Wendi L. Adair (Ph.D., Northwestern University) is Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Director of the Culture at Work Lab at University of Waterloo, Ontario. Wendi is co-Principal Investigator of Indigenous Workways, a collaborative project among faculty and Indigenous Student Centres in Ontario to develop a sustainable solution to underemployment among Ontario’s Indigenous workforce by empowering Indigenous youth with career mentors and opportunities, and Ontario employers with relational, respectful, reciprocal, and relevant workplace communication and climate practices. Her other current research examines the impact of culture on communication, for example what is said and what is not said, and interdependent work outcomes, such as communication effectiveness, conflict resolution, trust, and team performance. Her work appears in outlets including Journal of Applied Psychology, Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology, and Academy of Management Discoveries. Wendi has served as Associate Editor of Negotiation and Conflict Management Research and President of the International Association for Conflict Management.

Podcast Notes: More information about Indigenous Workways is available at the project website: https://indigenousworkways.org/indigenousworkways.org

Indigenous Workways is supported by funding from the Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council as well as educational, private, and non-profit sponsors. This podcast discusses research from Master’s theses by Chloe Addie and Jaydum Hunt at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The work has been presented at the Annual Meetings of the Canadian Psychological Association, the International Association for Conflict Management, and the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers. We extend sincere thanks and appreciation for our Indigenous team members who provided guidance and support to assure this research was done in a good way and who assisted us with interpreting the data. Migwech.

Jean Becker

Jean Becker is Inuk and a member of the Nunatsiavut Territory of Labrador. A grandmother, Jean has lived in Ontario for forty years and has been involved in grassroots urban Indigenous community building throughout that time in Wellington and Waterloo regions. Jean is currently a member of the Mayor’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Taskforce in Kitchener and a member of the Wellbeing Waterloo Region First Nations, Metis and Inuit Advisory and Advocacy Circle. She is the Associate Vice President, Indigenous Initiatives at the University of Waterloo. Actively involved in Indigenous ceremonies and advocacy work for Indigenous people outside of the academy locally and nationally, Jean is passionate about her work to implement decolonization in the academy.

Lori Campbell

Lori Campbell is a 2-Spirit nēhiyaw āpihtākosisān iskwew from Treaty 6 territory in kīwētinohk kisiskāciwan. Lori is an intergenerational survivor of the Indian Residential School system and a child from the Sixties Scoop generation. She is proud to say that over the last 25 years she has managed to locate and contact not only her birth mom, but all 6 of her living siblings – scattered across three provinces in what is currently known as Canada. Her life experiences have contributed not only to her understanding of Indigenous issues, but also to her passion for education. Lori holds two undergraduate degrees (Indigenous Studies and Psychology), a master’s degree in Adult Education and is currently working toward a PhD in Social Justice Education through the University of Toronto. At the time of data collection, Lori helds the position of Director, Shatitsirótha’ Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre and looked after the Indigenous Studies academic programming at St. Paul's University College. Today Lori is Associate Vice President, Indigenous Engagement, at University of Regina.

Melissa Ireland

Melissa Ireland is a member of Curve Lake First Nation. At the time of data collection, Melissa was the Director of Indigenous Initiatives at Wilfrid Laurier University. Melissa currently oversees Indigenous student services and program at Laurier’s Waterloo and Brantford campuses. Melissa is also a proud Laurier and University of Waterloo alumna in the field of social work. After working many years integrating Indigenous ways of seeing, being, doing and knowing within university systems, Melissa moved to Qualia Counselling where she is engaged in Indigenous Relations and Outreach. 

Kimberly Mitchell

Kimberly Mitchell is from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and is a member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation.  Kimberly holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador and the University of Waterloo.  Indigenous culture and experience has been an interest for Kim since she was very young.  Kim has a particular interest in ensuring employment equity for all Indigenous people.  Kim currently resides in Southwestern Ontario.