YukonU welcomes Peter Johnston as AVP Strategic Initiatives

YukonU is pleased to announce that Peter Johnston has been appointed Associate Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives.

Johnston brings an extraordinary depth of leadership experience rooted in Yukon First Nations governance and advocacy. A member of the Teslin Tlingit Council and the Teslin Yanyedi clan, Johnston served as Chief of the Teslin Tlingit Council from 2009 to 2012, and over twelve years held senior roles within Teslin Tlingit Council government.

His leadership expanded across the territory when he was acclaimed Grand Chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) in June 2016, a role to which he was acclaimed again in 2019 and continue to hold until June 2025. As Grand Chief, Johnston was an advocate for First Nations health, education, and child welfare. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Yukon First Nations Education Directorate and served as co-chair of the Council of Yukon First Nation’s education advisory committee, hosting education summits and positively shaping the territory’s approach to First Nations learning.

As Associate Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives, Johnston will lead Yukon University's 50-year visioning and campus planning process, and leading delivery of the Yukon First Nations Post-Secondary Education Summit planned for October 2026.

Peter Johnston began his position this spring.