Meet the Circle

Indigenous Consultants

Elder Marie

Consultant, Indigenous Traditional Knowledge

Marie Stella Kryszko, a proud Traditional Mi’kmaq Knowledge Keeper and half Hungarian from Pabineau First Nation, Northern New Brunswick, resides on Mi’kmaq traditional unceded territory. In 1963 Marie’s mother was forced to sign a “Certificate of Enfranchisement” which removed her “Indian” rights. She empowered Marie to make and seen changes in her generation to advocate for Indigenous rights. Marie cherishes her heritage, drawing strength from her mother’s resilience in the face of discriminatory policies. Marie is a strong Mi’kmaq woman, instilled with a passion for cultural preservation. Holding degrees in French and Aboriginal studies, she boasts 25 years of experience in Indigenous knowledge, ceremonies, and cultural education. Marie is a facilitator and educator, promoting cultural sensitivity through workshops, presentations, and various activities like crafting, drumming, and dancing. She emphasizes the importance of cultural awareness for a balanced and vibrant identity.

Alexia

President, Senior Consultant, Indigenous Mental Health & Wellness, Director

Alexia is a Mi’kmaw woman with ancestral ties to Listuguj. She lives on the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin people, colonially known as “ottawa”. She has worked in community for 10 years and is passionate about continuing to advocate for systemic change for equity deserving groups across Turtle Island. Alexia is considered an Auntie by many youth in her community and is honoured to get to travel and become an Auntie for other Indigenous youth. Alexia has just completed her Masters in Counselling and is passionate about serving Indigenous community throughout her career. She works actively at Indigenizing counselling practice as well as mental health knowledge and understanding. Alexia is motivated by the seven generations teaching and understands that every thing she does in her lifetime will continue to impact those seven generations from her, with this she walks carefully through life, practicing teachings of humility, bravery and truth as she advocates for equity for Indigenous folks and aims to always be known as a Helper.

Grandmother Louella

Consultant, Indigenous Traditional Knowledge

Louella Tobias is a Cultural Grandmother and Keeper. She comes to us from Moraviantown First Nations, and is a Delaware Anishnawbe kwe. Louella has 3 children and 7 grandchildren and one great grandson. As a healer Louella has 3rd Degree Midewin training from the lodge in Wikwemikong. Louella has been working in community on the Algonquin Unceded Unsurrendered Territory for many years and brings with her a cultural awareness and understanding of barriers and challenges within community and has the Traditional Knowledge to continue to move their healing journey along in a good way. The four sacred medicines are used in everyday life and in ceremonies. This is one of the Sacred Teachings that Grandmother Louella shares. These medicines impact community Spiritually, Mentally, Emotionally and Physically and Louella support community in the understanding of this balance.

Victoria

Senior Consultant, Indigenous Rights and Justice, Director

Victoria, a bright and driven undergraduate student at the University of Ottawa, is deeply engrossed in the realm of Feminist and Gender studies. This academic venture is not a detached scholarly pursuit for her; rather, it’s profoundly informed and enriched by her own experiences as a disabled, proud Mi’kmaw woman. Victoria’s unique background and identity have significantly contributed to her unwavering passion for social justice, abolition, and the transformative power of joy as a form of resistance. At the heart of Victoria’s advocacy is her fervent belief in the need to abolish oppressive systems. She tirelessly dedicates her energy to breaking down these systems, firmly believing in a future free from the shackles of inequality and discrimination. Parallel to this belief is her profound understanding of joy’s immense potential as a tool of resistance. Victoria perceives joy not only as a personal or communal emotion but as a radical force challenging an oppressive world. For her, joy is an act of defiance, a powerful assertion of humanity in the face of adversity.

edward

Consultant Land-Based Wellness and Education

My name is Edward Paibomsai. I am Ojibway from Whitefish River First Nation which is located near Manitoulin Island. I have 3 diplomas from post secondary school in recreation therapy, fitness and health promotion and social service work. These diplomas represent my commitment to bettering myself and, in turn, bettering the lives of those around me. The first in recreation therapy, emphasizing the importance of holistic well-being and the power of recreation in healing. The second, in fitness and health promotion, delving into the intricacies of physical health and wellness. The third, in social service work, equipping me with the understanding and tools to advocate for and support individuals and families in need. I worked at Wabano Centre for 3 years as a health promoter and team lead for health promotion. I worked at Native Women’s Association of Canada as the Indigenous skills and employment training partnership coordinator. Recently I have moved back to my community to work as a family services worker.

Marlene

Senior Consultant, Indigenous Traditional Knowledge, Director

Born and raised in and around the Metis community of Buffalo Narrows, Sask. In the Treaty 10 territory. (Niska, Whitefish, Old Lady’s Point). Raised by my Cree/Irish mother from treaty 6 and my Dene/Metis Father from Treaty 10. Lived on the land with my Dene/Metis extended family great grandparents, grandparents, uncles, aunties, and cousins, commercial fishing, hunting, snaring, trapping, gardening, gathering and seasonal jobs. We did not have electricity until I was around age 7 or sewer and water until I was 14. As a young child our clothing was general homemade and minimal sets. Went to public school from k-12 in Buffalo Narrows, Sask. Graduated from Nortep 1984 Standard A Certificate, 1989 B.Ed from the University of Saskatchewan, 2002 Master of Liberal Arts, San Diego State University, and Doctoral Studies in Indigenous Knowledge from University Blue Quills. Have be a teacher, instructor, administrator, team lead, curriculum developer and currently a Community Education & Language Technician. An advocate for reviving Indigenous World View! (Kinship, Matriarchy, MMIW/M) guest speaker, shares teachings (moon ceremony, tipi teachings etc.), mentor, facilitator, creator and is continually learning about indigenous world view and honouring Mother Earth.

