Regional Director General Biography

Joanne Wilkinson

Joanne Wilkinson assumed her duties as the new Regional Director General of the INAC Yukon Region in May 2009. Born in Montreal and raised in Prince Edward Island, she holds an honours degree in translation from the University of Ottawa and is fluently bilingual in English and French.

Joanne began her Public Service career in December 1990 as a writer/editor in the then-Department of the Secretary of State and, over the course of her career, worked in national policy development, program delivery and departmental operations at the departments of Canadian Heritage and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC).  Among her career highlights are the roles that she played in organizing Royal and Papal visits to Canada as well as contributing to the legislative process for the landmark Nisga'a Final Agreement.

Joanne joined the senior management team in INAC BC Region in 2003, where she held successive director-level positions in Lands and Trust Services as well as Strategic Planning and Communications. There she led initiatives related to her particular interests of building capacity, both internally and with First Nations; comprehensive community planning; the implementation of sectoral self-government initiatives like First Nations land management; and an integrated planning and reporting process for BC Region.

In her free time, Joanne is an avid runner and proud mother to her daughter Jessica. Since arriving in the Yukon, she has already begun to get a feel for the North and its people, including an awe-inspiring visit to Mount Logan and attending a number of community events throughout the Yukon.