Monica Cady, also known as Waubishkee-Gog-Kway (White Porcupine Woman), is a member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and resides in the Boreal forest of Hessel, Michigan. She designs pollinator gardens, leads plant walks to teach how to forage wild edibles sustainably, and does plant rescues and land restoration. Last year, with the help of two fellow water protectors, she began the rematriation of eleven acres as a botanical sanctuary that will be part of the United Plant Savers network. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies/Sustainable Community Development with an Indigenous Perspective from Prescott College.

David Lockhart (he/him) was born and raised in Bawaating, now known as the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie Ontario and Michigan. He is a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and of Keteguanseebee First Nation descendancy. His experiences growing up on Anishinaabe Akiing instilled a deep connection to land, water, and community that have guided him in support of shaping socially and economically healthy Tribal communities.

David has worked in his community to support sovereignty and self-determination efforts as a tribal government employee, tribal advisor, and has served on numerous committees in tribal and local government. He previously led startup development and operations for the Sault Tribe Thrive program. David served as Director of Tribal Administrative Services with a tribal-owned consulting group assisting tribal leaders with financial and project planning in support of community infrastructure development. He currently serves with the Tribal Community Vision Partnership (TCVP) as Tribal Project Director, helping to support community development projects leveraging Section 105(l) of P.L. 93-638 (ISDEAA).

David and his partner, Matty, own and operate a small floral studio where they specialize in sourcing locally grown flowers that highlight regenerative practices and earth-friendly beauty. David also oversees development of Indigenous market startup, Injichaag. As a lifelong learner, David has plans to continue efforts to revitalize Indigenous food pathways in his community through rematriation studies and strategic partnerships.

David earned a B.A. in English and Communication from Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. He also holds an M.S.A. in Information Resource Management from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Fire Up Chips! David remains active in his community through the Sault Tribe Food Sovereignty Advisory Committee, Mino-Miijim Council, and Traditional Medicine programming. He resides near his Tribe's reservation with his family, cats, and chocolate lab. He is an avid gardener and active participant in restoring traditional food pathways through land and water stewardship practices across Anishinaabe Akiing and all of Turtle Island.

In her childhood, hunting and gathering made a real difference on her family's dinner table. Frazier learned to be on the lookout for berries or apples to be put up for winter. She helped process venison, fish, and game, which her family had for many meals. Some people watch scenery on car trips, Julie scans for berries and mushrooms. College bumped up her foraging credentials with courses in Botany and Wilderness Survival. Frazier's BS degree in Human Medicine and Biological Sciences has given her a lifelong focus on health and the ability to actually read medical studies.
She worked in Food Product Development at Amway Corporation for the majority of her career. Julie helped develop shelf stable and nutritious foods in the laboratory. It was a fascinating process and required adaptations to regulations in many different countries. 

Now that she retired, Julie enjoys gardening and landscaping and still roams the woods for food that nature provides. Frazier would love to help bring back traditional foods to her people as well as promote other measures to reduce the burden of diabetes and other diet related diseases. Making traditional food more available and popular will require efforts from many hands.

Maria Larson, known to her tribal community as Maanii, and carrying the spirit name Bawaajii Daansii, "Grandmother's Vision," given because her grandmother described her exactly before she was born, has spent her life bridging tradition and forward motion. She is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, a heritage she has carried into a lifetime of community service. Her academic path reflects that same duality: she studied Cultural Anthropology at the University of Michigan before turning toward business, and she is now completing her BA in Business Administration with an MBA on the horizon, one she plans to focus on project management and organizational behavior. It's a fitting combination for a woman who has always understood that strong communities need both cultural memory and sound structure to thrive.

Maria's philanthropic instincts have shaped much of her working life. For years she owned and operated the Open Cupboard, one of the largest food pantries in Genesee County, guided by a simple promise: no one leaves hungry, no questions asked. That belief in food as connection, not charity, but community, continues to drive her today, and she carries it into her service as a board member on both the Food Sovereignty Committee and the Survivors Advocacy Committee, one rooted in community wellbeing and the other in caring for people directly. She is now focused on the revitalization of Native foods and the generational traditions they carry, recognizing that a shared meal has always been where her people gather, remember, and pass wisdom forward. From the Open Cupboard's doors to the tables of her ancestors, Maria's work has always circled back to one idea: that feeding people is really about holding a community together.

Katherine Knapp is a Sault Ste. Marie Tribal member and currently resides south of Traverse City, Michigan. Katherine attended Lake Superior State University and is a proud Sault Tribe Elder. Katherine is currently retired from the State of Michigan, where she finds joy in hunting, fishing, gardening, and traveling the country. Katherine is a Type II Diabetic and has since improved and changed her diet by learning how to can, freeze, and dehydrate most of her food. Katherine's wish is to contribute to her community, and by being a part of the Mino-Miijim Council, she intends to work toward improving culture by working toward growing and evolving the Sault Tribe for generations to come. 

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Alexandria, also known as Alex, currently resides in Southeast Michigan with her husband and daughter, Alex's family has strong ties to Manistique and Schoolcraft County in Unit 4.

Over the last decade, Alex has sought opportunities to participate in various food sovereignty efforts & education throughout Southeast Michigan. This has helped her learn how to better nourish her loved ones and continue to reconnect with culture as someone separated by adoption at a young age.

She joined the Mino-Miijim Council because of a love for learning and sharing traditional foodways, to follow in the footsteps of family members to have served the tribe in various capacities, and to share her input as an at-large tribal member consistently looking for ways to keep at-large members engaged with tribal initiatives.

You will find her popping up at various community events and she keeps a perpetual 'get-in-where-you-fit-in' mindset, always looking for a way to lend a hand and build a bridge between the various circles she frequents.

Outside of her contributions to the Council, she is a passionate advocate for families navigating the child welfare system, medical misdiagnosis cases, and ICWA. She also loves being creative, laughing too loud, and making more than enough food for anyone and everyone to grab a plate. 

Katy Matson is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Grand Island Band and resides in Munising, MI. 

During her PhD studies in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan Technological University she researched specific microRNA and their implications on Type 2 Diabetes. She chose to go into that field because she personally had several family members who were affected by diabetes. She also saw how much of an impact diabetes played on those that she cared about in her community, and she wanted to try to help get one step closer to finding better treatment options. 

Traditional foodways are something that is very important to Katy because she is a 6th generation commercial fisherman in which she was raised to know her vital role her family held in helping feed their community. Her experiences fishing has given her this deep connection to Lake Superior as well as the land. Katy has always held a very active role in her community and currently is on the Sault Tribe Food Sovereignty Advisory Committee, Mino-Miijim Council, as well as the Kitchi Miniss Powwow Committee. 

She has always been a big advocate for the younger generation to learn more about our culture and traditional ways of life. She hopes to see this project allow more data to be collected specific to our community members so that we can better serve them by helping them receive more care and understanding of diabetes.