Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre Welcomes New Executive Director

As you are all aware, our Executive Director position has been vacant for the past 9 months. Following a lengthy and careful recruitment process, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre’s Board of Directors has selected a suitable candidate who will be joining our organization in the upcoming weeks.

At this time, we would like to officially announce that as of Monday, September 22nd, 2014, Diane M. Kelly will be joining our team as Executive Director.

Diane is a strong First Nations Woman who comes to us from the Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation in Ontario. She is an experienced leader, visionary and strongly committed to empowering decision making through Traditional Governance. Diane inherently believes that forging strong alliances can be achieved by working together. Diane graduated from the Assiniboine Community College in Brandon in 1988 and later graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree major in political science. She earned her law degree in 1995 and was admitted to the Manitoba and Ontario law societies in 1995, and 1998, respectively and becoming the first Anishinaabe woman lawyer in the Treaty #3 Nation.

Diane has extensive experience in all aspects of child welfare, First Nations governance, board training, land claims research and development, treaty negotiations, education policies. Diane specializes in facilitating conflict resolution through creative strategies and empowerment. She has taught at the University of Manitoba and Yellowquill College.

Diane believes her strength as a leader is guided by her strong traditional values and her genuine belief in the inherent strength of all Indigenous people.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, we thank our staff for their patience and persistence in carrying on the good work of Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre during the course of the vacancy. We are extremely grateful to Margaret MacKinnon for the incredible job she has done in fulfilling the role of Acting Executive Director.

We look forward to Diane’s arrival and the continuation of great work by our dedicated team of staff here at Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre.

Miigwech.

Sincerely,

Jade Harper, Chairperson
and Board of Directors
Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre Inc.