OUR TEAM
Our staff, students and affiliates
Staff
Our team comes to this work as a community of Indigenous and settler scholars, lawyers, professors, and researchers with diverse backgrounds and experience working with Indigenous communities. We are committed to building and maintaining the relationships we develop through our work to support the recovery, revitalization, and re-articulation of Indigenous laws.
Director: Dr. Val Napoleon
As Director and co-founder of the ILRU, Dr. Val Napoleon is responsible for the overall vision and direction of our research, academic writing, and publications. Val publishes and teaches in areas of aboriginal legal issues, Indigenous legal traditions and methodologies, Indigenous legal theories, Indigenous feminisms, legal pluralism, restorative justice, citizenship, democracy, and governance. She also teaches common property law and Gitxsan land and property in the JID/JD.
Val is Cree from Saulteau First Nation and an adopted member of the Gitanyow [northern Gitxsan].
Associate Director: Dr. Rebecca Johnson
As Associate Director of the ILRU, Dr. Rebecca Johnson is responsible for the vision and direction of our research, teaching, academic writing, and publications. Rebecca acts as project lead on ILRU’s research projects, and teaches, presents, and co-facilitates workshops about the ILRU’s research in the UVic Faculty of Law and broader community. Rebecca is also a professor in the UVic Faculty of Law.
Rebecca is a settler born in Treaty 7 Territory, but she spent—and continues to spend—her summers in Secwepemcúl’ecw. She is fortunate and grateful to live on the unceded territories of the Lkwungen-speaking peoples and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
Research Director: Jessica Asch
As Research Director of the ILRU, Jessica Asch is responsible for overseeing our day-to-day operations and programming. Jessica acts as project lead for the ILRU’s research projects. She also presents and co-facilitates workshops about the ILRU’s research in the law school and broader community.
Jessica is a settler from Treaty 6 Territory. She is fortunate and grateful to live on the unceded territories of the Lkwungen-speaking peoples and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
Coordinator: Brooke Edmonds
As the ILRU Coordinator, Brooke Edmonds organizes the ILRU’s internal programming and is the outreach point person for communications and publications.
Brooke is a visitor from Otūwhare in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Her iwi is Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and her hapū is Te Whānau-ā-Rutaia. She is grateful to visit on the unceded territories of the Lkwungen-speaking peoples and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
Senior Researcher: Simon Owen
As a Senior Researcher at the ILRU, Simon Owen acts as project lead and researcher on ILRU’s projects. Simon also presents and co-facilitates workshops about the ILRU’s research in the law school and broader community.
Simon is a settler from Tsleil-Waututh, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and KWIKWETLEM territories. He is fortunate and grateful to live on the unceded territories of the Lkwungen-speaking peoples and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
Senior Researcher: Tara Williamson
As a Senior Researcher at the ILRU, Tara Williamson acts as project lead and researcher on ILRU’s projects. Tara also presents and co-facilitates workshops about the ILRU’s research in the law school and broader community. Tara is also a Research Fellow for the Yellowhead Institute, as well as a writer and musician.
Tara is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation and was raised in Gaabishkigamaag (Swan Lake, Manitoba). She is fortunate and grateful to live on the unceded territories of the Lkwungen-speaking peoples and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
Researcher: Alex McArdle
As an ILRU Researcher, Alex McArdle is responsible for assisting with our research and curriculum-development projects.
Alex is a settler who grew up on the unceded territories of the Algonquin people, in what is also known as Ottawa. She is fortunate and grateful to be living on the unceded territories of the Lkwungen-speaking peoples and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
Researcher: Cheyenne Arnold-Cunningham
As an ILRU Researcher, Cheyenne Arnold-Cunningham is responsible for assisting with our research and curriculum-development projects.
Cheyenne is Métis with Cree and French ancestry. Her family comes from Alberta, with Métis roots in St. Albert and Lac Ste. Anne. Cheyenne was born and raised in Ontario, and currently lives in Vancouver on unceded Tsleil-Waututh, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and KWIKWETLEM territories.
Co-Researcher: Lori Groft
As an ILRU Researcher, Lori Groft is responsible for assisting with our research and curriculum-development projects.
Lori is a settler from Treaty 7 Territory. She is fortunate and grateful to live on the unceded territories of the Lkwungen-speaking peoples and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
Financial and Reporting Facilitation Officer: Heather Chestnutt
As the ILRU’s Financial and Reporting Officer, Heather Chestnutt is responsible for supporting the financial administration of our project funds. She also facilitates the development of research applications and assists with grant reporting.
Heather is a settler from Tsleil-Waututh Territory. She is fortunate and grateful to live on the unceded territories of the Lkwungen-speaking peoples and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
Current students
We train students, the upcoming generation of legal professionals, through research placements at our unit. Students have the opportunity to engage in research, writing and community-minded—and led—relationship development in a number of legal traditions.
