Rebekah Elkertonis an experienced researcher and program developer specializing in Indigenous topics and communities. As an Anishinaabe woman and member of Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Rebekah has committed herself to support the betterment of Indigenous lives through knowledge sharing projects and community support.
At the undergraduate level, she studied in both Aboriginal studies at the University of Ottawa and Women’s and Gender studies at Carleton University. Elkertoncompleted an MA in Women’s and Gender Studies from Carleton University, exploring representations of Indigenous womanhood in contemporary art. Rebekah’s knowledge of Indigenous women’s experiences is diverse. In addition to her studies, Rebekah was a Policy Analyst at the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), specializing in human rights and international affairs and violence prevention. Notably, she was part of the team that brought the petition for a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to Parliament Hill in 2014.
Rebekah is passionate about the Indigenous experience. This is evident in her extensive work with urban Indigenous communities, using her vibrant personality, resourcefulness, and program development skills to identify and respond to services gaps. She has worked with academic institutions and community organizations to understand the needs of their Indigenous stakeholders and develop programs and knowledge sharing materials accordingly. Rebekah finds joy in research and 2019. She worked with the Quebec Native Women’s Association’s Climate Change department studying the impacts of climate change on Indigenous women and their communities. She currently works as the Coordinator of the Indigenous Studies program at McGill University in Montreal.