Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig (SKG) has appointed Melanie Goodchild as Vice-President, Indigenous Knowledge, Scholarship, and Research, effective March 24.
Goodchild brings extensive experience as an Anishinaabe scholar and practitioner of systems thinking and complexity science, with a deep commitment to Indigenous education and research. In this role, she will strengthen SKG’s applied research capacity, mobilize community-driven scholarship and help advance the institution’s vision of Anishinaabe-led education.
"I am honoured to join SKG at this pivotal time," said Goodchild. "I look forward to advancing Anishinaabe-centred education and research, supporting accreditation efforts, and helping position SKG as a world leader in Indigenous higher education."
Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig is a Canadian Indigenous-led institute, with Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie as one of its main partners.
Goodchild is Anishinaabe, Moose Clan, from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Ketegaunseebee First Nations. She is widely recognized for her work in transformative systems change and has been a sought-after lecturer at institutions across Turtle Island, including Yale University and MIT. Her groundbreaking paper, Relational Systems Thinking (2021), has been downloaded nearly 60,000 times and continues to influence academia and practice globally.
She has held leadership and advisory roles with organizations such as the Wolf Willow Institute for Systems Learning, the Academy for Systems Change, and the Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin Anishinaabe Gikendaasowin Academics Advisory Group. Most recently, Goodchild served as Academic Director of Makwa Waakaa’igan at Algoma University.
"Dr. Goodchild’s leadership in systems thinking and her ability to align transformative research with Anishinaabe ways of knowing will be invaluable to SKG," said Mary Wabano-McKay, President and Chief Academic Officer of Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig.
"Her expertise in collaboration and consensus-building will help shape a sovereign and sustainable future for post-secondary Indigenous education. We are honoured to welcome her to our leadership team."
Goodchild holds a Ph.D. in social & ecological sustainability from the University of Waterloo, where she was a research fellow with the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation & Resilience. She also earned an MA and HBA in sociology from Lakehead University.