Andrew Karesa
Adjunct Professor, Indigenous Business
Andrew Karesa is a Muskeg Lake Cree Nation member and a proud husband and father to two young sons. He is an Adjunct Professor of Indigenous Business at The King's University where he leads the Introduction to Indigenous Business course. Presently, he is working on his doctorate at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, where his research is on Indigenous entrepreneurship within the health sector to increase Indigenous entrepreneurial involvement. Professionally, Andrew spent many years as a practicing engineer before pivoting his career away from oil and gas. He is also the CEO of blueBell Village, an organization that provides personalized cultural-specific dementia support to individuals living with dementia.
Selected publications:
Karesa, A. J., Zacharias, K., & Ebrahimi, S. (2024). Transforming Tradition: The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer. Ivey Publishing.
Karesa, A. J. (2025). Poundmaker – A Legacy of Leadership, Love and Conciliation. Indigenous Business and Public Administration
Selected presentations:
Karesa, A. 2025 (February). Where Tradition Meets Innovation: Building a New Paradigm for Dementia Support with blueBell Village. Presentation for McMaster University's Challenging the Status Quote: Embracing Innovative Dementia Care Environments in Canada series, online.
Karesa, A. 2024 (November). The Indigenous Experience: An Indigenous Journey in Business. Presentation for Trinity Western University undergraduate business students, online.
Education:
DBA (in-progress), Indigenous Business, University of Calgary
MBA, Strategy & Consulting, University of Alberta, 2023
BTech, Technology Management, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, 2016
Dip.Eng., Instrumentation Engineering Technology, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, 2012