Francyne Joe will deliver the fourth lecture in Mount Allison University’s annual President’s Speakers Series, celebrating the Year of Indigenous Knowing in 2016-17.

The lecture takes place Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. in Crabtree Auditorium, located in the Crabtree Building at Mount Allison.

Joe was appointed Interim President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada this past September.

The Association works to advance the well-being of Aboriginal women and girls — as well as their families and communities — through activism, policy analysis and advocacy. In particular the organization focuses on education, employment and labour, environment, health, human rights, international affairs, and violence with a special focus on missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls.

“We are pleased to welcome Francyne to Mount Allison,” says Dr. Robert Campbell, Mount Allison President and Vice-Chancellor. “The Year of Indigenous Knowing has given us the opportunity to explore many aspects of Indigenous life, culture, and history, as well as what reconciliation means for universities in light of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report. We look forward to what Francyne will contribute to this continued dialogue.”

Joe is the former president of the BC Native Women’s Association and a proud member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation. Her passion is empowering Indigenous women and girls, and she has worked toward that objective through her involvement in many community organizations. During her time with the BC Native Women’s Association she accessed funding for education and career development, cultivated partnerships with Aboriginal agencies, and advocated with families for a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Mount Allison’s Year of Indigenous Knowing aims to encourage the campus and wider community to explore Indigenous issues relating to their historical and current surroundings through several lenses — societal, cultural, and humanitarian on a local, national, and international scale.

The Year of Indigenous Knowing will see several noted speakers, activists, and artists visit campus through the annual President’s Speakers Series, as well as through other related activities and events.

For updates and a full list of President’s Speakers Series events, please visit mta.ca/pss