Welcome to the 29th Annual Tribal Leaders Summit, an empowering and transformative gathering tribes from across the nation! Hosted by United Tribes Technical College, the Summit will be held in Bismarck, North Dakota from September 9-10, 2026.
Over the two days, the Tribal Leaders Summit will feature thought-provoking keynote speakers, engaging panel discussions, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities that will foster understanding, promote cultural exchange, and foster collective progress. Our diverse range of topics will touch upon vital issues such as healthcare, education, culture, economic development, and much more.
Whether you're a Tribal Leader, community member, policymaker, or an ally in supporting indigenous voices, the 29th Annual Tribal Leaders Summit is an event you won't want to miss. Join us for meaningful dialogue, collaboration, and powerful conversations that uplift our Nations, strengthen partnerships, and advance our collective future.
Agenda
Tuesday, September 8
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Early Registration/Check-In
Located in the Main Lobby
Wednesday, September 9
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Breakfast
Hall D
8:00 AM
8:00 AM
Event Start
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
8:30 AM - 9:50 AM
8:30 AM - 9:50 AM
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tradeshow Opening
Hall B
10:55 AM - 5:00 PM
10:55 AM - 5:00 PM
Track 1: Economic Development
Track 2: Physical, Mental, and Public Health
Track 3: Education
Track 4: Governance
Track 5: Criminal Justice
Track 6: Culture
Track 7: Social Justice
Track 8: Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Rooted in Culture, Growing Through STEM: Empowering Indigenous Futures and Tribal Economies (Track 1)
Presenters: Sheridan McNeil, Alexa Azure, Amber Finley
Support or Surveillance? SROs, IEPs, and the Urban Indigenous Student Experience (Track 3)
Presenters: Dr. Cheryl Kary, Ashley Willis, Wind Spirit Spotted Bear, Jamie Merrick
Indigenous Communities and Organ Donation: Insights from Community Listening Sessions (Track 2)
Presenters: Paula St John
Wastewater system and its potential to transform utility management on the reservation
(Track 1)
Presenter: Joseph Serna
Teaching Heart, My Life from Native American Boarding School to Leader in Education (Track 3)
Presenters: Ramona Klein and Dr. Matt Villeneuve
Food Sovereignty Tract - Opening Prayer, Wozu Youth Drum Group (Track 8)
Presenters: Ronald Lebeau & singers
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Lunch
Hall D
1:00 PM - 1:50 PM
1:00 PM - 1:50 PM
Recording Voices of Japan's Indigenous Tribe Ainu: Documentary Film Daichi-yo (2022) (Trak 7)
Presenter: Eriko Yamamoto
Democracy is Indigenous (Track 4)
Presenter: Daniela Aki & Dr. Cheryl Kary
Bridging Community Support and Clinical Care Within a 638 Behavioral Health System: The CWOY Model (Track 6)
Presenter: Keaton Widow
Human Trafficking in Indigenous Communities: How to raise awareness, prevent it, and how to respond (Track 7)
Presenter: Deanna Prue
Sovereign Systems: How Organizational Development and People Operations (HR) Strengthen Tribal Governance (Track 4)
Presenter: Tori Whipple and Elle Swan
Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Public Health (Track 8)
Presenter: Tahni Parisien, Amanda Strauss, Chris Taylor
2:00 PM - 2:50 PM
2:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Recording Voices of Japan's Indigenous Tribe Ainu: Documentary Film Daichi-yo (2022) (Track 7)
Presenter: Eriko Yamamoto
Protecting Tribal Citizens from Housing Predators (Track 7)
Presenter: Ashley Jahner
Indian Highway Safety Program: Traffic Safety Issues Engagement (Track 5)
Presenters: Justin Wendland & Kimberly Belone
Dialysis Burden and Gaps in Care Among American Indian and Alaska Native Medicare Enrollees (Track 2)
Presenter: Chen Wang and Zarah Mattox
Supporting Native Civic Engagement Through Community-Led Facilitation (Track 4)
Presenters: Michaela Madrid & Jessica Glidden
Community Mycology in Uncertain Times (Track 8)
Presenter: Amanda Padron
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Afternoon Snack
Enjoy an afternoon snack served in Hall B.
