Biography

Bonnie Freeman is Algonquin/Mohawk from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario, Canada..  She brings many years of practice experience, with work rooted in connections with Six Nations, the Hamilton Aboriginal Community, as well as many other Indigenous communities throughout Canada and the United States. Bonnie is also certified in Equine Assisted Growth and Learning and has developed and implemented in collaboration with the Hamilton Métis Women’s Circle, Equine Assisted Growth and Learning programs to Aboriginal High School students and Native women.

Biography

Chief Mark B. Hill was born and raised on Six Nations of the Grand River Territory and is a member of the Mohawk Nation and Bear clan. In 2010, Mark was elected as the youngest-ever Councillor to the Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Council at the age of nineteen. After serving three terms as Councillor, he then ran for Chief in 2019 and became the youngest-ever Elected Chief of Six Nations at the age of 29.

A passionate advocate for his people, Chief Hill is particularly dedicated to youth empowerment and was a Co-Founder of the Six Nations Youth Council. Through the Chiefs of Ontario, Mark served 5 years on the Ontario First Nations Young Peoples Council. During the same time, he also served as the Co-Chair to the Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council.

Mark attended the International Visitors Leadership Exchange Program (IVLP) in 2016 where he learned more about key global and domestic issues, and foreign policy. Additionally, he was an Indigenous Advisor at the Suncor Committee where he included youth voices in executive decisions through the energy sector.

Chief Hill obtained his Ontario Secondary School Diploma with an Honours from Brantford Collegiate Institute and went on to achieve a diploma in Business Marketing from Mohawk College. He is currently serving as the Co-Chair of the Indigenous Education Council (IEC) at McMaster for a two-year term. He is responsible for upholding, promoting and advocating for inclusion of Indigenous voices through governance and educational institutions and supporting the needs of Indigenous students, staff, and faculty members.

He completed the “Leading People and Investing to Build Sustainable Communities” program at Harvard Business School in 2022. Where he is developing his skills in leading communities, change management, organizational behaviour and entrepreneurial finance. Mark is dedicated to continuous learning for the betterment of himself and his community and he is fiercely devoted to seeking accountability and justice for Indian Residential School and Indian Day School Survivors.