Governance & Leadership

Natasha Latreille is Chair of the Isaruit Inuit Arts: Pijunarnivut Board of Directors. First elected as Chair of the Board at the AGM in January 2021, Natasha brings to Isaruit fifteen years experience as the Office Administrator and Project Coordinator of the Canadian contingent of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, during which time she travelled throughout the Circumpolar world in the capacity of advocating for Inuit globally.  Having worked in a number of administrative positions in retail in the South, Natasha presently works as a Logistician for Nasittuq Corporation, Nunavut. Natasha was raised in her mother’s home town of Iqaluit and presently lives and works in Carleton Place with her family. Natasha is committed to making Isaruit Inuit Arts a national force representing and supporting Inuit artists.

Billy Merkosak was born and raised by his grandparents in Mitimatalik, Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut. Travelling extensively on the land as a child, Billy developed excellent land skills and Inuit cultural skills at an early age, and managed to graduate from Grade 10 as well.  Billy began drawing and sculpting bone, stone and ivory at an early age, and has become a prolific and experienced Inuit artist whose works are well known and sought after both nationally and internationally. Billy’s passion is to support the development of Inuit creators.  As a former Board member of NACCA, Billy eagerly works with the Isaruit Inuit Arts Board of Directors, helping to bring forward the challenges and the needs of Inuit artists living in the North.  Billy continues to live and work in Mitimatalik with his family. When he is not out on the land fishing or hunting, or away participating in meetings of the various Nunavut committees, he is invited to attend.

Jessie Kangok is an Inuk born and raised in Igloolik Nunavut. When she was 16, Jessie moved to Ottawa with her family. Since moving to Ottawa, Jessie has been involved as an active member of the Ottawa Inuit Community, working in various roles with Tungasugvvigat Inuit and the Inuuqatigiit.  Jessie  is a mother of three teenage children, and  is currently a stay at home mother.  As the founder of Uqallagvik, the Inuit radio station in Ottawa, Jessie continues to work part time as a Radio Host and Producer for the Ottawa Uqallagvik CKCU 93.1 F.M. that broadcasts for an hour every Wednesday at noon. Jessie enjoys being connected with her Inuit community here in Ottawa and watching her children learn their Inuit Culture and Language.  Although she thought she would lose her identity when she moved to the big city of Ottawa as a teenager, Jessie is committed to letting other Inuit know that they can find a comfortable place to be in Ottawa, where an Inuk can find the same community feeling she felt growing up in her home community of Igloolik, by being connected with other Inuit living here in the city of Ottawa. Jessie continues to advocate firmly and productively for the support of the Inuit Community of Ottawa since joining the Board of Directors of Isaruit Inuit Arts in August, 2021.

Donovan Gordon-Tootoo is in his third term   Donovan was raised in Rankin Inlet , going to school during the winter, and going boating and camping on the land for the summers with his father and extended family. Boating and fishing continue to be Donovan’s favorite activities.  After attending Nunavut Sivuniksavut in Ottawa for two years after graduating from high school, Donovan entered Carleton University in an Indigenous Enriched Support Program, and transferred to a Bachelor of Arts Program there within a year.  Donovan was then accepted into an internship with the  Inuit Youth Leadership Program for a summer at Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and became employed full time as a Policy Analyst there soon after.  Donovan enjoys living in Ottawa, particularly as he becomes more integrated into the Ottawa Inuit Community.  He  finds that visiting Isaruit keeps him connected with the richness of Inuit community and keeps him grounded in his Inuk identity.  Being with Isaruit also helps him find his voice to advocate on behalf of Inuit, in culture, education, government policies, the arts and etcetera.  Donovan particularly enjoys drumming, Inuit games and creating.

Beverly Illauq grew up in rural Ontario farming communities in southern Ontario.  After teaching school in the Naskapi Cree community in Schefferville, Quebec, Beverly took her teaching degree at OISIE in Toronto and spent a spring in Igloolik teaching school. In 1978 Beverly became the tutor and recreation counsellor with DIAND for Inuit House, the “home away from home” for Inuit, located at 29 Somerset Street in Ottawa. There were 66 Inuit living in Ottawa at that time. In 1980, when Inuit House closed, she began working with John MacDonald as the Cultural Development Officer for Northern Affairs, and was the editor of Inuktitut magazine. In 1983, she was seconded to the NWT Government to teach school in Clyde River. Along with Jushua Illauq, her husband, a hunter and traveller from Clyde River, she camped and travelled in the Clyde area with their family of 4 children. They founded Qullikkut Guides and Outfitters, a guiding company that worked with eco-tourists in an Inuit way, Apitak Development Corporation, and along with many other Clyde people, Ilisaqsivik Family Resource Centre. She has lived in the South since 2002, first in Regina, and since 2010 in the Ottawa area. In 2017, Beverly was one of a group of 5 women, including Martha Flaherty, Aigah Attagutsiaq, Malachi Kigutak and Simona Arnatsiaq who founded Isaruit Inuit Women’s Sewing Centre, now Isaruit Inuit Arts. Beverly, the founding Coordinator of Isaruit, sees herself as the eyes and the beak of the “Owl:, which is the organizational model of Isaruit.

