Indigenous Advisory Circle

Michael Bechard is a priest of the Diocese of London and, for over two decades, taught and served as Chaplain at King's University College at Western University.  He is the founder and executive director of Northern Bridge Community Partnership (NBCP), an organization that seeks to build bridges of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

As part of the first cohort of students to participate in Northern Bridge Community Partnerships experiential learning trips, Teresa was motivated to form her future social work practice around Indigenous Peoples and their healing. After working for several years in mental health and addictions and later completing her Master of Social Work, Teresa was hired as Northern Bridge’s Systems and Services Coordinator, providing counselling and psychotherapy to Indigenous Peoples in Canada’s north as well as providing clinical supervision to social work students in both the undergraduate and graduate level, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. In addition to this, she teaches in Fanshawe College’s Addictions and Mental Health program and supervises several of these students in their placements. At home in Treaty 6 Territory, Teresa enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her family.

Alicia is a proud Métis, and she traces her ancestry to the historic homelands of Red River, Manitoba, and Pembina, North Dakota. She grew up in Waterloo and did not discover her Métis ancestry until she was a teenager. It has been such a wonderful experience for her, learning about the history of her Great-Grandmother’s family and learning and teaching Métis culture and history to the next generation. Alicia currently works in education and is in the process of achieving her Diploma of Clinical Therapeutic Herbalism, learning the plant wisdom of her ancestors.

Michael has worked in product development and operations for over 25 years as a lead developer or in an operations supporting role. In recent years, he has actively participated in various Indigenous initiatives to promote inclusivity and cultural awareness. Michael has served as the Indigenous advisor to the Dean of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo and as the product evaluation advisor for an Indigenous cultural awareness online course called 4 Seasons of Reconciliation. He continues to participate in the STEM community of practice on Indigenization at the University of Waterloo. Additionally, Michael has served on the board of directors of Anishinaabeg Outreach and is now honoured to be a member of the St. Jerome's University Indigenous Advisory Circle.

Jennifer is Mohawk from the Six Nations Reserve in Brantford. Due to intergenerational trauma, she did not grow up on the reserve. In her current role as Indigenous and Equity Consultant for the Waterloo Catholic District School, she learned more about her Indigenous heritage and began to share it with teachers and students. Jennifer is an avid traveller and enjoys experiencing cultures from around the world.

Tammy is Anishnabe Kwe of the Kitigan Zibi Algonquin First Nation. She is currently seconded as director, Equity for Let's Talk Science and was the previous Indigenous Education & Equity consultant in the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. Tammy deepens understanding in Indigenous ways of knowing and being and leads systemic changes within educational structures. Tammy has her Master of Arts in Education from York University, Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario, Bachelor of Arts in Leisure and Recreation Studies with Business Option from the University of Waterloo, and Bachelor of General Science from the University of Waterloo.