First plenary

Melanie Griffith Brice, University of Regina

Bio

Dr. Melanie Griffith Brice is a Michif scholar and a citizen of the Métis Nation – Saskatchewan. She is a mother and grandmother. She is in the process of reclaiming her Michif language. A proud SUNTEP alumna, she worked as an elementary classroom teacher and a teacher-librarian in Saskatoon. Research areas include Michif/Métis ways of knowing and learning, Language & Literacy learning and teaching, and Indigenous language revitalization. She is also the Gabriel Dumont Research Chair in Michif/Métis Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina.

Second plenary

Suzie Beaulieu, Université Laval

Bio

Suzie Beaulieu is a researcher and teacher educator in the Department of Languages, Linguistics and Translation at Université Laval since 2012. Her research focuses on the acquisition of French as an Lx in the context of immigration. Her research focuses on the development of oral skills with adult newcomers to the Quebec City area and the linguistic capital that they have acquired. She is also interested in the implementation of sound pedagogical practices with adult immigrants for language and literacy development. She is a member of CRIFUQ and is co-leader of COPRAL.

Third plenary

Loly Rico, FCJ Refugee Centre

Bio

Loly Rico is the Executive Director of the FCJ Refugee Centre, with 30 years’ experience welcoming and walking with up-rooted people. She is the past president of the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) and has been supporting various organizations and committees at the Municipal, Provincial and National levels with expertise in Immigration, Settlement and Gender Issues. She is the past-president of the Board of Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, member and past chair of Anti-Human Trafficking sub-committee at the CCR. Loly Rico is the recipient of many important awards, including the Constance E. Hamilton Award by the City of Toronto for advocating for women’s rights and social justice, and the 2006 YMCA Peace Medallion Award which she shares with her husband, Francisco Rico Martinez.