The Indigenous Speakers Series is proud to present Ava Hill, former chief of the largest First Nation in Canada, the community of Six Nations of the Grand River. PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT IS CANCELLED.
Born on the Six Nations Reserve, Ava Hill is a Mohawk, Wolf Clan. She served for 15 years as a member of Six Nations Elected Council, the last six as Chief until November 2019, when she did not seek re-election in the Six Nations General Election.
Ava has extensive experience working with First Nations and Indigenous organizations locally and nationally. She served as the Executive Director of the Chiefs of Ontario Office, the Executive Assistant to the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, and the Executive Assistant to the Co-Chair of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.
She has been active on international files, attending the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for the past few years. She also participated in the Global Preparatory Meeting in Norway, in preparation for the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples that was held in New York City in 2014.
Ava is currently a member of the Indigenous Engagement Council to the Ontario Provincial Police, Board of Governors at the University of Waterloo and a Board member of the National Consortium for Indigenous Economic Development with the University of Victoria.
The Indigenous Speakers Series is co-presented by the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre, the Faculty of Arts, the Department of History, and the Department of Communication Arts. The Series highlights the voices of Indigenous artists, writers, activists, and leaders from across Turtle Island, offering UWaterloo students, faculty and staff opportunities to learn from, understand, and engage with Indigenous issues.