Meet the Office of Indigenous Initiatives Team

Meet the team behind the Office of Indigenous Initiatives at Wilfrid Laurier University, who work to Indigenize the university and support Indigenous student success.

Darren Thomas (He/Him)

Associate Vice-President: Indigenous Initiatives

My key responsibility in this role is to strengthen, expand and advance Laurier’s priorities and goals for excellence in Indigeneity. I provide strategic advice, support and expertise to academic and administrative units across the institution to achieve Indigeneity goals and help create an environment of cultural safety for Indigenous faculty, staff, students and visitors.

My current area of focus involves integrating Indigenous knowledges and practices at Laurier and developing an institution-wide Indigenization strategy with an Indigenous Strategic Plan.

I look forward to representing and supporting Indigenous and allied students, staff and faculty in our collective efforts to ensure a safe, respectful and honourable environment for us all to work and learn together.

Emily Daniel (She/Her)

Director, Office of Indigenous Initiatives

In my role as Director, I work closely with the Associate Vice President: Indigenous Initiatives to support the implementation of Laurier’s Indigenous Strategic plan to advance Indigenization, Reconciliation, and Decolonization across all campuses.

My work intersects with a broad range of institutional areas—such as faculty and staff engagement, community-based partnerships, and educational programming. I support the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and Indigenous Student Services teams as we aim to work collaboratively with campus and community partners find pathways for change and to create more inclusive supports for the Indigenous community at Laurier.

My vision for this role is to strengthen relationships and collaboration across the university. This includes campus wide support for wholistic Indigenous student services, developing strategic partnerships, and finding opportunities for policy and process change to reduce barriers for Indigenous students, staff, faculty, and community members.

Kawennakon Bonnie Whitlow (She/Her) MA

Indigenous Curriculum and Pedagogy Specialist, Office of Indigenous Initiatives, Brantford campus 

The Indigenous Curriculum and Pedagogy Specialist provides expertise and service to assist with embedding an awareness of Indigenous ways of knowing into the instruction and curriculum at Laurier.

The Indigenous Curriculum and Pedagogy Specialist supports the development of Indigenous pedagogy and practices within the Laurier community by: providing support to faculty as they integrate Indigenous ways of knowing, Indigenous curriculum, and Indigenous pedagogy into courses and programs; developing relevant workshops and instructional supports to support the development of understanding around Indigenous ways of knowing; and working closely with colleagues across the institution to assist in building capacity around Indigenous ways of knowing and supports for Indigenous students.

Maggie Allan (She/Her)

Indigenous Campus and Community Engagement Coordinator

As the Campus and Community Engagement Coordinator, I help foster relationships and build connections that support mutually collaborative and respectful engagement between our department and our internal Laurier campus partners, as well as our external community.

My work centers on creating opportunities for meaningful engagement with our Office of Indigenous Initiatives. This includes planning and delivering signature events, facilitating workshops, and developing activities that support Indigenous education, awareness, and fostering mutually supportive relationship-building across campus and beyond.

My vision is for Indigenous engagement at Laurier to be viewed as not just an initiative, but a shared responsibility for all. My hope is that we continue to build community and work together to create meaningful change. I am passionate about bringing people together and supporting the advancement of our department’s Indigenous strategic goals as we continue to move forward together.