Leslee White-Eye is a citizen of Chippewas of the Thames First Nation and an accomplished education policy analyst, governance leader, and advocate for Indigenous self-determination in education. With over two decades of experience spanning classrooms, community councils, provincial government, and national policy work, she brings a rare depth of lived and professional understanding to the intersections of First Nation governance, language, culture, and justice. Leslee’s career began in the classroom, where she taught for eight years within the First Nation education system. She went on to provide special education supports and professional development across eight First Nations organizations, before spending nine years with the Ontario Ministry of Education developing curriculum and supporting school boards across southwestern Ontario. Elected as Chief of Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Leslee led governance and education policy initiatives at the community level — experience she draws on directly in her current work as Governance Director for the First Nations with Schools Collective, where she focuses on funding formula reform, jurisdictional modeling, and agreement-making in First Nation education. She also brings these insights to her role as a Nibwaakaawin Associate with Counsel Public Affairs. Leslee is deeply committed to the regeneration of Indigenous languages, cultures, and governance systems — not as heritage projects, but as living, dynamic expressions of sovereignty. At the Victoria Forum 2026, she joins as both a Board Member and a featured panelist, contributing to conversations on language and cultural reclamation, youth leadership, and the structural changes needed to honour the inherent rights of First Nations.
