Lisa Perley-Dutcher a Wolastoqi ehpit (Maliseet woman) from the Neqotkuk/Tobique First Nation. Her family roots are from the Kahkakuhsuwakutom naka Malsomuwakutom (Crow and Wolf Clan). She is a mother of 4 sons (Shane, Andrew, Jonathan, Jeremy) and grandmother to 4 granddaughters (Sadie, Aurora, Dahlia, and Gwyneth). Lisa worked as a registered nurse for 30 years with a master’s degree in nursing from the University of New Brunswick. The focus of her career as a nurse has focused on contributing to the improvement of health outcomes for Indigenous peoples. She worked as a community health nurse in one of the first communities that transferred health services to a First Nation community in the Atlantic Region. She was also at the forefront of the First Nations and Inuit Home and Community Care Program when it was being launched into First Nations across the country. She established the first Aboriginal Nursing Initiative Director position at UNB Faculty of Nursing to help increase the recruitment and retention of Indigenous students. She also worked as the Director of Mental Wellness for the Atlantic Regions First Nation and Inuit Health Branch. Lisa and her husband Stephen are partner consultants (Mah-sos Education and Research Associates- MERA) providing on-line educational sessions, facilitation and research services on various topics related to Indigenous history and health. She served as President of the Indigenous Nurses Association of Canada. She recently graduated from a two-year intensive Wolastoqey language program and is currently involved in language and cultural revitalization projects.
