Leadership is a term Misiaykimigookpaypomwayotung, or Jacqueline Ottmann in English, has known all too well since her youth when she was growing up on Fishing Lake First Nation, approximately two hours from Regina on Treaty 4 territory.
Ottmann, the president of First Nations University of Canada, said she learned what it takes to be a leader because of the strong leadership skills her parents demonstrated throughout her life.
Her father, the late Allan Paquachan, was chief of her community for a span of 30 years, while her mother, Marjorie Paquachan, drove their school bus for nearly 50 years. Both had strong relationships and friendships within the community and surrounding communities.
“We were always exposed to political leadership but also the responsibility connected to leadership in general,” Ottmann explained during her interview for Shaping Saskatchewan.
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The leadership qualities her parents displayed were one reason why Ottmann chose to focus her graduate research on investigating leadership and organizational development. The other reason: there was very little to no literature on leadership and organization from Indigenous perspectives.
Before her academic career, Ottmann worked as an elementary and high school teacher before she became a principal.
“That was a frustration that I had within the education system as an educator and was always compelled to further my education to impact teachers or students who are hoping to be teachers,” she said.
Ottmann’s circle of influence increased as her career progressed, which included stops at the University of Calgary and the University of Saskatchewan, where she held academic leadership roles. In 2021, after serving as professor and vice-provost of Indigenous engagement at USask, Ottmann was named president of FNU.
She is widely acknowledged as an advocate and researcher with a drive to generate social justice.
Through her work and advocacy over the years, Ottmann has proven to be not only an academic leader but also a leader striving to create positive change.
“I really do see educational leadership as a solution for many of the issues that we’re experiencing today within Indigenous and non-Indigenous circles,” Ottmann said.
The FNU president encourages folks hoping to emerge as future leaders to exercise their voice and to make an impact with actions.
“You don’t have to be loud to make an impact. You just have to wake up in the morning and, as my grandparents did, you move forward with the hope of making change for that day.”
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