The 2022 WILL Awards Winners

Leadership in the Profession – Private Practice: Alicia Quesnel

Leadership in the Profession – Government/In-House: Moira Váně

Leadership in the Profession – Broader Roles: Heidi Schubert, K.C.

Leadership in the Community: Meenu Ahluwalia

Tomorrow’s Leader: Susannah S. Alleyne

2022 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
The Honourable Judge Karen A. Crowshoe

Karen A. Crowshoe was born and raised on the Piikani Reserve in southern Alberta. She is proud of her Piikani ancestral roots and carries the Blackfoot name Niitsiita’paapoyii, meaning Standing Alone. She was the first Blackfoot woman to be called to the Alberta Bar and in December of 2017 she was the first First Nation woman appointed as a judge to the Provincial Court of Alberta. Upon her appointment she envisioned herself playing a role in initiatives that involved the judiciary moving towards restorative and reconciliation court processes involving Indigenous people and she fulfilled that vision when she and other judges of the Provincial Court, as well as community stakeholders, established the Calgary Indigenous Court in September 2019 where she sits on a regular basis. Her interest in this area continues with her involvement in other ongoing Indigenous court initiatives.   

 Judge Crowshoe received her Bachelor of Management Degree from the University of Lethbridge in 1989, her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of British Columbia in 1992 and became a member of the Alberta bar in 1994. Her legal career focused largely on providing counsel for First Nation governments and agencies while her community work included serving on organizations committed to the preservation of Piikani ways of knowing and those furthering youth and education matters. Judge Crowshoe recognizes the significant impact that Blackfoot Traditional Knowledge Keepers have made in her life and she continues to support their efforts in furthering Blackfoot culture and traditions.