Dr. Rebecca Major is a member of the Métis Nation through her maternal side. She has a lineage connected to the Northwest fur trade and has primarily resided in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Engaging with and learning from her community has been a long-standing commitment for Dr. Major. Her father's family identifies as Mi'kmaw from New Brunswick, and his influence played a significant role in her upbringing.
Dr. Rebecca Major holds a PhD in Indigenous Public Policy from the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan. She also has a master’s degree in Indigenous Studies (formerly the Department of Native Studies) from the University of Saskatchewan, focusing on Indigenous land claims and specializing in Specific Land Claims. Her undergraduate degree is a double honours degree in History and Indigenous Studies from the University of Saskatchewan. Furthermore, Dr. Major has a specialization in Indigenous Governance and Politics from the Political Studies Department at the same university.
Apart from her academic accomplishments, Dr. Major gained experience as a policy analyst at the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, specifically in the departments of Environment and Intergovernmental Affairs. She also briefly served as the manager of Intergovernmental Affairs. Following this experience, Dr. Major returned to teaching at NORTEP in La Ronge, SK for the University of Saskatchewan before pursuing her PhD. During her doctoral studies, Dr. Major held leadership roles in the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, serving as the Métis local president and later being elected as the Area Representative for Western Region IIA (Saskatoon Region) at the provincial and national levels.
In 2018, Dr. Major relocated to the Windsor area where she was involved in the establishment of the Indigenous Studies minor. Currently, Dr. Major holds two SSHRC grants. One grant supports her research on the impact of Indigenous women in politics, while the other grant focuses on advancing ideas in Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) and Indigenization.
In September 2023, Rebecca received tenure and was promoted to the position of Associate Professor at the University of Windsor. More recently, she accepted a Research Chair position at Yukon University in the department of Indigenous Governance, which started December 2023, relocating to Whitehorse in the summer of 2024. In her role of Northern Governance Research Chair, Rebecca aims to amplify northern voices as she develops relationships with northern communities, will continue supporting northern education, and continue research that centres Indigenous knowledge systems.
