Dr. Wanda Rockthunder

Wanda Rockthunder is an Assistant Professor in Indigenous Relations within the Faculty of Business at Athabasca University. Her work is grounded in relationship, lived experience, and a commitment to supporting Indigenous learners, communities, and future leaders though meaningful and relational education.

With a background in Indigenous business, governance, communications, and community engagement, Wanda brings both professional and lived experience into the classroom. Her teaching approach emphasizes storytelling, reflection, critical dialogue and Indigenous ways of knowing, which encouraging students to connect learning to community realities and real-world practice.

Prior to entering academia, Wanda worked alongside Indigenous communities, organizations and government in areas related to governance, facilitation, program development, proposal writing, leadership development and community capacity building. These experiences continue to shape her teaching and research, where she believes education should support not only academic growth, but also relationship, responsibility and purpose.

Wanda is currently completing her PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia, where her research focuses on revitalizing Indigenous wholistic frameworks withing education to better support Indigenous student well-being and success.

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Research interests

• Indigenous business and leadership
• Indigenous governance and community development
• Indigenous student well-being and success
• Indigenous ways of knowing in education
• Wholistic and relational approaches to learning
• Engineering education and Indigenous frameworks
• Indigenous communication and storytelling
• Community capacity building
• Indigenous leadership development
• Indigenous relations and reconciliation initiatives

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Educational credentials

• PhD Candidate, Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia Okanagan
• Master of Business Administration (MBA), Indigenous Business and Leadership, Simon Fraser University
• Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), University of Regina

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Professional affiliations

• Assistant Professor, Faculty of Business, Athabasca University
• PhD Candidate, Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia Okanagan
• MBA, Simon Fraser University

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