Denise Baxter, she/her, is the Vice-Provost of Indigenous Initiatives at Lakehead University, where she is responsible for Indigenous academic programming, student support services and community relations since 2017. She also taught in both the Department of Indigenous Learning and Department of Continuing Education. As an established education leader, Denise has worked in multiple contexts including public school boards, the Ministry of Education, Lakehead University, and First Nations private schools for the past 32 years. Within each of these contexts, she has built capacity and partnerships with multiple community stakeholders. Her work with the community has involved education conferences, workshop presentations, research and capacity building with educators in First Nations schools.

A Marten Falls First Nation member, she maintains that preserving and practicing cultural traditions and ceremony keeps her connected to the community, Indigenous cultures, traditions, and protocols. She works to establish networks, strengthen relationships with Indigenous communities and governments, and build capacity between Indigenous, public, and private partners which have supported multiple initiatives that advance educational outcomes for Indigenous students.