Dawna Hope

Yukon University recently appointed Dawna Hope as the first Indigenous Water Governance Research Chair, a position supported by a five-year funding commitment from the Gordon Foundation.

As the inaugural Chair, Dawna will lead collaborative efforts to shape policies and governance structures related to the implementation of Chapter 14 of the Yukon First Nations Final Agreements, while advancing water governance initiatives across the Yukon and the North.

Dawna is a member of the Crow Clan and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun in Mayo, Yukon, where she served as the first elected female Chief. Dawna brings more than 20 years of experience to this role, including conducting technical field methodology, serving as an Instructor for the RRMT 134 – Salmon Hatcheries and Fisheries Management at Yukon College, and directly working with Yukon First Nations and other levels of government as a Regional Fish and Wildlife Harvest Technician at the Yukon Government.

Dawna graduated with a Diploma with honours in Renewable Resource Management (Yukon College, 2007), a BSc. in Northern Environmental and Conservation Science (University of Alberta, 3.75 GPA, 2013), and an Indigenous Governance and Public Administration certificate with honours through Yukon University in 2024.

The first university North of 60 

The Indigenous Water Governance Research Chair is housed within the School of Indigenous Governance at Yukon University. Across 13 campuses, Yukon University offers degree, diploma, certificate, trades, academic upgrading and continuing studies programming in addition to numerous applied research projects.

Representatives from each Yukon First Nation guide curriculum development, integrating cultures and worldviews, and ensuring that programs and services meet the needs of Yukon First Nations.

Previously Yukon College, it officially became Yukon University in 2020. This landmark event saw the institution become Canada’s first Northern University.

Building on a long history of working in the North 

The Gordon Foundation board and senior staff team met with Dawna Hope during a visit to Yukon in 2026.

The Gordon Foundation has a long history of working in Canada’s North, with the Yukon University Indigenous Water Governance Program marking the latest chapter.

Like much of our previous work, the investment in the Indigenous Water Governance Program supports Northern policy leadership that is for the North, by the North, and led in the North.

This work also ties into our long history of protecting Canada’s freshwater, including with the development of DataStream, an open access platform for sharing water data. DataStream’s fifth regional hub, Pacific DataStream, shares water data from across British Columbia and Yukon.

We look forward to working with Yukon University and Dawna Hope over the coming years and reporting on the development and impact of this important program.