Kathy Okpik is the high profile and well regarded Deputy Minister of Education, Nunavut. She is responsible for providing overall management support, and recommends goals, objectives and standards for Education to the Minister, Hon. Paul Quassa. This includes a broad range of items including: strategic planning; development of legislation and policy; budget co-ordination; capital planning; financial services; human resource development; and systems support, in all areas of Education in Nunavut. As well, her busy life includes responsibility for Kindergarten to Grade 12, post-secondary, trades training, daycares, income support and adult learning.

Prior to becoming Deputy Minister of Education, Kathy was the Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources for the Government of Nunavut. There, she was responsible for monitoring and reporting on the government’s initiatives and Inuit Employment Plan related to Article 23 of Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. She, also, had the overall responsibility for staffing services, training and development, employee relations and job evaluation services for government departments and the Public Service in Nunavut.

Kathy recently presented to the Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP) Education Administration 310 class at Nunatta Campus, Iqaluit. She answered many questions posed by the students and provided an exceptional information session on the past, present and future of Education in the Territory. In addition to the historical narrative she shared her own life experiences.

This presentation was particularly interesting for the students because Kathy is a graduate of the Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP). Consequently, she impressed upon them the importance of Education and stressed that they would be in demand in Nunavut because of the education, training and skill sets that they would acquire in NTEP.

Kathy Okpik has always been a great supporter of the Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP) and we thank her for making time to share her expertise and knowledge with our students. As always, her presence and positive attitude was appreciated by our students. They were impressed with her knowledge and appreciative of her willingness to spend time with them.

Thank you, Kathy!