Banff, Alberta, June 13, 2013 -- A specialist in educational policy, Indigenous learning methodologies, and traditional creative practice in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, Dr. Lois E. Edge has been appointed Nexen Chair in Indigenous Leadership. A key role within Indigenous Leadership at The Banff Centre, the Nexen Chair will lead research and reporting on successes and wise practices among Indigenous communities, businesses, and leaders, supported by the $1-million investment by Nexen.
Dr. Edge’s appointment follows four years of groundbreaking research work led by Indigenous Leadership and Management director Brian Calliou and first-term Nexen Chair, Dr. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, who completed a wide-ranging case study, incorporating extensive youth involvement into successful Alberta-based Indigenous enterprises.
“Dr. Edge brings a wealth of research and writing experience to the role of Chair, as well as strong networks into the North and across the country,” Calliou says.
Dr. Lois Edge is an Edmonton-based scholar, researcher, teacher and community organizer, with a PhD in Educational Policy Studies with a specialization in Indigenous Peoples Education from the University of Alberta. She is a community project manager with Learning Communities at Athabasca University, focused on community development for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities in Northern Alberta through distance education. Originally from Fort Smith and Hay River in the Northwest Territories, Dr. Edge has also served as an expert to the Elders’ Cultural Focus Advisory Group for program development at Alberta Education.
“I’ve been privileged to access education through working with First Nations organizations and governing bodies,” Dr. Edge says of the appointment. “I want to strengthen what I have to offer, and the idea that there’s this place where people can come to think and exercise creativity, it creates so many possibilities. It’s a privilege to have access to this knowledge.”
Established in 1972, The Banff Centre’s Indigenous Leadership and Management programs serve participants from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities across Canada, by providing capacity-building leadership training.
Nexen is an upstream oil and gas company responsibly developing energy resources in the UK North Sea, offshore West Africa, the United States and Western Canada. A wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, Nexen has three principal businesses: conventional oil and gas, oil sands, and shale gas.
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About The Banff Centre: The Banff Centre's mission is inspiring creativity. Thousands of artists, leaders, and researchers from across Canada and around the world participate in programs at The Banff Centre every year. Through its multidisciplinary programming, The Banff Centre provides the support needed to create, to develop solutions, and to make the impossible possible. Moving forward, the Centre will disseminate art and ideas developed in Banff through initiatives in digital, web, radio, and broadcast media.