Dr. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux served as Vice Provost for Indigenous Initiatives at Lakehead University for three years. Effective September 2016 she was appointed the 1st Indigenous Chair for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada for Lakehead University and continues to develop pathways forward to reconciliation across Canada. 

Cynthia was inducted as an “Honourary Witness” by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in 2014 and was Chair of the Governing Circle for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba until her retirement in 2024.

She is a member and resident of the Chippewa of Georgina Island First Nation in Ontario and has dedicated her life to building bridges of understanding. She sees endless merit in bringing people from diverse cultures, ages, and backgrounds together to engage in practical dialogue and applied research initiatives.