Jeannette is northern Cree originally from the Lesser Slave Lake area and has lived experience in rural communities and urban centres in Alberta. She earned her PhD in Indigenous Peoples Education in the Department of Educational Policy Studies, University of Alberta, as well as seven years of employment on campus. Her previous career in the public sector in Indigenous program funding and service delivery, based in Calgary, Edmonton and later in Ottawa, allowed her to work with various First Nations and Metis communities spanning Treaty 6, 7 and 8 regions of Alberta.

She is grateful to have engaged with Indigenous research frameworks, learning from of Traditional Knowledge keepers and Indigenous scholars to deepen her understanding of Indigenous worldviews and Indigenous ways of knowing, enriching her academic journey and cultural knowledge base. She has a deep respect for Indigenous knowledge and culture, including her ancestral roots, and maintains ongoing connections to Traditional Knowledge holders for the health and wellbeing of her people.

She is hopeful that this foundation will be a vehicle to help alleviate the devastating impacts of addiction that wreaks havoc on our people.