Wendy Jocko awarded honorary degree from Algonquin College

Posted on Monday, June 5th, 2023

In the span of a lifetime people wear many hats. In her long, distinguished and varied career Wendy Jocko has worn a hard hat, a helmet and a headdress. The former chief of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation, Jocko, 63 will be donning a ceremonial mortarboard this June when she is awarded an honorary degree from Algonquin College at its 2023 Spring Convocation.

Jocko is no stranger to working. “I’ve been working since I was 15,” she said. “My first job was in the post office sorting mail and packages during the Christmas season.” In 1979 she joined the military where she served for over two decades and worked as a supply technician. She also served two tours of duty in Bosnia and Croatia in addition to active duty throughout Canada.

Jocko has sage advice for those entering the workforce. “Make your own opportunity and make your own path,” she said. “Education comes in many forms and it’s not necessarily through academic study but by life experience and by grasping the opportunities that are presented.”

After the military the married mother of four began a new chapter relocating to Scotland where she spent over a decade working as a funeral director and embalmer, rising to the level of regional director of the British Institute of Funeral Directors. This included learning a new trade, starting at the bottom, gaining experience and creating relationships throughout the industry.

Her time with the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation has included being elected on council and managing the important housing and health portfolios, as well as animal control officer. During her second term on council, she managed the portfolios of finance, personal and general administration. This allowed her to learn more about the needs of the citizens and determine how she could best advocate for them.

In 2013, Jocko moved to Western Canada to be closer to family. She once again learned a new trade, this time as a tractor trailer driver working in the oil patch in Saskatchewan.

After returning to Algonquins of Pikwkànagàn First Nation in 2015 she continued to build relationships between the Armed Forces and the First Nations group. She inaugurated the Remembrance Day parade and feast, which has been held annually since 1999. She personally donated a cenotaph engraved “In honour of the Algonquin people who served Canada in war and peace” paired with Algonquin language translation. The monument is now part of the newly unveiled set of monuments on the Pikwàkanagàn cultural grounds.

In 2020 she was elected as chief. During this challenging time, she worked to protect and serve her community, managing daily needs with the ongoing pandemic. She describes that experience as “a busy time”. She was able to keep a free flow of information available by creating and sharing videos on various channels and she often attended many Zoom meetings a day. She also tried to create and develop new relationships with organizations and institutions to create partnerships which would help the Pikwàknagàn Nation.

Jocko said that her leadership style is collaborative. “I like people to feel welcome and comfortable,” she said, an approach she developed in the military. She described her manner and approach as “fair, firm and friendly”.

She said to keep an eye out for opportunities that may cross your path and watch for the signs. She also encourages young people to step up if they want to lead. She suggests people study, learn and put their name forward.

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