Mindy

Senior Consultant, Indigenous Community Development and Health, Director

Mindy Smith is a Mi’kmaw woman living on Algonquin territory. She began her professional career in the federal government working in public health for upwards of twenty years. In this time Mindy made impacts in the control and management of infectious disease rates within inmate populations, was pulled from her various teams to provide her expertise in the Emergency Operations Centre in times of public health crisis and spent the later years of her career in the Northern Unit of the Public Health Agency where she managed the deliver of programs and funding to northern communities for food, health care and identified inequities. Mindy comes to us from the Native Women’s Association of Canada, her contributions as the Director of Health integrate traditional healing in health care and work at combating medical racism towards Indigenous peoples. In her spare time Mindy loves to travel and connect with land, seeing and learning as much as she can across Turtle Island and the rest of the world. Mindy brings a unique combination of over twenty years in strategic policy insight as well as Indigenous engagement making her an asset to this team.

Lydia

Consultant Indigenous Histories and Truths

Lydia is a member of the LGBTQ+ community residing within the bounds of traditional Algonquin territory, with a deep ancestral connection to the Moose Cree people of Moose Factory, Treaty 9. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in Anthropology from the University of Ottawa, a program where she honed her dedication to the preservation of cultural and heritage resources. Committed to advancing her expertise, Lydia is pursuing additional education at Algonquin College, specializing in Applied Museum Studies. Her academic focus centers on the conservation of material culture, reflecting her unwavering commitment to safeguarding our shared cultural heritage. Beyond her academic pursuits, Lydia works as a Genealogy Consultant, guiding individuals on a journey to discovering their heritage and the rich narratives of their ancestors. Her passion for lifelong learning and the deliberate process of unlearning ingrained biases is evident in her approach to both personal and professional growth. She thrives in environments that prioritize knowledge acquisition and the cultivation of a more inclusive and informed society.

Solidarity Consultants

Letitia

Solidarity Consultant, Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

With familial and historical roots in the Cherokee and African American experiences in North America, Letitia identifies with racialized and Indigenous communities who are seeking increasing equity and balance in racially literate and life-affirming relationships, durable social institutions, and sustainable environments. Now living as an immigrant settler on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin people, she has traveled to and lived in 6 countries and a Caribbean Island, growing in cross-cultural competency. She values and promotes service oriented, practical, and accountable public institutions, having served in local government and public bodies in the U.S. and Canada, as well as the World Health Organization’s Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Letitia brings experience and discernment to organizational analysis and strategic change management planning. In addition, she has honed her oral and written communication skills, combined those with emotional intelligence and a growth mindset, in order to achieve objectives in the personal and professional arenas. Letitia has learned to effectively advocate for systemic changes and has led working groups to evaluate and reform policies and practices in small and large organizations. Her philosophy and approach to pursuing racial equity, inclusion and belonging is influenced by Professor Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, who identifies in her scholarly work the necessary underlying foundations of racial literacy. They include familiarity with unconscious bias and unintentional racism, microaggressions, and structural racism. Racial literacy is most durably grounded and evolved by developing critical love for and critical humility towards communities we serve, applying a lens of self-reflection to how our positions and privilege affect equity work, deepening our historical literacy and excavation of ourselves, and pursuing relentless but focused interruption of the foundations of discrimination. Letitia is animated by a life-long love of learning and is passionate about sharing transformational knowledge and experiences by co-creating vibrant learning tools and environments involving story-telling that engage and motivate fellow learners.

Hp

Solidarity Consultant, 2SLGBTQIA+ Advocacy and Policy

Greetings friends! My name is Holly or HP. I am currently situated on the traditional and unsurrendered Algonquin Territory. I currently work in policy and advocacy and my educational background is in social service and sociology. I am passionate about 2SLGBTQQIA+ advocacy and community and hope to spread the unique knowledge that comes from this. My passions include therapeutic art-based and land-based activities, reading and DIY projects. I’m always up for learning something new!

Joey

Solidarity Consultant, Equitable and Inclusive Education

Joey Persaud is a racialized-settler man living on unceded Algonquin Territory here in Ottawa. Joey is a Registered Early Childhood Educator, and has worked in the Early Learning and Education field since 2014. Joey has worked both in childcare centres, and as well, for the public school board both in the role of an RECE, and a long-term occasional teacher with kindergarten, primary, and junior students. Joey thrives to create equitable and inclusive learning environments and classroom communities. With all his students, Joey tries to infuse Indigenous perspectives, ways of knowing, and authentic learning experiences through building partnerships Indigenous community partners, and providing culturally-appropriate resources and activities. Joey considers himself a lifelong learner, and is also passionate about providing the same level of Indigenized, inclusive learning opportunities to his colleagues as well as his students. He is currently the Student Support Professionals’ Education Services Officer with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (District 25). In this role, Joey organizes and prepares professional development activities for 2,000 Educational Assistants and Early Childhood Educators within his school board. He strives to provide high quality, meaningful professional development activities, with an equitable, inclusive, and diverse lens, which also lends a space for Black, Indigenous, and racialized voices. Joey is currently finishing his Bachelor of Early Childhood Education with the University of New Brunswick. In his spare time, he likes to spend time working with the Ojibwe Spirit Horses at his part-time job at Madahoki Farm / Indigenous Experiences, watching his favourite shows, cooking and eating food, taking care of his many plants, and his pet chickens.