Kara Thorvaldson

Kara Dawn Thorvaldson (she/her) represents the FLINTHUB at United College as the Manager of Indigenous Entrepreneurship (INDENT), empowering Indigenous learners and innovators to pursue their passions through curated educational programs and community connections. She is an Indigenous woman from Treaty 1 territory (MB), with family roots within Sagkeeng First Nation and the Red River Métis, but now lives as a guest on the traditional lands of the peoples of Treaty 7 (AB). Kara graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) from the I.H. Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba, where she pursued a double major in Marketing and International Business. She was fortunate to spend a year of her degree studying at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Previous to her current role, Kara worked as a Program Manager at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Diversity Institute, co-leading the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub Program across the province of Alberta. She also contributed to the WEKH Project as the National Program Coordinator at WEKH’s Indigenous Hub - Mikwam Makwa Ikwe. In these roles, Kara supported various research and innovation projects, and co-created programming alongside regional, national, and international organizations working to enhance opportunities and support for diverse entrepreneurs and innovators. Kara is dedicated to strengthening the current ecosystems and building networks that give entrepreneurs the resources they need to succeed, however they choose to define success. Kara takes great pride in her personal roles as a daughter, sister, friend, auntie, partner, and a provider for her rescue pup, Smokie.