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 moving to the National Capital Region. In 2018, she was appointed Special Ministerial Representative to address inequalities in the Indian Act, and she recently assumed the position of Co-Chair of the federal working sub-group, collaborating with other sub-groups to develop a national action plan in response to the “Calls for Justice” from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. She earned 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.
Élaisa Uqittuq
Board Member
Élaisa Uqittuq has played a central role in advising entrepreneurs and Inuit organizations on issues related to work and intercultural dynamics. She has also facilitated the integration of Inuit into mining companies in Northern Quebec. As the supervisor of Inuit employment and training advisors at the CRI, she works closely with various departments to strengthen the recruitment of Inuit employees and ensure the implementation of training programs dedicated to this community.
Savanna Mcgregor
Board Member
Savanna McGregor is an Algonquin Anishinabeg leader from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg. She served as Grand Chief of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council (AANTC), following her tenure as Vice‑Grand Chief.
Her leadership has focused on governance reform, education and training, women’s leadership, and has held national and regional advocacy positions, including Chair of the National Caucus of Elected Women in Leadership at the Assembly of First Nations, National Women’s Council Representative for Quebec and Labrador, and Regional Women’s Representative with AFNQL.
As a member of the Board of Directors of the First Peoples Innovation Centre, she contributes strategic insight and lived leadership experience in support of Indigenous‑led innovation, education, and sustainable community development.