An Ojibway from the Animakee Wa Zhing 37 First Nation, Mike DeGagné serves as the President & CEO of Indspire, an Indigenous charity investing in education for Indigenous populations across Canada. M. DeGagné holds a PhD from Michigan State University, focussing on Indigenous post-secondary success, and Master’s degrees in administration, Law, and Public Ethics. Mr. DeGagné is a recipient of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario as well as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Most recently, he received an Indspire Award for Public Service, was inducted into the Nipissing District Human Rights Hall of Fame, and received an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Dalhousie University.
He was appointed Nipissing University President and Vice Chancellor in 2013, becoming one of the first Indigenous presidents of a Canadian public university. While President of Nipissing, Mr. DeGagné dedicated much of his work to Indigenous issues and ensuring that Nipissing University took a leading role in the indigenization of the post-secondary education sector. He later served as the first President of Yukon University, a new hybrid post-secondary institution in Whitehorse, Yukon. During this time, he managed its transition to a university. His career also includes working with the federal government in management of Indigenous programs and as a negotiator of comprehensive land claims.