Who and Where We Are

Many team members are based on Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on the ancestral and traditional homeland of Anishinaabe peoples and homeland of the Métis Nation. We live and work in the territories of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Métis, and Oji-Cree Nations. We also have team members in Victoria, British Columbia, the traditional territory of the Lekwungen peoples and meeting place of the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples; and in Toronto, on land traditionally shared by the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas, and Haudenosaunee.

More than half of our current team is Indigenous (Anishinaabe, Cree, Haida, and Métis). We also have many non-Indigenous identities. Collectively, our team has a lived understanding of Canada’s colonial projects, a deep understanding of the varied and rich Indigenous cultural traditions, and expertise in several areas.

Meet our team and learn more about them by clicking their photo, listed below in the order in which they joined the team.

Katherine Starzyk

Principal Investigator

Katherine Starzyk

Principal Investigator 2015-present

Katherine is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Manitoba and Director of the Social Justice Laboratory. She is also a Founding Member of the Centre for Human Rights Research. Born in Poland, Katherine brings her identity as a Polish Canadian woman to her research in the areas of social justice, intergroup relations, psychometrics, attitude change, and personality. Through this work, Katherine aims to help make social change through basic and applied research.

Ry Moran

Co-Investigator

Ry Moran

Co-Investigator 2015–present

Ry is a proud member of the Red River Métis. Currently Associate University Librarian (Reconciliation) at the University of Victoria, he was formerly the Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) from 2015–2020. He contributed to the creation of the National Student Memorial Register, designation of multiple Residential Schools as national historical sites, and development of the Indigenous peoples Atlas of Canada. Prior to the NCTR, Ry served with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, where he facilitated the gathering of nearly 7,000 video/audio-recorded statements of former Residential School Survivors and millions of pages of archival records. Photo credit: Nardella Photography.

Katelin Neufeld

Collaborator

Katelin Neufeld

Collaborator 2016–present

Katelin, a White Settler, is a Behavioural Research Scientist at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. She completed her graduate degrees in social and personality psychology at the University of Manitoba, and was a Visiting Scholar in New York University’s Psychology and Social Intervention program. After graduate school, Katelin completed a post-doctoral fellowship with the Canadian Reconciliation Barometer and public polling firm Probe Research Inc. Through her deep understanding of measuring and influencing human behaviour, her research informs evidence-based policy and programming in areas including child sexual abuse prevention and supports, as well as reconciliation.

Aleah Fontaine

Collaborator

Aleah Fontaine

Collaborator 2016–present

Aleah is an Anishinaabe, British, and German Winnipegger, and is an urban band member of Sagkeeng First Nation. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Health Psychology at the University of Manitoba and provides clinical intervention services for perinatal women within Manitoba’s public health system. Recognizing how historical and present social environments impact health across generations, her research interests include Indigenous well-being, perinatal mental health, trauma-informed care, emotional responses to social injustice, reconciliation, and intergroup relations. Currently, Aleah is in the early stages of developing mental health programming for Indigenous women during pregnancy and postpartum.

Lorena Sekwan Fontaine

Co-Investigator

Lorena Sekwan Fontaine

Co-Investigator 2017–present

Lorena is is Cree-Anishinaabe from Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba. Now an Associate Professor and Department Head of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Fontaine has published and provided expert advice on Residential School issues and Indigenous language rights in Canada. Her doctoral work was featured in “Undoing Linguicide,” a CBC documentary that won the Radio Television Digital News Association’s Adrienne Clarkson Award for Diversity, Radio, and Network in 2017. Dr. Fontaine has also advised the Assembly of First Nations on Indigenous languages and is an advocate for Indigenous Residential School Survivors as well as their descendants. She was a task force member and contributor to the Assembly of First Nations’ Report on Canada’s Dispute Resolution Plan to compensate for abuses in Indian Residential Schools. Dr. Fontaine also served as a legal consultant to the Toronto law firm Thomson Rogers in a National Class Action on Indigenous Residential Schools.

Iloradanon Efimoff

Collaborator

Iloradanon Efimoff

Collaborator 2018–present

Dr. Iloradanon Efimoff is Haida and European settler from British Columbia. Throughout her career, she has conducted research with Indigenous organizations and people on topics like Indigenous men’s wellness, Indigenization, reconciliation, and multiracial Indigenous experiences. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University. A social psychologist by training, her current research focuses on the impact of critical historical education on anti-Indigenous prejudice.

