The University of Winnipeg congratulates Jennefer Nepinak, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Engagement, on her appointment as Vice-President, Strategic Partnerships and Reconciliation with Legacy Bowes. Jennefer will be leaving her role at UWinnipeg on June 3, 2022.
A citizen of Minegozhiibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek First Nation), Nepinak is a UWinnipeg alumna who’s held leadership roles at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, and with various First Nation governments, as well as with the governments of Canada and Manitoba.
A respected and engaged community leader, she has served as a board member with various organizations including the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Elders Council, the Treaty Legacy Foundation, Rossbrook House Foundation, the Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation, The University of Winnipeg Board of Regents, the Canadian Education Coalition, Manitoba Hydro and The Northwest Company.
Since joining UWinnipeg in 2019, she has led UWinnipeg’s ongoing efforts toward relationship building and truth and reconciliation efforts, working to ensure Indigenous ways of knowing and being are integrated into everything we do. In her role, she has supported initiatives including:
- leadership discussions, planning and implementation with various organizations and institutions across the country on priorities including; repatriation, identity fraud, community integration, land-based learning;
- launching a thematic major in Indigenous languages that provides vital insight into the historical and cultural importance of language revitalization;
- increased research and mentorship opportunities through UWinnipeg’s Indigenous Summer Scholar Program, and Pathway to Graduate Studies programs;
- Increased programming at The Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre , providing an important pathway to post secondary education for all students, and;
- development of processes and systems to ensure community connection through the pandemic.
Jennefer is a graduate of the UWinnipeg’s Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and is in the process of completing a Master of Arts in Indigenous Governance. She also holds a Law degree from the University of Manitoba, is a practicing member of the Manitoba Law Society, and received the Institute of Corporate Directors designation from the Rotman School of Management in 2018.
“Jennefer is a thoughtful leader who is well-respected for her ability to foster and strengthen relationships in the community and advance Reconciliation,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Todd A. Mondor. “I am sure she will do well in her new role and wish her great success with it.”
Please join us in wishing Jennefer well as she moves into this exciting new opportunity.
