About Dr. McDonald

Dr. Rose-Alma J. McDonald (Katenies) is the owner of the consulting firm Katenies Research and Management Services. As a professional consultant, social reformer, writer and researcher Dr. McDonald is diverse, innovative and professional. She is former Director of Education for the Assembly of First Nations: a position she has held twice since 1987. The AFN is a national First Nations organization that does advocacy in a variety of areas such as treaty rights, environment, disability, education, housing, economic development, health, etc. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and a permanently certified school administrator. As an independent consultant she works from her home First Nation community of Akwesasne. She has worked on a wide variety of projects over the years and has expertise in Aboriginal community and jurisdictional development related issues that include policy development, disability, education, employment and job training, health, economic and business development, recreation, social security reform, justice, youth issues, injury prevention and Aboriginal entrepreneurship.

Dr. McDonald is a Mohawk woman who has over 30 years experience in a variety of capacities at the Aboriginal level. She  well respected and well known both in the United States and Canada for her reform and advocacy efforts. At any one given time she has represented over 633 First Nation communities in Canada on national policy issues related to disability, education, social development, child care and social security reform. At the same time she has represented over 500 tribes in the United States on national policy issues related to labor market training and skills acquisition for disadvantaged populations. She has also worked for the Navajo Nation – one of the largest Native American Tribes in the United States. The Navajo Nation has a land base consisting of 16 million acres, a population of 300,000 Navajos and jurisdictional boundaries that encompass four states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah).