Suzanne provides leadership, vision and innovation in Indigenous post-secondary education at the First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI). She is Bear Clan and a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, located along the shores of the beautiful Bay of Quinte.

She holds a Master’s degree from York University in Environmental Studies with a focus on Indigenous post-secondary programming. Suzanne graduated from the Institute of Integrated Medicine as an Integrated Medical Clinician. Suzanne is a current and founding board member of Honouring Indigenous Peoples, HIP, (“Understanding the Past, Moving Forward Together”) an initiative of Rotary International and a committee member of the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force.

Suzanne is a past board member of: Aboriginal Institutes Consortium (Vice-Chair), St. Lawrence College Board of Governors, Prevent Cancer Now (national board), member of the Great Lakes United (bi-national) and founding board member of CKWE Tyendinaga radio.

She is a past committee member of the Remedial Action Plan/Bay of Quinte, the Environmental Advisory Committee – Mohawks of Bay of Quinte, and the Health Advisory Committee – Mohawks of Bay of Quinte

Suzanne is the 2019 recipient of York University’s Bryden Alumni “Tentanda Via” award, recognizing a graduate who has demonstrated innovative, unconventional and daring leadership and success, reflecting the University’s motto – Tentanda Via (“The Way Must Be Tried”).

Suzanne was appointed in July 2020 to sit on the Premier’s Council on Equality of Opportunity, an intergenerational and cross-sector advisory group to provide advice on how young people can overcome social and economic barriers and achieve success.

Suzanne has a strong commitment to Indigenous language, culture and traditions. She is an accomplished visual artist and photographer who has exhibited her work at the Woodland Cultural Centre, Brantford and Gallery 121, Belleville. She is a seasoned gardener and specializes in traditional food systems and medicinal plants. Suzanne has four incredible children and two beautiful granddaughters.

Select Publications:

Williams, K., & Brant, S. (2021). Plant persons, more-than-human power, and institutional practices in Indigenous higher education. In V. Fletcher & A. Dare (Eds.)Intimate Relations: Communicating in the Anthropocene(pp. 197-214). Lexington Books.