Verna St. Denis, Ph. D. (Stanford, 2002), Special Advisor to the President at the University of Saskatchewan on Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression, January 1, 2021, to January 31, 2025. Professor Emerita of Education at the University of Saskatchewan, January 2023. Professor of undergraduate and graduate courses in integrated anti-racist education in the Department of Educational Foundations, 1992-2022. Dr. St. Denis grew up as a non-status Cree Indian (mother) and Metis (father) and is a member of Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation, Treaty #6. Completed a BEd. (with distinction) U of S in 1982, Master of Arts, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, 1989 and a Ph.D Fulbright Scholar in Education at Stanford University, 1994. Recently completed research study titled “Improving Canadian Institutes of Health Research Grant Allocation for Indigenous Health Researchers: Researching Ourselves to Life, 2024” funded by the Institute of Indigenous Peoples Health (IIPH) and the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR).  Invited by the Encyclopedia editors to collaborate with junior scholars on submission resulting in: Bergen, J. Hantke, S, & St. Denis, V. (2023). Contemporary approaches and challenges in anti-racist teacher education. In: Tierney, R.J., Rizvi, F., Erkican, K. (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Education, vol. 5, 414-426. Elsevier. Co-editor and chapter author in Gebhard, A., McLean, S. & St. Denis, V. (eds.). (2022). White benevolence: Racism and Colonial violence in the helping professions. Fernwood. Completed a McDowell Foundation research study funded by the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation grant (2023) titled: “How do School Leaders Narrate their Stories of Practicing Anti-Racist Education.” Supervisor and co-author of master’s thesis resulting in Hantke, S., St. Denis, V. & Graham, H. (2022). Racism and antiracism in nursing education: Confronting the problem of whiteness. BMC Nurse 21, 146 (2022). Co-producer of a SSHRC funded film: Duke, A. (Director & Producer) and St. Denis, V. (Producer & Researcher). (2021). Understanding and Finding our Way: Decolonizing Canadian Education. Film OYA Media Group https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWkPBm_0C1s&t=56s.

Winner of the R.W.B. Jackson Award – Most Outstanding Journal Article, Canadian Educational Researchers’ Association, May 2008 for Aboriginal education and Anti-racist education: Building alliance across cultural and racial identity (St. Denis, 2007). Most widely circulated journal article: “Silencing Aboriginal Education through Multiculturalism” (St. Denis, 2011). Conducted extensive research through three separate qualitative studies exploring the personal and professional experiences and knowledges of Indigenous teachers teaching in Canadian public schools(1998, 2002 and 2010. Author and co-author of several journal articles and chapters examining anti-racism in teacher education and cultural theory in Indigenous education. Engaged in professional development with various school boards across Canada and invited keynote speaker for conferences and symposiums in education, higher education and Indigenous studies in Canada. Appointed by the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada to the Saskatchewan Federal Judicial Advisory Committee, 2022-2024 and re-appointed for a second term, 2024-2027. Appointed by the Deputy Minister’s Office of Innovation, Science and Economic Development to the Equity Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board (2024-2025).