Careers

Adrienne Hickling

M.A. | Senior Editor & Research Analyst
ahickling@joanholmes.ca

Adrienne began working for the firm in 2001, after graduating from Carleton University with an MA in Canadian Studies. She also holds BA Hons degrees in International Relations and Canadian Studies, and earned a Law Clerk diploma from Algonquin College in 2014. In her dual role of Senior Editor and Research Analyst, Adrienne has developed a detailed knowledge of Canadian and Indigenous history and is expert at the preparation of reports, tables, and databases that clearly present research findings to clients.

Adrienne prides herself on the superior quality of the firm’s deliverables, and enjoys the learning experience that comes with editing reports on a variety of subject matters. Her professional experience also includes conducting archival research, analysis and report writing, managing a research team, and transcribing historical documents. Her own research specialization is treaty benefits claims.

Joan Holmes

M.A. | President & Founder
jholmes@joanholmes.ca

Joan’s reputation as an expert in the field of Indigenous land claims and litigation research is built on over 38 years of experience in the field. She has appeared as an expert witness on behalf of the Kahkewistahaw First Nation (2018, 2020), Blood Tribe (2018), Missanabie Cree (2010, 2015, 2016), Micmac de Gespeg (2015), City of Brantford (2009), the Ipperwash Commission of Inquiry (2004), the Province of Alberta (2002), J. Johnson of the Kawartha Nishnawbe, a non-Status Anishinaabe community (2001), Samson Cree (2000), and Grand Chief Michael Mitchell of Akwesasne (1996).

Joan has presented at a number of conferences and workshops on a wide range of topics, including best practices for conducting archival research and documenting historical grievances, current and future developments in membership, researching non-status communities, the impact of Indian Act legislation on Indigenous women, sovereignty issues, and many others.

Joan acts as the Enrolment Officer for the Algonquins of Ontario treaty negotiations. She is particularly interested in how First Nations groups and individuals are identified as eligible for inclusion in treaties with the Crown and in the recognition of new rights-bearing groups. She has recently worked on several focused investigations of claims to Aboriginal Title.

Alison Gale

B.A. Hons. | Senior Project Manager & Analyst
agale@joanholmes.ca

Alison began working full-time in the field of Indigenous rights and land claims as a researcher for JHA in 1991, and previous to that, worked as a student at the Specific Claims Branch. Beginning in late 1994, she managed and co-managed her own successful business conducting historical research and analysis for a First Nation organization and other First Nation, non-status and Métis clientele. Her firm also undertook joint projects between governments and First Nations. We welcomed her back to the firm as a project manager in 2007.

Alison has researched and written numerous reports on claims topics of all kinds concerning Indigenous Nations from across Canada. She also has been privileged with the experience of collecting and compiling oral history and has some understanding of the Cree and Anishnaabe languages. An advanced knowledge of claims issues informs Alison’s role as senior project manager and analyst at JHA, where her organizational and human relations abilities are brought to the fore. She is in charge of staff development at the firm and produces the company newsletter. She is also proficient in French.

Alison holds a BA Joint Hons in Native Studies and History from Trent University. This background complements her keen interest in contemporary legal and jurisdictional issues affecting Indigenous communities, such as the impacts of modern development activities on Northern communities, historical Indigenous land use, and the usage of oral history in land claims, tribunals and litigation. She is enthusiastic about the application of history to these contemporary issues and all matters relating to Aboriginal rights.

Carol Hodgson

M.A. | Senior Research Analyst
chodgson@joanholmes.ca

Carol has been with JHA since 2003. She has worked on a variety of projects on topics including Indian Affairs policy research, the use of Crown and Indigenous funds, Indigenous-Crown relations in pre-Confederation Quebec and Ontario, Métis and non-status peoples, and other research topics relating to Indigenous peoples in Canada. Carol is experienced in working with government, private, and religious archives. She has conducted research in Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.

Carol is interested in further exploring the historical development of federal and provincial policies and programs concerning Indigenous peoples, particularly in relation to financial responsibility and financial management, as well as the early history of Indigenous-Crown relations. She holds an MA in Canadian Studies and a BA Hons in Cultural Anthropology, both from Carleton University.

