The First Nations University of Canada Advisory Circle provides guidance on the strategic direction of the NCIS, ensuring our work is grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems, protocols, and community accountabilities. Members bring decades of academic leadership and lifetimes of cultural knowledge.

The Circle meets throughout the year to review programs, provide counsel on emerging issues, and hold the NCIS accountable to the communities it serves.

Current Members

Jason Bird

Jason Bird is a member of the Peepeekisis First Nation, and a lecturer at the First Nations University of Canada in Indigenous Business and Public Administration. His educational background is in Business, with a Master’s in Leadership in Administration. His disciplines include marketing, Indigenous worldviews, and the philosophical foundations of leadership. He is passionate about Indigenous economic conditions, equality issues, and inclusion.

Misti Big Eagle, PhD(s)

Ába wašté! Misti Big Eagle is a lecturer in the Faculty of Indigenous Education at the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) and is also a graduate student. Teaching has been her path for 28 years, from the classroom to administration to lecturing; each of these experiences has remained foundational to cultural teachings, understanding, and practices. Although her home community is Ocean Man Nakoda Nation, building relationships with students, staff, and the community at FNUniv has been essential. She prioritizes her students in their educational journey, and her research currently focuses on curriculum and Indigenous perspectives in our classrooms. On a personal level, she is a new kuši to her first granddaughter. Misti and her husband are proud of our growing little family.

Cheyanne Desnomie, PhD(c)

Cheyanne Desnomie is a Plains Cree woman from Peepeekisis Cree Nation in the Treaty 4 territory of southern Saskatchewan. She is currently a PhD Candidate in the Department of Anthropology, holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Anthropology, and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Regina (U of R). Cheyanne works full time at the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) as the Research Facilitator and Funding Officer in the Research Office. She is also a sessional instructor for the Department of Indigenous Studies at FNUniv and an adjunct professor at the U of R for the Department of Anthropology. Her research background focuses on oral history, social memory, identity, Indigenous entrepreneurship, material culture, and the lasting influence of colonial policies on Indigenous people.

Denise Kennedy, PhD(s)

Denise Kennedy is an Anihšināpēkwē from Pasqua First Nation. Denise is a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, teacher and lifelong learner. Denise is currently a PhD student in the faculty of Education at the University of Regina. She is a lecturer and faculty member in the Indigenous languages and linguistics department at the First Nations University of Canada. Denise’s passion is Indigenous language revitalization and Indigenous methodology in research.

Dr. Reanna Daniels

Reanna Daniels is a Plains Cree woman from Little Pine First Nation in Treaty 6. She is married with 6 children and 2 grandchildren. She is a graduate of the ITEP program where she trained as a high school English teacher but consistently found herself in the area of Special Education [now Inclusive Education]. While teaching, she took classes to become a certified Special Education teacher [Student Services teacher], then her Master’s in Special Education, and finally her PhD with the University of Saskatchewan.

She started working with First Nations University of Canada in 2023, becoming the Undergraduate Program Coordinator for Indigenous Education and moved into the Graduate Program Coordinator for Indigenous Education in July 2026.

Dr. Norine Tourangeau

Lorena Cote