Kathleen Sawdo  THRP, CIHRP in

Kathleen Sawdo THRP, CIHRP

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Executive Director at Indigenous Works
📍 Ontario, Canada

Kathleen Sawdo is the Executive Director of Indigenous Works HRD & Kocihta, bringing over 20 years of experience in human resources. She is a cultural strategist who integrates Anishinaabe teachings into her work, holding both THRP and CIHRP certifications. Colleagues describe her as professional, resourceful, and passionate about Indigenous inclusion and talent development.

Outside of her executive role, Kathleen is a dedicated artist, beadworker, and the founder of Sister Bear Designs, a family business that honors traditional knowledge. She is deeply connected to her heritage and the land, drawing inspiration from activities like harvesting on her traditional territory and spending time at her lake.

Unique fact: Kathleen is one of only two people in Canada to hold the Tribal Human Resources Professional (THRP) certification.

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Experience
12 Years
Current Role
Executive Director
Job Level
Senior
Location
Ontario, Canada
Personality Overview

How Kathleen shows up

Communication Style
Decision Approach
Work Preference

Behavioral traits and communication patterns that shape how this person evaluates opportunities, builds trust, and makes decisions in professional settings.

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Priorities

Topics Kathleen cares about

Indigenous Inclusion
Her entire career is dedicated to advancing Indigenous employment, inclusion, and cultural respect in workplaces across Canada, moving beyond a "checklist" approach to build genuine relationships.
Relational Systems Change
She advocates for transforming organizations by embedding Indigenous principles of reciprocity, responsibility, and readiness into their core structures and leadership.
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Career

Work history

7-2025
Executive Director
Indigenous Works
4-2013
Founder/CEO/Artist
Sister Bear Designs
7-2024 - 7-2025
Acting Director of Human Resources
Indigenous Youth Roots - IYR (Formerly CRE)
11-2023 - 7-2025
Associate Director of Human Resources
Indigenous Youth Roots - IYR (Formerly CRE)
4-2023 - 11-2023
Human Resources Manager
Indigenous Youth Roots - IYR (Formerly CRE)
In the press

Media appearances

Kathleen Sawdo - Indigenous Works. Featured in Indigenous Works
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Education
3-2024 - 6-2024
Associate's degree
AFOA Canada
3-2021 - 4-2021
Mini MBA
Schulich School of Business - York University
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

Dominance, influence, steadiness, and calculativeness scores with guidance on how this person prefers to communicate and decide.

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