Elizabeth Jay

B.A. Hons | Research Assistant
ejay@joanholmes.ca

Elizabeth began working at the firm in 2019 as a Coop student. She graduated from the University of Ottawa with an BA Hons with Majors in History and the History and Theory of Art in 2021. During her undergraduate degree, Elizabeth’s research focused on the intersection of her two majors, or how visual culture could be used to inform our understanding of the past. She is now pursuing a Master of Information Studies at the same institution, where she is interested in learning about knowledge organization and information management.

Still working part-time for JHA, Elizabeth assists with administrative tasks while taking on an active role in collecting research materials from libraries, archives, and digital repositories. She has contributed to many projects, and greatly enjoys working with primary sources in French and English.

Fabian Mugny

M.A .| Researcher
fmugny@joanholmes.ca

Fabian holds an MA in Contemporary History from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he also studied Anthropology and Political Sciences. In Canada for more than a decade, he has gained expertise in historical and archival research, project management, and database entry and maintenance. Fabian has acquired extensive knowledge on residential schools throughout Canada, having worked on various federal projects related to their legacy, such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Fabian is fluent in French and English. In his time with JHA, Fabian has contributed to various projects in the areas of pre- and post-Confederation treaties and surrenders, treaty benefits, surveys, the fur trade in New France, Indian day schools, trust accounts, and Indian Affairs policy. He has also recently created French historical content for students and teachers alike for a French school board in the National Capital Region.

Fabian is proud of having played a part in the opening of the Fairbairn House Heritage Centre in beautiful Wakefield, Quebec. He worked as the Project Coordinator for the Board of Directors who transformed an old house into an innovative heritage centre.

Ginevra (Ginny) Sadlier

M.A. | Editorial & Research Assistant
gsandlier@joanholmes.ca

Ginny joined JHA in 2021. She holds an MA in History from Trent University with a specialization in British military and religious history. She also holds a BA Hons degree in History from Trent University.

Ginny’s attention to detail, excellent written and verbal communication skills, as well as organizational skills make her a great editorial assistant. Since joining JHA she has worked on various projects involving letters and financial statements from the 1800s to the 1900s.

Ginny is an important part of the editorial team at JHA, helping to ensure that the company’s work meets its own high standards.

Grae Taylor

B.A. | Office Manager
gtaylor@joanholmes.ca

Grae joined the firm as Office Manager in 2018 with over 21 years of office, financial, project and human resource management experience. She is responsible for the administration of payroll and benefits as well as bookkeeping. In her capacity as an Alternate Company Security Officer, Grae is the liaison with the federal government for Personnel Security Screening and company security issues.

Hans Lo

M.A. | Senior Researcher
hlo@joanholmes.ca

Hans joined JHA as a full-time researcher in 2008. He holds a BA Hons in Political Science and History and an MA in Public History, both from the University of Waterloo. Before joining JHA, Hans worked for several federal departments, conducting research and writing on departmental history and litigation.

Hans has amassed considerable archival experience at the national, provincial and local levels. In addition, he is familiar with the departmental records of Indian Affairs, Health & Welfare, Foreign Affairs, and National Defence. Hans has worked on research projects involving schools, land claims, treaty grievances, natural resource rights (in particular minerals, timber, water and fisheries), First Nation veterans, and the constitutional jurisdiction of programs and services. His rigorous approach and overall efficiency make him a valued asset in leading research projects, several of which produced large document collections and databases.

Heather Wilson

B.A. | Administrative & Research Assistant
hwilson@joanholmes.ca

Heather began working for the firm in 2013. In 2017, she graduated from Carleton University with a BA in English with a minor in History. Heather is always willing to take on a variety of database work and is very technologically well-versed and adeptly tackles various IT duties. On top of that, she is key in helping to ensure the quality of the firm’s products, has responsibilities for document images and collections, along with completing various research functions, and undertakes administrative tasks.

She has contributed her talents and hard work on a wide variety of projects and her extraordinary organizational and communication skills are greatly valued.

Joanne Barton

B.A. Hons., PLCGS | Researcher
jbarton@joanholmes.ca

Joanne began working with JHA in 2017 and holds a BA Hons in History from the University of Lancaster, England. Joanne also holds two Professional Learning Certificates in Genealogical Studies from the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, specializing in English and Canadian records. She is a dedicated, analytical, and enthusiastic genealogical researcher with over 15 years experience in working with genealogical records.

