Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is composed of Members in Good Standing. Board members are elected at our yearly AGM in September. If you are interested in running for the Board of Directors, you can fill out our nomination form or contact us for more information!
Jessica DeWitt
President | Saskatoon
Jessica DeWitt is an environmental historian of Canada and the United States, editor, project manager, and digital communications strategist. She earned her PhD in History from the University of Saskatchewan in 2019. She is an executive member, editor-in-chief, and social media editor for the Network in Canadian History and Environment (NiCHE). She is the Managing Editor for the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. She is also a Girls Rock Saskatoon board member and a Coordinating Team member of Showing Up for Racial Justice Saskatoon-Treaty Six.
Joey Donnelly
Director | Herbert
Joey Donnelly is a folklorist, journalist and cultural consultant on Treaty 4 territory. He graduated with a MA in Folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland and lives on a farm near Herbert, Saskatchewan. Joey has a lot of experience working with non-profit organizations, including reviving Swift Current’s Lyric Theatre. For the past five years, he worked in the immigration settlement sector, building inclusivity with community programming. Last year, Joey contributed a piece to the special edition of Folklore Magazine, Covid-19 Culture: A Living Heritage Project of the Pandemic in Saskatchewan. He is currently preparing a report about Intangible Culture Heritage for the Museums Association of Saskatchewan.
Mandy Fehr
Director | Saskatoon
Mandy Fehr is a researcher, educator and facilitator with 10+ years of experience in community engaged research and intercultural work, particularly with Indigenous and Immigrant/Refugee communities. She holds a PhD in history from the University of Saskatchewan and currently works as a Public Engagement Consultant for the City of Saskatoon.
hugh henry
Past-President | Swift Current
Hugh grew up in Shamrock, SK. He has worked in the museum sector, as a professional and a volunteer, for the past thirty years. He has also been a teacher and a carpenter, and has an active interest in the visual arts. Hugh has given numerous public presentations of the Baker slides and is convenor of the Historic Trails program. In 2015, Hugh initiated the first Trails Walk, an initiative to walk 350 km in 20 days along the Wood Mountain - Fort Walsh North West Mounted Police Trail. The walk began on July 18 at the Wood Mountain Post Historical Site and was completed at Fort Walsh National Historic Site on August 7th.
Jade McDougall
Director | Saskatoon
Jade (they/she/he) is a Métis PhD candidate specializing in Indigenous Literatures. They were born in Prince Albert, SK, and have been living in Saskatoon since childhood. Jade’s dissertation research, undertaken through the Department of English at the University of Saskatchewan, explores Métis family stories through community history, archival materials, and zine practice. Their most recent work has included co-editing the scholarly collection The Arts of Indigenous Health and Well-Being (University of Manitoba Press, 2021), providing illustrations for Cort Dogniez’s book Road to La Prairie Ronde (Gabriel Dumont Institute Press, 2020), and serving as an artist-mentor for the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society’s Youth Storytelling Workshop program series.
Darren R. Préfontaine
Director | Saskatoon
Darren R. Préfontaine is an editor, researcher, and author with the Gabriel Dumont Institute’s Métis Culture and Heritage Department. Originally from Rockglen, Saskatchewan, he obtained degrees at the University of Regina (BA) and York University (MA), majoring in Canadian History. As a non-Indigenous settler, he feels that his understanding of Canada’s past has been greatly enhanced by the hundreds of Métis community people he has had the privilege of knowing over his 27-year career with the Gabriel Dumont Institute. During his tenure with the Institute, he has helped to develop dozens of innovative Métis-specific resources. His book, Gabriel Dumont: Li Chef Michif in Images and In Words won Book of the Year at the 2011 Saskatchewan Book Awards. The Institute also received Publisher of the Year for this book. He lives in Saskatoon with his wife, daughter, dog, and cats.
Courtney Tuck-Goetz
Director | Saskatoon
Courtney Tuck-Goetz, B.A. (Hons.), (History & Classical, Medieval Renaissance Studies, University of Saskatchewan) is the Education & Public Programs Coordinator for the Saskatoon Western Development Museum. Courtney joined the Western Development Museum’s staff in 2018 and previously worked at the Museum of Antiquities at the University of Saskatchewan for five years. During her time at the Museum of Antiquities, she held the positions of Assistant Curator, Education Coordinator, and Community Outreach Coordinator. Courtney will be completing her master’s degree in History at the University of Saskatchewan this Summer with her thesis titled “Femina Furiosa: Female Arena Performers and their Roles in Ancient Roman Spectacle.” Courtney has served as a board member for The Heritage Festival since 2018. She has also been a board member, organizer, program facilitator, and mentor for Girls Rock Saskatoon for the past six years and is committed to the empowerment of local youth through music and creativity that is fostered in their programming. Courtney loves being a museum educator because it allows her to be able to teach and interact with learners of all ages and skill levels. Courtney believes learning about history is an integral part of understanding the human experience and that history should be accessible for everyone.