Circle Series

The workshops that make up the Circle Series are intended for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who identify as First Nations, Metis, Inuit or have Indigenous heritage. They are hosted in partnership with Supporting Aboriginal Graduate Enhancement (SAGE) and the Indigenous Graduate Student Association (IGSA) and are facilitated by an Indigenous Elder. Through these workshops, participants will be introduced to aspects of Indigenous knowledge and land-based learning in the hopes of building deeper connections to the land, tradition and spiritual selves. This will be an opportunity to ask questions, listen to experiences, share knowledge and build community.

Circle Series: Sacred Balance

(1.5 Hours PD credit) Online Workshop
Dec. 10, 2024 | 1:00-3:00 p.m. MST | Online via Zoom

Overview

Wellness. Balance. Wholeness. In keeping with the theme of the Circle series, this session will explore the connection to land, community, and self. How do people find balance by interweaving traditional knowledge with an academic life? How can the pressures of the workplace be diffused for a healthier space? Elder Karen MacKenzie will lead an exploration of these questions.

Presenter

Karen MacKenzie, MBA, BSc. is a proud Cree-Métis woman. She is the Co-Founder and President of MacKintosh Canada, an Indigenous owned, international consulting company and PeopleBest Canada, an artificial intelligence company that is a revolutionary, simple, and powerful way to look at what makes success happen inside people, teams, and organizations by providing the data, analytics and metrics. Business ownership along with academic leadership and senior management positions has led Karen to this important crossroads in our collective societies where co-creation of the future is both important and enabling. Authentic co-creation reflects true diversity and inclusion where all voices have space to be heard in an open, respectful manner. This changing world requires transformational leadership that creates sustainability values and benefits that are shared by all.

Karen brings her traditional knowledge of Indigenous ways into the contemporary workplace as this wisdom and way of being reflect "wise practices of purpose driven individuals, communities and organizations". She is committed to the "Calls to Action" from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is an advocate for the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). This approach supports the co-creation of a healthy and safe workplace that is inclusive, engaging, and respectful of the land, culture, and aspirations of all but particularly Indigenous peoples. Karen was recently appointed as an "Expert Panel" member for the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation ( https://navltd.com/ccpc/#panelists) and as a Senior Advisor to Navigator ( https://navltd.com/).

Karen is honoured to be part of the Elder in Residence Program for Indigenous Services Canada. She sits with the Circle of Elders for Edmonton Catholic Schools, heralded as a wise practice across Canada enabling greater success rates for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis learners. In addition, Karen sits with the Circle of Matriarchs for the City of Edmonton. She is a former member of the Community Safety and Well-Being Task Force for the City of Edmonton and is also a past member of the Edmonton Police Commission. She is a past board member of "Honouring Indigenous Peoples" a national Rotary initiative. Karen is a Senior Advisor and mentor to the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership, Coady Institute, St. Francis Xavier University and was recently appointed as one of two members for Alberta to the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments. Most recently, she was recognized as an Albertan SHEInnovates leader under the Global Innovation Coalition for Change (GICC). The GICC is a dynamic partnership between United Nations Women and key representatives from the private sector, academia and nonprofit institutions focused on developing the innovation market to work better for women and to accelerate the achievement of gender equality and women's empowerment.