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Are you interested in learning more about the Manitoba Collaborative Indigenous Blueprint or how you can be a part of the important work we do on advancing Indigenous Education? If so, we’d be happy to chat with you and answer any questions you may have.

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

MCIEB Staff

Denise Tardiff

Blueprint Manager
204.599.3136

Denise is a Franco-Métis woman from the Red River Valley who is deeply invested in education being the key to opening doorways. She is committed to promoting inclusivity, diversity and cross-cultural understanding. She has worked collaboratively across Manitoba’s Post-Secondary Institutions to form partnerships with external stakeholders, industry sectors, employers, governments, organizations, and councils on behalf of Manitoba’s Indigenous students to create substantive equality and build a vibrant, prosperous Manitoban landscape for all.

Katie Currie

Program Administrator

Katie Currie (she/they) is the Events and Special Projects Coordinator for the Manitoba Collaborative Indigenous Education Blueprint and assistant to Denise Tardiff. Formerly the Program Administrator for MCIEB, she has been working for the University of Manitoba since 2021. Katie came to MCIEB from Manitoba Industry-Academia Partnership (MI-AP) where she began working on Horizon Ecosystem Map in 2021: https://horizonmap.ca/ . Katie was born and raised on Treaty 1 Territory in Winnipeg. She has predominantly Irish and Scottish as well as English, French and Dutch ancestry. She is dedicated to working in good ways with Indigenous people and continually strives to be an effective ally and accomplice in many intersectional areas. Katie particularly loves the work she gets to do with Elders through the Blueprint Elders Council. She has a passion for yoga, cooking delicious healthy food, spending time with her family, being in nature, and hanging out with her cats.

Nicole LeClair

Communications Coordinator
204.509.6807

Nicole LeClair was raised in Winnipeg on Treaty 1 territory and is Red River Métis ancestry. She is an experienced professional with over 25 years of expertise in advertising, marketing, and communications. She holds diplomas in Public Relations, Marketing, and Management from the University of Winnipeg.

Linda Thorlakson

Research and Special Projects Coordinator
431.844.4511

When Linda lived in Thailand for a year, she taught elementary school. After arriving back in Canada, she freelanced as an educator for various junior high courses. During these years she worked with parents of children with exceptional needs to assist in finding the resources to optimize their learning opportunities. Linda continues a role in education by working as a certified educational assistant with newcomers to Canada to assist in learning English and learning skills fundamental to living in Canada.

With over 12 years as a birth and postpartum doula and as a certified Lamaze instructor. Linda has been able to work alongside new parents to support them in self-advocacy through information and effective communication.

Linda has a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English and a minor in linguistics from the University of Manitoba. Previously she worked at the University of Manitoba on the Horizon Ecosystem Map and as Partnerships and Events Coordinator with MIAP.

Most of Linda’s downtime is spent volunteering at various organizations. Some of her roles have included Volunteer Coordinator for the Western Canadian Fencing Cup, Keycon Website Developer and secretary, and Winnipeg Science Fiction Association member at large.

Steering Committee

Assiniboine Community College

Kris Desjarlais
Director, Indigenous Education
204.725.8700 ext. 6045

Brandon University

Chris Lagimodiere, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Initiatives
204.727.7434

Brandon University

Alison Dubois,
Director, Indigenous Peoples’ Centre

Canadian Mennonite University

Charlie Peronto
Dean of Student Life
204-487-3300 ext. 327

Manitoba Advanced Education and Training

Colleen Kachulak, Assistant Deputy Minister of Advanced Education

Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning

Wanda Spence
Consultant, Indigenous Excellence
204-945-4653

Manitoba Federation of Independent Schools (ex-officio)

Andrew Micklefield
Executive Director, MFIS

Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre

Davin Dumas
Associate Executive Director
204-594-1290 ext. 2068

Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology

Rhonda Klippenstein
Manager, Indigenous initiatives & Community Development
204-989-7353

Manitoba Inuit Association (ex-officio)

204-774-6848

Manitoba Métis Federation (ex-officio)

Miranda Dahlin, Acting Director – Provincial Education

Manitoba School Boards Association

Josh Watt
Executive Director
204-594-5162

Manitoba Teachers’ Society (ex-officio)

Tracy Vanstone, Staff Officer / Cadre Administrative
Professional and French Language Services
204.674.4794

Manitoba Teachers’ Society (ex-officio)

Kelli Wiebe, Staff Officer, Teacher Welfare

Red River College Polytechnic

Eucharia Ogoms, Indigenous Recruitment Consultant

Human Resource Services
204-583-5156

University College of the North

Jackie Fitzpatrick
Associate Vice President, Indigenous Initiatives & Reconciliation

Université de Saint-Boniface

Geneviève Clément, Conseillère séniore, talent, diversité et culture

204-237-1818 ext 318

University of Manitoba

Todd Duhamel, Associate Vice-President (Indigenous) – Research and Academic

University of Winnipeg

Chantal Fiola
Associate Vice President, Indigenous

University of Winnipeg

Colin Russell
Instructor and University Registrar
204-786-9337

Yellowquill University College (ex-officio)

Courtney Penner, Mature Student High School Diploma | Program Coordinator

204-953-2804

dark green, light green, and yellow dots forming a leaf

Signatory Partners

Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre

Manitoba School Boards Association

Red River College Polytechnic

University College of the North