Joan Glode has long been a committed advocate for the rights and well-being of Native children. She is the founder and executive director of the Mi'kmaw Family and Children Services, an organization that offers support to more than a dozen Aboriginal communities in Nova Scotia. A social worker, she recognized the need for culturally sensitive social services and helped to develop an Indigenous, community-based system of child welfare on reserves. She has also integrated traditional knowledge and healing methods into social work practice. Her inspiring leadership has also benefited such organizations as the Halifax Mi'kmaq Native Friendship Centre and the Native Mental Health Association of Canada.