May 12, 2022 -Indigenous scholar, administrator and business leader Dr. Mark S. Dockstator, a member of the Oneida Nation of the Thames, has been appointed Chair of the Nature Foundation—the charitable arm supporting the national research and educational initiatives of the Canadian Museum of Nature. Dockstator also offers a special focus on Indigenous issues, with decades of experience in the public and private sectors, as well as academia.

Dockstator is an associate professor at Trent University’s Chanie Wenjack School of Indigenous Studies and is a former President of the First Nations University of Canada in Regina, Saskatchewan. He received his doctorate in law from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University in 1994.

“We are grateful to benefit from Mark’s proven leadership skills, critical thinking and deep respect for a world driven by sustainability, ”says Laura Evans, Executive Director of the Nature Foundation. “As one of the first Indigenous persons to lead a national charitable foundation of this caliber, Mark provides a critical voice to weave reconciliations efforts into the Foundation’s initiatives, especially those focussed on Northern communities.”

Dockstator, who lives in Oakville, Ontario, also serves on other boards including the Rideau Hall Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Royal Military College.

“I’m honoured to accept this appointment and welcome discussions with the Foundation on the importance of looking at nature as being all inclusive, with impacts on so many levels. How can we, being a part of nature, bring our skills and interests together to build a sustainable world?” says Dockstator. “As a Foundation, with nature as its focus, we can guide and interest others to how and why they can be part of a sustainable future.”

The overall mission of the Nature Foundation is to inspire investments in nature to fund projects that lead change, strengthen our collective understanding of a healthy natural world, and contribute to a sustainable future. With a particular focus on the Arctic and environmental issues such as climate change and loss of biodiversity, the Foundation elicits substantial philanthropic gifts to fund research in species discovery and change, global knowledge sharing, scientific training, and public education.

Dockstator draws from his personal experience in guiding his commitment to the Nature Foundation. “Being First Nations, there is a natural connection to nature, the natural world and issues of sustainability, and that is ingrained in our traditional teachings,” he explains. “My family is very involved in learning from elders and traditional knowledge, and embedded in that philosophy is how we all have a responsibility as stewards of the land. This should be a driving factor, for humankind, to be stewards of the natural environment.”

To date, the Nature Foundation has cultivated more than $6million in philanthropic gifts. Among the highlights are:

Among more recent philanthropic gifts is Foundation support for a new MITACS post-doctoral fellowship at Carleton University, starting in fall 2022. The researcher will investigate the way that the Canadian Museum of Nature and its predecessors marginalized knowledges, peoples, and places through its research and collection practices, with a focus on the Canadian North. The Nature Foundation has also secured $75,000 from a private family foundation for programs that will support the museum as a welcoming and accessible destination for Indigenous peoples.  

More about Mark Dockstator
During his career, Dockstator has developed a specific expertisein Indigenous issues, and has served as principal investigator for national andregional research projects in Indigenous health, treaties, Indigenous languagesand culture, education, and economic development.He has served as foundingChair of the First Nations Statistical Institute, Senior Negotiator andResearcher for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, President and CEO of RamaEconomic Development Corporation, Special Advisor to the Royal Commission onAboriginal Peoples and Special Advisor to the Chief Commissioner of the IndianLan Claims Commission.