collaborated on many projects including the animated film, “When we say evaluation, it isn’t the same thing”, the “Stories of Decolonization” Film Project and the book, Living in Indigenous Sovereignty.
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