WINNIPEG, MB – Dr. Julie Pelletier, Chair of the Department of Indigenous Studies and Director of the Master’s in Development Program (MDP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Allan Benoit as the MDP Program Coordinator, and Leona Boucher, Employment Placement Counsellor in the new CN Indigenous Resource Centre.
“It is a real asset to have these two individuals join the MDP family,” said Pelletier. “Their experience and knowledge is a great addition in making the MDP program stronger with their leadership skills and commitment.”
As the MDP Program Coordinator, Allan Benoit will be responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of the program by providing leadership in field placement selection and evaluation, and overseeing logistics involved in ensuring a rigorous and culturally appropriate experience for students during their fieldwork. He will provide information to students, faculty, and staff about the MDP, and coordinate student recruitment and retention efforts.
Benoit served previously as senior policy advisor with the Manitoba Métis Federation. He is a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies, and holds Master degrees in Architecture and Natural Resources Management.
As the Employment Placement Counsellor in the new CN Indigenous Resource Centre, Leona Boucher will be responsible for initiating and maintaining relationships with various governmental agencies, NGOs, businesses, both Indigenous and non-indigenous, in order to find temporary and permanent employment primarily for Indigenous graduate students.
Boucher comes to UWinnipeg from Canadian Pacific Railway where she was a dispatcher in the Police Services Division. She previously worked as a recruiting and customer service manager with Mercer Bradley, Adecco Employment Services and Air Canada.
About the MDP
The MDP combines training in the health sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and management to give practitioners the tools to address the world’s most challenging problems while creating leaders in Indigenous development studies and is part of a network of 22 other universities sharing resources and research. Find out more about this exciting new degree at http://mdp.uwinnipeg.ca or email mdp@uwinnipeg.ca.