Joanne’s work experience includes transcription of historical documents, document collection and analysis of civil and church records as well as Hudson’s Bay Company records, treaty paylist analysis, and report writing on individual family genealogies. She also has experience working at local and national archives, in online genealogical databases, and in larger research libraries, such as the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Judith Smith

PhD. | Researcher
jsmith@joanholmes.ca

Judith has an MA and a PhD in History from Brown University, where she studied the history of international law, minority protections, and state violence in the modern period. She began working as a researcher for JHA in 2019. She brings experience researching in both public and private archival repositories in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Britain. In Canada, she has conducted research for the Truth and Reconciliation project and worked as a reference services archivist at Library and Archives Canada. In this latter capacity, she focused on various RG10 (Department of Indian Affairs) tools. Judith’s work at JHA has centred on projects related to treaty rights and benefits. She is quickly developing expertise in these areas, while also becoming increasingly familiar about claims and litigation in general, including issues, jurisprudence, and processes.

Krista Sandusky

M.A. | Research Analyst
ksandusky@joanholmes.ca

Krista has been with JHA since 2006. Her professional experience includes conducting archival and library research, preparing research plans, analyzing historical documents and maps, writing analytical reports, leading a research team, oral history interviewing, database work, and recruiting and supervising the firm’s co-op students. She has considerable experience researching a wide range of Indigenous claims and litigation issues, including projects relating to pre-Confederation treaties, surrenders, and land transactions in present-day Ontario and Quebec, western treaties and surrenders, Traditional Knowledge and Land Use, treaty benefits, reserve establishment and expropriations, flooding grievances, band amalgamation and membership issues, mixed-ancestry research, land sales and trust funds, and Indian Residential and Day Schools. She has a particular interest in oral history interviewing and research.

Krista holds an MA in Canadian Studies as well as BA degrees in both English and History. Her Master’s research project concerned the displacement of Indigenous peoples from national parks. Krista conducts research in both English and French and is experienced working with a wide variety of government, private, and church records. She has conducted research at repositories in Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, Yukon Territory, NWT, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and BC.

Krista brings dedication, strong analytical abilities, and a notable diligence to all her work for JHA and its clients.

Robert Perch

B.A. | Researcher
rperch@joanholmes.ca

Robert holds a BA Hons. in English Literature from Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina. After managing an independent bookstore in Ottawa, he joined the firm in 2005 as a researcher. He has performed archival and secondary research on a wide range of issues relating to treaty rights and obligations, management of Aboriginal resources and reserve lands, First Nations health and education, and the management of pre- and post-Confederation trust funds.

Robert’s passion for learning has served him well in his role as researcher. Since he joined the firm, he has acquired a great deal of knowledge regarding the Robinson Treaties and Treaties 3 and 9, contemporary and historical issues relating to Aboriginal resources, and mixed-ancestry land claims.

Sheila McCullough

B.A. | Researcher
smccullough@joanholmes.ca

Sheila first worked with JHA as a co-op student in 2006 and joined the firm as a full-time researcher in 2008, after earning a BA Hon. in History from the University of Ottawa. Since then, she has conducted historical research in a number of areas, such as genealogy, treaty land entitlement, education, trust accounts, and subterranean mineral rights.

Sheila is extremely adept at the transcription of financial and land-related documents and in the extraction of detailed information from original documents. In addition, she is often called upon to edit databases and reports for accuracy of information and quality of writing and has assisted in writing reports.

Simon Theobald

M.A. | Research Analyst & Co-op Student Supervisor
stheobald@joanholmes.ca

Simon has an extensive research and writing background in Indigenous claims and litigation as well as Canadian social and military history. He holds an MA in History from the University of Ottawa where he studied the rights and socio-economic status of Black Canadians. Before relocating to Ottawa, he earned a first-class BA Hons in History from the University of New Brunswick, where he studied social memory and commemoration. Simon’s research into the recruitment policy of the Royal Canadian Air Force and the perspectives of black volunteers during the Second World War was published by the Canadian Military History journal.

Simon joined JHA in 2010. He has contributed to a variety of Indigenous claims and litigation projects in the areas of post-Confederation treaties and surrenders, railway expropriations, surveys, treaty benefits, treaty land entitlement, trust fund accounts, education, and BC history. His experience includes collecting and analyzing archival documents and maps, creating and maintaining databases, and writing analytical research reports, including expert reports. Simon also draws from the experience he acquired working in Litigation Support and Document Management Services at Health Canada.

