Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Melissa is the mother of five children and 11 grandchildren. “I have always been a believer in gaining more knowledge and using it to pay it forward. I hope to inspire and support others to succeed in
As a college athlete, Marine, city council member and community volunteer, Malcom Chapman has spent the last three decades convening people to get things done. With the support of a Bush Fellowship, he now will turn his attention to learning how to
As a child, Laura Connelly learned the importance of a compassionate community—the value of people who feed you when you are hungry, who give you shelter when you are fleeing violence, who support you without judgment. Her work over the past 12 years
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Kenneth is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. He is the Academic Student Advisor for the Indigenous Programs located in the Center for Rural Health at the University of North
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Jayme works as the Tribal and State Grant Program Director for the Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt, North Dakota. She is responsible for budget management, partnership development
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Allan is an enrolled citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, which is located on the Fort Berthold Reservation. He lives in New Town, North Dakota with his wife and seven children. Allan is a
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Alayna is from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. She is a teacher in the Lakota Language Nest at Sitting Bull College. Alayna earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Mary in 2014. She received
Matthew Ehlman wants to challenge conventional wisdom about philanthropy in rural communities. Having raised millions of dollars for Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Reservation and for other nonprofit organizations through his firm The
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Donna is a licensed social worker, tribal elder and community center manager at the Fond du Lac Reservation. She writes for Indian Country Today and The Daily Yonder . Donna is earning her master’s
Irene Fernando believes deeply that new leadership is integral to organizational success. That’s why she and her two co-executive directors at Students Today Leaders Forever designed a model that requires each of them to transition out of leading the
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Herb has more than ten years of experience in law enforcement with the Fond du Lac Police Department. He has served in several roles throughout his career including chief of police, sergeant and
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Amber is an enrolled citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, and also of the Spirit Lake Dakota and Standing Rock Lakota Nations. She is the executive director of a non-profit organization