Beverly is one of the four founding Grandmothers of Inuit families of Isaruit.  Born to English parents, in the Toronto area, Beverly grew up in mainstream culture, and has a teaching degree. After having taught school in Schefferville and Igloolik, and having worked for Northern Affairs for the federal government for several years, she married into the Apitak family in Clyde River in 1985. After living in Clyde River for 19 years and having the privilege to help found Ilisaqsivik Society/  Family Resource Centre  there, Beverly now lives in the Ottawa area and continues to develop Isaruit Inuit Arts Centre as the Centre Coordinator. 

Aigah Attagutsiaq was born and raised in Arctic Bay. When she moved about 20 years ago to Ottawa with her children, she began working as an adult educator and counselor and eventually studied to become an ordained Anglican minister. Throughout her life, Aigah has always sewn clothing and craft items out of sealskin and knows well how healing it can be to create and sew things for her family and to sell or give to others. Aigah’s work as the only Inuit Anglican Minister, at St. Margaret’s Anglican Church in Vanier in the City of Ottawa, keeps her extremely busy, but she stills joins Isaruit for conferences and sewing drop ins when she can.

Martha has worked in the area of cultural retention and with DIAND, as the President of the national Pauktutiit Inuit Women’s Association, Canadian representative to the international Inuit Circumpolar Conference, and still works as a tourism animatrice and interpreter on summer cruise ship tours to the Arctic through Adventure Canada. However, Martha’s primary life’s work is in translation. She is a highly sought after translator and interpreter at the provincial, territorial and federal levels as well as internationally. She has most recently translated into Inuktut the whole Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Commission’s final report, a lengthy and very challenging document. Such trusted translation work has developed in Martha a broad and comprehensive view of Indigenous issues in Canada.

Martha is also a highly sought after Inuk artist, who, having learned to sew at her mother’s knee in iglus and tents on the land, now designs and sews outfits of many kinds, and fabricates accessories and other Inuit art items both for sale and for the joy of creating. Martha has also been involved in “A Taste of the Arctic” annual cultural celebrations in Ottawa, and has organized and participated in several fashion shows over the past 20 years. Martha has lived in the Ottawa area for 40 years, and is the wife, mother and grandmother of an Inuk/Cree/English family.

As Past Chair, Martha continues to bring to ISARUIT her wide network of contacts, many of whom are specific to the arts world; a multitude of both formal and informal, national and international cross-cultural and cross-gender, cross-generational experiences; many, many years as a member of a highly skilled family of sewing artists; and the knowledge and understanding required to supervise the development of an organization from an Inuit standpoint. Martha is highly committed to the welfare of Inuit women living in Ottawa, and actively promotes the speaking of Inuktitut throughout all generations.

Simona Arnatsiaq was born on the land near Igloolik, Nunavut. She has been living in the Ottawa area for more than 20 years, but travels very extensively in the Canadian Arctic and internationally with her work. Simona is a community consultant advisor specializing in economic development and management training in Northern Inuit communities, and in Ottawa. Simona holds a certificate in Cooperatives Development from St. Francis Xavier University and continues to advocate for Inuit self-determination and culturally sound programs at all levels of government.

Simona has been a member of many Boards as a planner, developer and advocate for Inuit, especially Inuit women. Some of organizations she has worked with Nunavut Tourism, Nunavut Land Claims office, Nunavut Language and Culture Dept, Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut, Iqaluit Community Wellness and Child Protection, Carleton University, the National Parole Board, and the Prime Minister’s Office. Despite her busy schedule, Simona takes time to be a mother and grandmother to her family, and to design and sew imaginative clothing and craft creations. Having learned to sew from her mother and other relatives, Simona’s work reflects her dedication to an Inuit world view and belief systems and her integration with the land and the animals of Inuit Nunanga.

Simona brought to ISARUIT a great deal of experience developing and working on boards of emerging organizations, in an Inuit way, the ability to quickly and accurately assess and evaluate program needs and efficiencies, an excellent sense of fiscal responsibility, and significant experience marketing Inuit sewing arts items. Her deep commitment to the Inuit community of Ottawa has compelled her to be committed to making the ISARUIT Inuit Sewing Project successful.