Mary Agnes Welch

Collaborator

Mary Agnes Welch

Collaborator 2019–present

Mary Agnes is a partner at Probe Research, where she leads qualitative and quantitative projects for a variety of clients, particularly those in the non-profit, government, and labour sectors. She joined the firm in 2016 following a career as an award-winning politics and public policy journalist at the Winnipeg Free Press. A graduate of Columbia University’s journalism program, Mary Agnes builds on her experience covering public policy to capture and communicate the underlying research story. Clients benefit from Mary Agnes’ engaging approach and skills as a focus group facilitator, as she uncovers what citizens really think about complex issues.

Erin White

Ph.D. Student Collaborator

Erin White

Ph.D. Student Collaborator 2021–present

Erin is a Métis and Irish Canadian woman from Winnipeg who is now a Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Manitoba. For her research, Erin is focusing on the relationships among cultural connection, belongingness, collective self-esteem, and mental health. Taking a strength-based approach, Erin’s research focuses on reclaiming and relearning Indigenous knowledge, languages, and traditions while also challenging negative stereotypes about Indigenous peoples.

Jaden Dela Rosa

Ph.D. Student Collaborator

Jaden Dela Rosa

Ph.D. Student Collaborator 2021–present

Jaden is a Filipino, French, and German Canadian woman born and raised in Winnipeg. She is completing her PhD in Social and Personality Psychology under the supervision of Prof. Katherine Starzyk at the University of Manitoba. Broadly, Jaden’s research interests include advancing social justice, increasing intergroup solidarity, and promoting reconciliation. For her research, she is currently focusing on improving relationships between the Filipino and Indigenous communities in Canada by exploring how shared histories, values, and experiences can foster greater Filipino involvement in reconciliation and help Filipinos gain a deeper understanding of their own history, culture, and identity in the Canadian context.

Brenda Gunn

Co-Investigator

Brenda Gunn

Co-Investigator 2021–present

Brenda is a Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba. She was the Academic and Research Director at the NCTR from September 2021 to December 2023. A proud Métis woman, Prof. Gunn combines academic research with activism to push for greater recognition of Indigenous peoples’ inherent rights as determined by their own legal traditions. Actively involved in the international Indigenous peoples’ movement, she has worked at a community legal clinic in Guatemala on a case of genocide. In Canada, her expertise was sought by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, for whom she provided expert testimony. Among her 13 peer-reviewed publications is Canada’s leading resource on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a topic that has made her a sought-after speaker nationally and internationally. To support the Barometer, Prof. Gunn has recently submitted a SSHRC Connections Grant with Dr. Starzyk and Mr. Ry Moran to gather internationally renowned Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and Elders to dialogue about what reconciliation means now and forge new pathways to reconciliation. This project, like many others she has been involved in, will significantly contribute to reconciliation in Canada.

Shelby Thomas

Collaborator

Shelby Thomas

Collaborator 2022–present

Shelby Thomas is a lawyer and researcher with Métis, Dutch, and Polish ancestry. She is currently the Indigenous Rights Specialist at the University of Manitoba. She obtained a B.A. with a major in Psychology at the Université de Saint-Boniface and a JD at the Université de Moncton in French, her second language. Shelby will forever be grateful for her opportunity to work with the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls as an associate commission counsel. She has extensive experience supporting Indigenous-led, community-based projects and working with Indigenous peoples, particularly in the areas of gender-based violence and youth resiliency and empowerment.

Caitlin Ferry

Ph.D. Student Collaborator

Caitlin Ferry

Ph.D. Student Collaborator 2024–present

Caitlin is an English-Métis, Ukrainian, and Polish woman raised in Winnipeg and the Red River area, presently completing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology under the supervision of Katherine Starzyk. Caitlin’s research interests include reconciliation, increasing support for social housing, and improving intergroup relations through social norm messaging. Currently, she is examining how social norms shape public support for expanding government‑funded social housing.

Erin Sinclair

Ph.D. Student Collaborator

Erin Sinclair

Ph.D. Student Collaborator 2024–present

Erin is an Anishinaabe-Irish ikwe from St. Andrews, Manitoba and a proud member of Peguis First Nation. She is completing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Manitoba under the supervision of Dr. Katherine Starzyk. Erin’s research interests include increasing support for reconciliation, advancing social justice, and promoting positive attitudes through education. Currently, Erin is examining the effectiveness of educational interventions designed to increase support for clean drinking water in First Nations communities.

Sharissa Neault

M.A. Student Collaborator

Sharissa Neault

M.A. Student Collaborator 2025-Present

Sharissa is an Ininiw (Swampy Cree) and Michif (Métis) woman from Mahkésiw Sákahikan (Fox Lake Cree Nation) with ties to Cayer, Manitoba. She is completing her M.A. in Social and Personality Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Katherine Starzyk at the University of Manitoba. Sharissa’s academic and professional interests are guided by the needs of her community. Presently, she is exploring how incorporating Indigenous resilience into critical historical education impacts support for Indigenous peoples.