Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, PhD., (he/him/his) is Anishinaabe (St. Peter’s/Little Peguis) and an associate professor at the University of Manitoba. He regularly speaks and writes about Indigenous issues for national and international media outlets and his writing appears bi weekly in the Winnipeg Free Press. He has also published short stories in books like The Exile Edition of Native Canadian Fiction and Drama and graphic novels like This Place: 150 Years Retold. He is the 2018 recipient of a National Newspaper Award for best Canadian Columnist and also was named 2019 Peace Educator of the Year by the Peace and Justice Studies Association at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Niigaan is co-editor of the award-winning Manitowapow: Aboriginal Writings from the Land of Water and Centering Anishinaabeg Studies: Understanding the World Through Stories and the editorial director of The Debwe Series (published by HighWater Press).

Stephen D. Borys is the Director and CEO of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) – Qaumajuq where he oversaw the development of the new Inuit art centre, now open to the public. At the core of his directorship is the goal of advancing a meaningful and sustained dialogue with the public, and creating in both physical and virtual spaces, a welcoming forum where art and artmaking is at the forefront with audiences and stakeholders.

Dr. Borys holds an adjunct professorship at the University of Winnipeg where he teaches in the History and Business departments. He was previously chief curator at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida, at which time he held teaching posts at Florida State University and New College. Prior to Sarasota, he was senior curator and lecturer at the Allen Art Museum, Oberlin College, Ohio, and before Oberlin, he was assistant curator of European & American Art at the National Gallery of Canada, and a curatorial assistant at the Canadian Centre for Architecture.

He holds an Executive MBA, a PhD in Art and Architectural History from McGill University, a MA in Art History from the University of Toronto, and a BA Honours from the University of Winnipeg.

Dr. Borys has organized numerous exhibitions, written accompanying catalogues and scholarly articles, and lectured across North America and internationally. He is currently a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors’ Membership committee and Canadian Art Museum Directors’ Advisory Board for COVID-19. He is a past board member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, Canadian Museums Association, and past president of the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization.

Borys is a graduate of the Getty Center’s Museum Leadership Institute and the Next Generation Program, and the Attingham Trust’s Royal Collections Studies Program, London. He was awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2020, Tourism Winnipeg’s Leader of the Year and Downtown Winnipeg BIZ Leadership in the Arts award in 2015, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. Borys is a member of the CMA Museums and Indigenous Issues Council, past board trustee of the Association of Art Museum Directors, past president and board director of the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization, and an honorary member of the WAG National Indigenous Advisory Circle.

Julia Lafreniere (she/her), recipient of the 2023 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, is a passionate advocate for cultural understanding, reconciliation, and community service. A proud Michif and Anishinaabe woman, Julia belongs to and is claimed by Minegozhiibe Anishinabe First Nation on Treaty 4 territory. She is the Head of Learning, Indigenous Ways & Equity at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, where she has been since 2019. Julia leads initiatives aimed at fostering deeper understanding and bridging cultural gaps and has had the privilege of sharing her work at institutions across Turtle Island, most notable at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where her presentations focus on integrating Indigenous knowledge into institutional practices.

In addition to her role at the gallery, Julia works as a consultant on transformative projects, advising organizations on how to better include Indigenous perspectives and develop policies that prioritize the safety and wellbeing of all staff and clients. She is the Indigenous Inclusion Consultant for Equitable Solutions, where she supports efforts to create more inclusive and equitable environments. Julia’s projects have been recognized with awards, most notably the Canadian Museums Association (CMA).

Recently, Julia was selected for the 2024-25 Business/Arts Emerging Leadership program and invited by the U.S. State Department to participate in their International Visiting Leadership Program. Julia holds a Masters of Arts degree in Cultural Studies from the University of Winnipeg and is deeply committed to advancing reconciliation and equity, inspiring others along the way. Her work is a continuous journey of learning, and she is honored to be part of broader efforts to build a more inclusive future.

Paul Samyn has been part of the Free Press newsroom for more than a quarter century, working his way up after starting as a rookie reporter in 1988. And if you count the time spent delivering the newspaper as a boy growing up in St. James, his connection to the Free Press goes back even further.

As a reporter, Paul wrote for every section of the paper, covered elections, wars overseas and the funerals of a royal princess and a prime minister. The graduate of the University of Winnipeg and Red River College helped lead the Free Press’s political coverage for a decade as its Ottawa bureau chief before being named city editor in 2007. In the summer of 2012, Paul was promoted to editor, becoming only the 15th person to hold that office since the Free Press began publishing in 1872.

Paul is the chairman of the National Newspaper Awards, a member of the National NewsMedia Council and also serves on the J.W. Dafoe Foundation, named after the legendary Free Press editor.