Kathleen Sawdo is a member of Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation in Treaty 3 Territory. As Executive Director of Indigenous Works and Kocihta, she is leading two national Indigenous organizations advancing workplace inclusion and reconciliation across Canada. A People & Culture leader with unwavering dedication to Indigenous inclusion, for over 20 years Kathleen has worked with organizations transforming how they approach reconciliation and Indigenous workforce development. She has served in board director positions including the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and Thunder Bay Police Community Advisory Committee, bringing Indigenous perspectives to regional governance and community leadership. Kathleen holds professional designations including Tribal Human Resources Professional (THRP) and Canadian Indigenous Human Resources Professional (CIHRP). Guided by a two-eyed seeing approach, she leads with Indigenous values at the forefront – weaving respect, relationship, and reciprocity into organizational strategy and operations. Kathleen’s leadership philosophy centers people as the heartbeat of any organization. She invites others to reimagine what workplace inclusion could be – spaces where Indigenous voices are centered, Indigenous knowledge systems inform organizational culture, and meaningful reconciliation creates pathways to shared prosperity.