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.