Michele-Elise Burnett

Michele-Elise Burnett is a non-status Indigenous producer and entrepreneur of mixed French, Scottish, Algonquin, and Métis heritage. She is the founder and creative lead of Kakekalanicks, an Indigenous-owned company that designs immersive cultural tourism, audio storytelling, and land-based learning experiences across Southern Ontario and Upstate New York. With more than three decades of experience in broadcasting, arts programming, and public storytelling, Michele-Elise specializes in creating projects that are rooted in place, guided by community, and built around shared value. Her work often brings together Elders, Knowledge Keepers, artists, historians, and municipalities to co-create experiences that honour Indigenous rights and responsibilities while generating meaningful economic and educational opportunities. As President of Landscape of Nations 360°, she leads initiatives that reshape how Indigenous and settler histories are understood within tourism and resource-based economies. Her projects range from large-scale festivals and commemorations to audio trails, exhibitions, and Indigenous culinary experiences that invite visitors to engage all their senses while learning on the land. Michele-Elise’s leadership is sought after by cultural institutions, heritage sites, and communities looking to centre Indigenous voices in policy, planning, and visitor experience design. Across all her work, she is committed to advancing Indigenous leadership, inclusive entrepreneurship, and long-term benefit-sharing between Indigenous communities and the wider economies that operate on their lands.