Indigenous Scholars Circle

Nathan W. Sack

Nathan W. Sack is a proud member of the Sipekne’katik Band and a dedicated advocate for autonomy, cultural preservation and financial sustainability within Indigenous communities. With over 12 years of experience in governance transformation, capacity development and organizational growth, Nathan has built a career rooted in strengthening First Nations organizations and empowering Indigenous leadership.

Nathan serves as the senior manager, default support at the First Nations Financial Management Board (FMB), where he plays a pivotal role in supporting First Nations transitioning from default management to achieving compliance with government funding agreements. Through strategic leadership, he helps communities establish sustainable governance frameworks, reduce political patronage and foster financial independence.

Beyond his professional work, Nathan is deeply connected to his Mi’kmaq heritage. He is a member of the White Eagle Sundance Society and a founding member of the Eastern Eagle Singers, a celebrated Mi’kmaq drumming group. These roles reflect his commitment to preserving and celebrating Indigenous culture while embodying contemporary leadership values.

Nathan’s academic achievements include a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Management (PBDM) from Athabasca University. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at St. Mary’s University, focusing on cultural competency in leadership development for Indigenous organizations. Additionally, he holds certifications as a Leadership Coach (CLC) and Certified Aboriginal Professional Administrator (CAPA).

Cynthia Rayner

Cynthia Rayner, BA, PBDM, MBA, is a proud member of the Tseshaht First Nation who is currently in her fifth year of a Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) with a focus on key factors for economic development success on First Nations lands. This research investigates the critical alignment of sovereignty, governance, leadership, management, and culture to achieve generational self-sufficiency in First Nations economies. Her extensive academic background includes a completed Diploma in Business, a Degree in Business majoring in marketing, an MBA, and a Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Management at a Master’s level. She has worked for BC First Nations for 28 years, with 22 years in senior management positions. Cynthia is the Principal Consultant and Owner of First Nations Management Consulting (FNMC), where she actively applies her expertise to business development and strategic planning across British Columbia.

FNMC specializes in producing comprehensive business, marketing, labour market, and tourism plans, actively fostering business development tailored to unique cultural and social factors. A key aspect of her knowledge mobilization is the course she developed on Indigenous Business for Athabasca University, and she developed and taught a course on Understanding Reconciliation for Pacific Coast University. She is dedicated to fostering economic self-determination, drawing on a blend of academic rigour and practical experience.

Elaine Sam

Sam Elaine Sam, a proud member of Cowichan Tribes, is a doctoral student in Business Management with a concentration in Strategic Management at Sullivan University. She currently serves as an Application Supervisor at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, where she leads metrology training, technical program development, and engineering support initiatives. With over a decade of experience in advanced manufacturing and precision measurement, Elaine has delivered technical training across North America and developed instructional programs that enhance workforce readiness and innovation.

Elaine holds a Master of Education from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Engineering Technology from Ferris State University. Her research focuses on improving diversity and inclusion within engineering industries, exploring how leadership, mentorship, and organizational culture can help broaden representation and strengthen collaboration.
She is honoured to join the Indigenous Innovation Scholars Advisory Circle and looks forward to contributing her experience at the intersection of industry, education, and Indigenous innovation leadership.

Anita Lafferty

Anita Lafferty, PhD ( Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kṹé First Nation) moves with the stories, teachings, and responsibilities passed down by her ancestors. Rooted in Dene Cree ways of knowing and being, she carries forward matriarchal wisdom, on-the-Land education, and the revitalization of language and story. She has a PhD in Education from the University of Alberta (2022). Her doctoral research examined approaches of Indigenous curriculum perspectives grounded in Dene philosophy on the Land. She was awarded the 2023 Bacchus Award and the 2022 Margaret “Presh” Kates Doctoral Awards in Indigenous Education for her doctoral dissertation.

She is currently a fellow with the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and an elected council for the International Arctic Social Science Association (IASSA). Her research includes learning from/with the Land, Indigenous methodologies, identity, healing, and matriarchal wisdom. As a storyteller, educator, and land-based researcher, Anita’s journey is rooted in relationships—listening, learning, and co-creating spaces where Indigenous youth, Elders, and communities lead. She carries forward the responsibility of amplifying voices that have been silenced, reimagining education through land, story, and resurgence.

Laura Mueller

Laura Mueller (Nak’azdli Whut’en) PhD Student, MBA | Indigenous Entrepreneur, Researcher, and Advisor Member, Indigenous Innovation Scholars Advisory Circle (IISAC) Laura Mueller is an Indigenous entrepreneur, researcher, and advisor from Nak’azdli Whut’en, based in Prince George, British Columbia. She is the founder of Matriarch Media, an award- winning consultancy integrating Indigenous worldviews into business strategy, design, and media. Laura holds an MBA from the University of Northern British Columbia and is currently enrolled PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (NRES) at the University of Northern British Columbia, where her research focuses on land-based Indigenous Financial Architectures and the development of kinship-centered economic systems.

