Jolene Head is a proud member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba and has been a dedicated public servant since 2001. She began her career at the Winnipeg regional office of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (now Indigenous Services Canada), where she served as a Lands Officer and later as Manager of Lands and Resources. She subsequently moved to Ottawa, where she held a series of progressively senior positions focused on reserve lands, including Manager of First Nation Land Management, Manager of Environment, and Acting Director of Lands and Environment Operational Policy.
Her career path then took her to Calgary, where she worked as Manager of Lease Administration. During this time, Jolene played a key leadership role in engagement efforts related to the 2015 pre-inquiry for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls—a deeply significant and impactful initiative.
In 2019, Jolene returned to Ottawa to lead reconciliation initiatives at Public Services and Procurement Canada. She later became Director of Indigenous Procurement Policy, where she worked to strengthen opportunities for Indigenous businesses within federal procurement processes.
In 2023, Jolene returned to Manitoba on an interchange with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba, where she served as Associate Executive Director. Throughout her career, Jolene has been deeply committed to advancing the interests of Indigenous communities. Her current professional focus centres on the decolonization of public service institutions, reconciliation, and Indigenous leadership theory and practice.
Jolene recently joined the Canada School of Public Service, where she contributes to the Indigenous Learning Series and supports public servants in their learning journeys related to reconciliation and decolonization.
Expertise
- Indigenous governance and public policy
- Reconciliation and decolonization in the public sector
- Leadership development
- Indigenous rights and engagement
- Land and resource management
Credentials
- Bachelor of Arts, University of Manitoba
- Master of Arts in Leadership, Royal Roads University
