Dr. Pete is from Little Pine First Nation (Treaty 6 Territory) under the colonial and patriarchal Indian Act. She is the oldest daughter of Jacob and Eileen (Agecoutay) Pete. She also has family in Cowessess First Nation (Treaty 4 Territory). Her family are Nehiyaw, Dakota and Saulteaux.
Shauneen has worked as a professor and university administrator for nearly 25 years, most notably at First Nations University of Canada where she served as both Vice-President (Academic) and Interim President.
Shauneen earned Full Professor at the University of Regina (2017), before moving to Victoria. She joined Royal Roads University in 2022 when she became the Chair of the Emerging Indigenous Scholars Circle.
Experience
Shauneen believes that stories can be a powerful tool to transform organizational cultures and to promote Indigeneity across professions. She is a prolific public speaker, presenting on Indigenous experience, and the necessity for more settlers to engage both in anti-oppressive and decolonial praxis.
She was invited to work with the RCMP, the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations, the Regina-Qu’Appelle Health District, and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association as they worked to advance both Indigenous recruitment/retention and promote anti-racism.
Pete has been undertaken numerous First Nations community impact research studies promoting school effectiveness, First Nations educational governance, and promote First Nations well-being. She conducted reviews of language and elder in -residence programs in Saskatchewan. In BC, she worked with the BC Teachers Federation promoting decolonization and reconciliation education.
Memberships and Committees
- Executive Committee Member
- National Indigenous University Senior Leadership Association (NIUSLA)
Education
2001
PhD in Higher Education Administration
University of Arizona
1998
Master of Educational Administration
University of Saskatchewan
1989
Bachelor of Education
University of Saskatchewan
Awards
2016
Distinguished Speaker
Brock University
2016
Award
Intercultural Dialogue Institute (Hero’s for Intercultural Learning)
2016
Inaugural Indigenous Scholar in Residence
Nipissing University
2015
Nominee
YWCA Women of Distinction Awards (Circle of Friends)
2015
Nominee
Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations: Strength of our Women
2015
Global Citizen Award
Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation
2012
Award
YWCA Women of Distinction Award (Cultural Heritage)
2012
Inaugural Tribal Scholar in Residence
New Mexico State University
Research
Research interest
Indigenous faculty experiences
Indigenization and decolonization of higher education
Pedagogical practices to advance settler decolonization
Publications
Pirbhai-Illich, F., Martin, F., and Pete, S. (2024). Decolonizing educational relationships: Practical approaches for higher and teacher education. Emerald Press. DOI10.1108/9781800715295
Sasakamoose, J., Pete, S., O’Soup, F., & Wolfe, T. (2024). From trauma to resilience: Advancing cultural responsiveness and equity in the Muskowekwan First Nation’s healing journey. Frontiers in Public Health, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1419250
Brooks, T., Gilpin, E., Webster, C. & Pete, S. (2024). Choosing to be kin: The Emerging Indigenous Scholars Circle. Women & Gender in Higher Education. Special Edition.
Anderson, B., Kubik, W, Pete, S., & Rucklos-Hampton, M. (Eds.). (2021). Global femicide: Indigenous women and girls torn from our midst. Open Educational Resources, University of Regina. https://opentextbooks.uregina.ca/femicide/