The following excerpt is from the June 9, 2020 Carleton News Release. The full release, entitled “Carleton Enhances EDI and Indigenous Leadership“, which includes details on the other two new appointments, can be found online.
History alumna and contract instructor, Benny Michaud, has been appointed to the new role of Director, Centre for Indigenous Initiatives. This new role will fulfill the twenty-third Call to Action outlined in Kinàmàgawin, which calls for structural changes aimed at consolidating all Indigenous initiatives. The new Centre will operate under the portfolio of the Provost.
Michaud is a two-spirit eagle clan Michif person who has dedicated much of her career to supporting the academic, cultural and spiritual needs of Indigenous youth in both the mental health and education sectors. She is currently the Assistant Director of Equity and Inclusive Communities (Responsible for the Centre for Indigenous Initiatives). Since joining Carleton in 2016, she has expanded supports for Indigenous students and has made significant contributions to Indigenous initiatives at Carleton, including co-chairing CUSIIC and the Indigenous Education Council.
In 2019, she and her team hosted the inaugural Kinàmàgawin Symposium, which created an opportunity for students, staff and faculty to learn about Indigenous pedagogies from Indigenous faculty and further reconciliation dialogue on campus.
Michaud holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in History and a minor in Indigenous Studies from Carleton, a Bachelor of Education from the Indigenous Teacher Education Program at Queen’s University, and a Master of Arts in Canadian and Indigenous Studies from Trent University. She also currently teaches for the Department of History as a contract instructor.