Simon is scheduled to provide expert testimony for a claim at the Specific Claims Tribunal in 2022. Simon is also responsible for interviewing, supervising, and helping to train the firm’s co-op students.

Tara J. Smock

B.A. | President
tsmock@joanholmes.ca

Tara first joined the firm in 1989 and in her 32 years here has developed an impressive expertise in research for Indigenous claims and litigation. She was promoted to Research Director in 1998, Vice-President in 2011, and President in 2014.

Tara has a reputation for performing detailed and accurate research in the demanding areas of treaty land entitlement, genealogy, and membership issues. She has worked on many projects pertaining to treaty land entitlement policy and practice; reserve establishment and surrenders; expropriations of reserve land for railways, roads, and other purposes; treaty rights and benefits; and pre-Confederation treaties and surrenders.

Tara has extensive experience in developing research methodologies and best practices. She gave presentations on researching and preparing successful claim submissions at the National Claims Research Workshop as well as at Pacific Business & Law Institute’s conferences on Specific Claims. Strategies for performing research and document management in the face of technological and institutionally based changes continue to interest Tara, and she maintains a key role in ensuring the firm remains up to date with the latest advances.

Thea Lewis

M.A. | Researcher
tlewis@joanholmes.ca

Thea first worked with JHA in 2016 as a co-op student, and joined the team as a researcher in 2021. She holds a BA Joint Hons in History and Political Science from the University of Ottawa, and an MA in International Relations from the University of Victoria where she specialized in feminist and post-colonial theory. Before joining JHA, Thea worked several research jobs including in the government at the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs.

Thea has developed experience in research tasks such as document review, collection and analysis. She has worked specifically on several financial mismanagement claims, as well as paylist analysis, and analysis of surrender proceedings. Her excellent ability to learn new things quickly always makes Thea a valued asset to any research team.

Vanessa Sevc

B.A. Hons. | Senior Researcher
vsevc@joanholmes.ca

Vanessa holds a BA Hons in History from King’s College at the University of Western Ontario and an Archives Technician Diploma from Algonquin College. Prior to joining the firm in 2003, Vanessa worked at the National Archives of Canada (now Library and Archives Canada) arranging and describing labour and union records and was the first Archivist in King Township (north of Toronto) where she conducted a widespread records survey which resulted in the establishment of the King Township Archives.

Vanessa performs archival and library research, historical and document analysis, report writing, genealogical research and database work. She has developed considerable experience in the areas of numbered treaties, reserve establishment, treaty benefits, treaty land entitlement, band membership, paylist analysis and land use and occupation.

She has experience working with a variety of government records and has conducted research in both public and private archives in Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, as well as at Yale University in the United States.

During her time at the firm, she has amassed considerable experience in the identification and enrolment of rights-bearing Algonquins as potential beneficiaries to the Algonquins of Ontario treaty negotiation process.

Laura Leslie

B.A. Hons. | Researcher
lleslie@joanholmes.ca

Laura began working with Joan Holmes & Associates in 2015 as a co-op student and joined the firm as a researcher in 2017, after earning a Joint Honours B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Ottawa. Before joining JHA, Laura also completed co-op terms with Environment Canada and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.

Laura is excellent at data management and is meticulous about organizing large amounts of information extracted from a range of historical documents. She has performed research on a number of topics, including First Nation and Métis genealogy, treaty land entitlement, treaty rights and benefits, paylist analysis, historical Indigenous land use, and Indigenous education. Besides being a skillful researcher, Laura’s work includes the transcription of historical documents, the creation and management of databases, report drafting, and the preparation of document collections.

Charlotte Grant

Researcher
cgrant@joanholmes.ca

Charlotte first joined JHA on contract in 2010 providing technical support and assisting with clerical and administrative work. During her time with the firm, she has gained valuable experience in the areas of land sales and valuations on reserves, natural resource rights and revenues, trust fund account analysis, and federal management of First Nation trust fund account activities. Her involvement in these projects has contributed greatly to the company’s reputation for excellence in organizing and analysing large amounts of data and the history of land and fiscal management of First Nations’ assets.

Charlotte is mixed-Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, and currently lives in Tkaronto (also known as Toronto), allowing her to assist in the company’s research at the Archives of Ontario, the Baillie Special Collections Centre, and various provincial government offices.