Board of Directors
MIGIZIW (BOB) CRAWFORD
President
Bob (Migiziw/Eagle) Whiteduck Crawford is a member of the Snimikobi Algonquin First Nation. He is currently working as an Indigenous Professor/Counsellor at George Brown College. He has accumulated over 30 years of experience in leadership positions including various mental health, child welfare and addiction settings including Coordinator at Ontario Indigenous Friendship Centres, Lead Therapist at the Centre for Addictions & Mental Heath: Indigenous Program, Coordinator of the Aboriginal Rights Movement (ARM) and Family Service: Native Child and Family Services, Toronto. Additionally, Bob has sat on numerous boards of directors including Anishnawbe Health as president, Algonquin Nation Land Claim Negotiations Directorate executive board member.
GEORGIA QUARTARO
Vice-President / Treasurer
Georgia Quartaro’s career has centred on creating more inclusive and meaningful programs for people facing barriers to education and training: women facing domestic violence, women with disabilities and addiction and mental health histories, Indigenous women and new Canadians. Georgia worked in Brazil connecting impoverished women to jobs and education and advancing a more inclusive national educational strategy. In the 35 years she spent working at George Brown College, Georgia helped develop the Assaulted Women’s and Children’s Counsellor/Advocate Program (AWCCA) and most recently held the role of Dean of the Centre for Preparatory and Liberal Studies. Georgia and a Confederation College colleague created a northern certificate program based on AWCCA, bringing expertise and training to women in northern Ontario doing frontline anti-violence work in First Nations communities. Georgia also participates in the Indigenous Peoples Education Circle which supports Indigenous learners in Ontario’s community colleges.
JACQUELINE NUNES
Secretary
Jacqueline Nunes has held senior positions in strategic communications for 10 years. In her current role, she leads marketing and communications for Nature United, which builds on over a decade of partnerships with Indigenous Nations in Canada to conserve nature and drive sustainable local economies. (Nature United is the Canadian affiliate of the Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest conservation organization). Previously, Jacqueline led fundraising communications for WWF-Canada after working in the Canadian magazine industry for six years as an editor and writer. At Chatelaine magazine, Jacqueline led the award-winning Health section; she also chased national and international stories as a reporter at Maclean’s magazine, and enforced deadlines as the production manager on the National Post’s news desk. In 2010, Jacqueline took a professional hiatus to earn a master’s degree at York University in protected-area networks and transboundary conservation.
CHLOË CRAWFORD
Chloë Crawford is a proud member of the Snimikobi Algonquin First Nation, part of the Algonquins of Ontario. She is a dedicated strategy professional with extensive experience across multiple roles at TD, including contributions to TD’s Data as a Service (DaaS) function and crafting strategic materials to drive organizational goals. Currently, Chloë serves as the Operations Strategy and Delivery Manager at TD Insurance. In this capacity, she drives initiatives focused on process optimization, data strategy, and workforce development, while maintaining a sharp focus on innovation and operational impact.
Chloë has also been a passionate advocate for Indigenous representation and career development at TD. For the past three years, she has co-led the career development pillar of TDI’s Indigenous Peoples Committee, championing initiatives that address barriers to advancement and create meaningful opportunities for Indigenous colleagues. Most notably, she played a pivotal role in launching the Talent Advancement Pathway (TAP) program in November 2024, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at increasing Indigenous representation in leadership. The program focuses on upskilling, mentorship, and professional development, reflecting Chloë’s deep commitment to empowering Indigenous talent and fostering a more equitable workplace.
Beyond her professional contributions, Chloë has been a board member of Native Earth Performing Arts since 2021. As an arts enthusiast, she is dedicated to supporting Indigenous voices and storytelling in the arts, underscoring her broader passion for celebrating culture and creativity.
Chloë’s career is rooted in advocacy, strategy, and community, reflecting her unwavering commitment to creating spaces where Indigenous colleagues and voices are recognized, supported, and celebrated.
CARROL EDMUND
Carrol Edmund is a Carrier woman, frog clan, and a member of Nee Tahi Buhn from the Wit’suwit’en Territory in British Columbia. She is the Diversity Sourcing Partner – Indigenous Peoples at TD Bank Group with the Global Diversity & Inclusion team. In Carrol’s role, she has the privilege of advocating and connecting external talent from the Indigenous community with career opportunities across TD’s footprint in Canada. She also supports the enterprise talent strategy as well as targeted business strategies. In 2022, Carrol graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources and has experience in Change Management, Customer Experience, Retail Banking, Operations, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
KARIMA JAFFER
Karima is a neurodivergent mixed-race and ethnic woman of colour who was born and raised on Treaty 13, dish and one spoon. She is passionate about social innovation and creating change in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Karima has experience working with BIPOC populations, including research and community development work with Indigenous children and youth in care. She is completing a master of social work at the University of Toronto, where she developed an interest in neuroscience and its connection to trauma, cultural safety, and the arts. Karima has experience working with people in front-line, strategy, and organizational and governmental policy realms. Her work promotes empowerment and reflexivity. Outside of her advocacy work, Karima spends her time indulging in the arts as an artist, focusing on self-development, and trying out new things outside of her comfort zone.
HEATHER LASH
Heather Lash’s family is Saulteaux/Red River Métis from treaty 2 territory in Manitoba, and by way of Kitchener, she has called Toronto home for most of her adult life. She’s grateful to have travelled, lived, and worked in several countries, enjoying careers in puppetry, refugee advocacy, post-secondary education, editing, and now psychotherapy. She holds an undergraduate degree in Directing (performance arts), a master’s in philosophy (Narrative Ethics, with a specialization in refugee issues), and a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology.
Lash is the mental health Auntie at Seventh Generation’s Call Auntie program, and also practices at a private clinic. She has served on the Board of Directors for a community literacy organization, and currently sits on the Research Ethics Board at George Brown College. Her personal and professional experiences have gifted her a special attunement to community’s capacity to create and transform meanings through relationships, and she could not be happier or more honoured to return to the circle around theatre’s fires.
CONNIE JOHNSTON
Connie Johnston is a business executive who brings 30+ years of experience in leadership, sales, and consulting with businesses. As a Senior Business Advisor working for the Business Development Bank of Canada for the last 10 years, she has helped entrepreneurs; grow their business, create efficiency, and ensure profitability.
Connie’s strategic approach and collaborative leadership has assisted both large organizations and entrepreneurs through growth, cultural change and implementation of technology.
Recently retired, she looks forward to assisting companies that align to her values, supporting her community and travelling.
BREENA JOHNSON
Breena is a member of the Métis Nation within Alberta; she is descended from the Howse, Bruneau, and Spence Métis families and Irish (Johnston) and English (Johnson/Robinson) settler families. She has a B.A. in Outdoor Recreation with a minor in Women and Gender Studies from Brock University and an M.A. in Northern Studies from Carleton University. As a proud Métis woman, navigating the world with a foot in both canoes, Breena has dedicated much of her journey thus far to bridging gaps and building relationships between non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples to advance reconciliation. She is guided by a strong belief that our futures are rooted in community, mino-pimatisiwin, and healing together. Her experience relates to program development, community outreach, and partnership development. Breena most recently worked at Métis Crossing, a first-of-its-kind Métis tourism venture in Alberta, walking in the footsteps of her ancestors in Treaty 6 territory. As the Cultural Experience supervisor, she developed and delivered interpretive experiences for the public and community members. This further developed her passion for the arts as a conduit for resistance, reclamation, resilience, and reconciliation. Now, back home in Ontario in Treaty 14 territory, she is excited to continue this journey by supporting Native Earth Performing Arts as a board member.