Ms. Poitras was the first woman elected President of the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) beginning in 1996; she eliminated the organization’s financial debt, balanced the budgets, and began raising the profile of the MNA. She has gone on to become the longest serving President of the MNA, with over 25 years at the helm of the oldest Métis organization in Canada. She’s also overseen the creation of the MNA’s new Métis Centre of Excellence.