Her interdisciplinary work bridges Indigenous governance, systems design, and finance, exploring how traditional knowledge and relational accountability can inform the evolution of regenerative economic infrastructures. As a Mitacs Indigenous Research Award recipient and NACCA National Role Model, Laura’s research and advocacy contribute to national conversations on Indigenous economic sovereignty and innovation.

In her role with the Indigenous Innovation Scholars Advisory Circle, Laura brings expertise in Indigenous entrepreneurship, social economy design, and decolonial research methodologies, helping guide the circle’s vision for advancing Indigenous-led innovation and research leadership across Canada.

Aimee Louis

Aimee (Rodriguez) Louis is a nehiyaw iskwew who was born and raised in Thompson, Manitoba. Just prior to Junior High, her family moved to Winnipeg. After graduating from Gordon Bell High, she moved to Alberta to pursue post-secondary studies. Aimee holds a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Certificate of Indigenous Governance and Partnership from the University of Alberta. In 2023, she defended her Master of Arts Indigenous Governance thesis defense with distinction. She is continuing her primary research study during her PhD studies at the University of North Dakota in the Department of Earth System Science and Policy. Aimee is an innovator and entrepreneur in academics, research and scholarship.

Mick Elliott-Keewatin

Mick Elliott-Keewatin (Okimâwâtik) is a proud two-spirited citizen of the Okanese First Nation with mixed ancestral roots to the UK, Belgium, and Germany. He lives, studies, and plays in Mohkíntis (Calgary) and on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Reserve) including their shared unceded territories with Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. As the inaugural Indigenous business PhD candidate at the University of Calgary, his research examines how Indigenous people and their worldviews can co-exist with dominant Eurocentric worldviews of existing business institutions to invite innovation and transformation. Drawing on decades of multinational corporate experience, he investigates pathways for institutional resurgence that prioritize Indigenous relationships in business scholarship and practice, extending this inquiry to explore how AI informed by Indigenous worldviews and Knowledge systems might address socioeconomic inequities and advance economic equity for marginalized populations.

Mick also volunteers with Indigenous communities on governance, regulatory, and entrepreneurial initiatives and is part of the IEEE Smart Village North America group supporting socioeconomic transformation. He is on a spiritual and cultural journey, connecting with ceremony and a growing traditional family. He can often be found hiking and walking with his standard poodles and two husbands.

Daniol Clair Coles

Daniol Clair Coles is proudly Métis with his Pagée and Todd family roots in St. Francois Xavier, Manitoba,being born and raised in BC before also living in Alberta and across Ontario. Today he happily resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Daniol has built a meaningful career coast to coast to coast within academic, corporate, and public service roles focused on serving Nations and educating and advising institutions, their partners,rightsholders and stakeholders, on authentic and situated strategy, inclusion, engagement, Indigenization, and decolonization within their respective realms for the mutual benefit of all. He currently serves in multiple roles including as a Fellow of McLaughlin College of York University, as faculty Indigenous Business Lecturer of the Edwards School of Business at University of Saskatchewan designing, course coordinating and teaching undergrad and MBA courses, and in pursuing his PhD. in Public Policy with the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy also at the University of Saskatchewan.

Mick also volunteers with Indigenous communities on governance, regulatory, and entrepreneurial initiatives and is part of the IEEE Smart Village North America group supporting socioeconomic transformation. He is on a spiritual and cultural journey, connecting with ceremony and a growing traditional family. He can often be found hiking and walking with his standard poodles and two husbands.

Dr Peter Musinguzi

Dr Peter Musinguzi is currently a McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow within Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Business and Economics. He is an Indigenous African from Uganda’s Bantu Peoples (Mukiga Tribe, Mugyeri Clan). He has a strong desire to conduct rigorous research to benefit the poor and to ensure that the rights of marginalised groups and communities are upheld. His research interest falls under Indigenous business/enterprise, entrepreneurship and management; Indigenous economies; and Indigenous participation in economic development, truth-telling, healing and future making.

Dr. Sherry Mattice

Dr. Sherry Mattice (Mowachaht/Muchalaht) is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria. She holds a Doctor of Business Administration, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Science in International Business.
Her research focuses on leadership strategies used by Indigenous entrepreneurs to sustain and grow their businesses, contributing to a deeper understanding of Indigenous economic development and self-determination. Dr. Mattice integrates Indigenous ways of knowing and decolonizing approaches into business education, fostering inclusive and culturally grounded learning environments.
In addition to her academic work, she facilitates “Cultivating Safe Spaces” workshops and other leadership development programs that center relationality, respect, and reconciliation in organizational and community contexts. Her career bridges scholarship, teaching, and community engagement, advancing Indigenous leadership and entrepreneurship across Canada.