Ela Smith

Aanii, My name is Gee waniway eekwe (Whirling wind woman). I am a graduate of Humber College’s Early Childhood Education Diploma program, have earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Social Work, Indigenous Field of Study from Wilfrid Laurier University. Much of my career has focused on working within mental health and advocacy. I have worked as an Executive Director at White Owl Native Ancestry, been Program Director at Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centers, as well as an Indigenous Curriculum Development Specialist at Mohawk College. I work from a wholistic trauma-informed pedagogical perspective that aims to empower people through an understanding of Miskasowin to critically reflect on how their practice impacts the world.