Marco Bacon
Chair
Marco Bacon, Chairman of the Board of Directors is from the Pekuakamiulnutsh of Mashteuiatsh. He holds a master’s degree in arts and a bachelor’s degree in arts education from the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC). Mr. Bacon held the position of director of the Centre des Premières Nations Nikanite of the UQAC. Today he is Director of the Office of Inclusion and student Success (BIRÉ) at UQAM. He is also co-founder of the First Peoples Innovation Center.
Claudette Dumont-Smith
Vice-Chair
Claudette Dumont‑Smith is a member of the Kitigan Zibi community where she worked for several years as a Community Health Representative and community health nurse, respectively, before relocating to the national capital region. She has held various positions at the national level with her most recent full-time position as executive director of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC). In 2018, she was appointed as a Minister’s Special Representative to address inequities in the Indian Act and most recently assumed the position of co-chair on the Federal sub-working group that is working with other sub-groups to develop a National Action Plan in response to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry’s “Calls for Justice”. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1991, and a Master of Public Administration in 2000 from Queen’s University. She has lived in Gatineau for several years, and understands the realities of urban Indigenous life.
Alexandre Bacon
Secretary
A member of the Innu community of Mastheuiatsh, Alexandre Bacon specializes in issues of Indigenous governance. He has a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in Indigenous self-determination and works as a strategic advisor for Indigenous organizations. He is also a co-founder of the First Peoples Innovation Centre.
Bruno Bonneville
Treasurer
With more than 30 years of experience as a senior administrator with the public service and in government agencies, Bruno Bonneville brings proven expertise in strategic policy, mediation, negotiation and facilitation to his role at the FPIC.
Melissa Lambert-Tenasco
Board Member
Melissa Lambert-Tenasco (she/her/elle) is an Anishnaabe from Kitigan Zibi Anishnabeg, and currently resides in Gatineau, Quebec. She graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2014 with a Bachelor of Social Work with a minor in Native Studies. Melissa is currently a shared resource between the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Canadian Roots Exchange. In this role, she works to build trust between the Government of Canada and Aboriginal youth, while undertaking co-development in a way that maximizes collaboration. Melissa’s previous work experience includes research and program coordination focused on the over-incarceration of Indigenous women and gender diverse people, as well as sexual and reproductive health in the non-profit sector.
Ricky G. Fontaine, Adm. A., GFAA, ASC
Board Member
Innu from Uashat mak Mani-utenam, Ricky G. Fontaine is married and has three children. Mr. Fontaine has an academic background in management, finance and corporate governance. He has held numerous high-level executive positions in national, regional and local organizations in the private, public, parapublic and non-governmental sectors. Mr. Fontaine directs his own consulting firm specializing in the management and analysis of government policies on Indigenous matters and economic development.