Lori is a 2-Spirited Cree-Metis with family roots at Montreal Lake First Nation, Treaty 6 territory in northern Saskatchewan. She is an intergenerational survivor of the Indian Residential School system and a child from the Sixties Scoop generation. Over a span of 25 years she managed to locate and contact not only her birth mom, but all 6 of her living siblings who were scattered across several provinces. Lori has made it her career advocating for social justice and working towards a more equitable society for all. She started out working with at-risk youth, later in the area of Indigenous public housing, and then became a victim services resource officer before moving into post-secondary. Most recently, she was a federal candidate in the 2019 election.

Now, with over 13 years of progressive leadership with contributions in student services, academics, research and administration, Lori is an experienced leader in education with a proven track record particularly in advancing processes of Indigenization, reconciliation, and decolonization and speaks nationally and internationally on these topics. Lori holds two undergraduate degrees (Indigenous Studies and Psychology), a master’s degree in Adult Education and is working towards a PhD in Social Justice Education. She currently holds the position of Director, Shatitsirótha’ Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre and oversees the Indigenous Studies academic program at St. Paul’s University College.