3:00 PM - 3:50 PM
3:00 PM - 3:50 PM
Leading with Purpose: North Dakota’s Tribal College Presidents Panel (Track 3)
Presenters: Dr. Tracy Bauer, Dr. Leander McDonald, Dr. Tomi Kay Phillips, Dr. Steven Smith, Dr. Wanda Parisien, Dr. Twyla Baker
Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Urban Spaces: Infrastructure, Equity, and Action (Track 8)
Presenter: Zoe Landin
Economics and Political Power of Indigenous Data Sovereignty (Track 4)
Presenter: Joseph Yracheta
Storytelling as Pedagogy: Indigenous Perspectives in Social Studies Education (Track 3)
Presenter: Mathew Foolish Bear-Hale
Building Wókpȟaŋ Kits: Traditional Medicines & 988 Awareness (Track 2)
Presenter: Terrance Roy
Bison: Keystone Species for Tribal Sovereignty (Track 8)
Presenters: Foster Cournoyer Hogan & Dr. Valeriah Big Eagle
4:00 PM - 4:50 PM
Revitalize, Reclaim, Reimagine: Infusing Traditional Values into Every System (Track 6)
Presenter: Dr. Cheryl Kary
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA): Building Financial Strength With A Community Based Program (Track 1)
Presenters: Cheryl Deaton
Transforming Tribal Oral Health: Care Circles and the Care Progression Pathway (Track 2)
Presenter: William Colson
Grow Your Intentions: Build Habits That Support You (Track 3)
Presenter: Dr. Sheeresa Begay
Learning from our past can help shape our future. An outlook on the future of AgTech and its impact (Track 8)
Presenter: Nick Bittner
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Social Hour
Hor de vours and door prizes in Hall B
5:15 PM - 7:15 PM
5:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Sponsored by Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation. Limited Tickets Available. Not open to the public.
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Thursday, September 10
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Breakfast
Hall D
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tradeshow
Hall B
8:30 AM - 9:50 AM
8:30 AM - 9:50 AM
Keynote Speaker:
Ms. Marisa Cummings: Legislative Up-date on the Commission on Native Children
9:55 AM - 5:00 PM
9:55 AM - 5:00 PM
Track 1: Economic Development
Track 2: Physical, Mental, and Public Health
Track 3: Education
Track 4: Governance
Track 5: Criminal Justice
Track 6: Culture
Track 7: Social Justice
Track 8: Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
Waniyetu Wowapi Khetkopawingxe: A Thousand Winters of History (Track 6)
Presenter(s): Dakota Goodhouse, Butch Thunderhawk, Dennis Neumann
Traditional Wisdom, Modern Support: The Indigenous Holistic Approach (Track 2)
Presenter: Dr. Mariah Foote
On the Process of Ideation for Designing Novel Materials based Processes for commercialization (Track 1)
Presenter: Surojit Gupta
Sustainability: Social Equity, Balance, People First (Track 7)
Presenter: LLoree Dickens Two Crow
Hardwired Resiliency: Brain Based Trauma Informed Teaching & Learning in Action (Track 3)
Presenter: Desiree Reine
Elders Round Table (Track 8)
Presenters: Pete Red Tomahawk, Kathleen Vetter, Charles Murphhy, Charles McLaughlin, Phyllis Young, Marcella Red Tomahawk
11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Session II - Hall A
From Couch to Community: Empowering Native Youth (Track 5)
Presenters: Presley HeavyRunner, Dr. Cheryl Kary, Tonia Rides Horse and Annie High Elk
Connecting Kids to Coverage, Medicaid Application/Renewal Assistance for Children, Families, and First-Time Moms (Track 2)
Presenter(s): Travis Johnson, Barbara LeBeau, Kristar Shouldis
From Learning to Leading: Native Students Inspiring Future Technology Leaders (Track 3)
Presenter: Vince Iglehart
Building Care Together: Implementing Integrated Care Teams at Oyate Health Center
(Track 2)
Presenter: Allison Joachim, Fawn Janis, Jackie Yotter
Sacred He Sapa Restoration Act: LANDBACK as a Pathway to Indigenous Sovereignty & Environmental Justice
(Track 7)
Presenters: Anissa Martin & Dr. Valeriah Big Eagle
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Lunch
Hall D
1:00 PM - 1:50 PM
1:00 PM - 1:50 PM
Federal Policy Update 2026: Navigating the Changing Federal Landscape for Tribal Nations (Track 4)
Presenters: Marisa Cummings & Ryan Wilson
Growing Native Enterprise: Resources, Partnerships & Progress (Track 1)
Presenter: Brek Maxon, Briselda Hernandez and Natasha Gourd
Advancing Tribal Data Infrastructure: The Contemporary Story of Winter Count
(Track 7)
Presenter: Larry Bearking
Grant Management Toolkit (Track 2)
Presenter(s): Tinka Duran and Miranda Whitman
Federal Updates Impacting Public Safety in Tribal
Communities: Laws, Programs, and Opportunities (Track 5)
Presenter: Deidre Aanstad
The Cost of Carrying Everything: Nervous System Stress, Leadership Pressure, and Identity in Indigenous Students (Track 2)
Presenter: Whitney Nordvold
2:00 PM - 2:50 PM
2:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Penicillin and Partnership: The Tribal Response to Syphilis in the Great Plains Area (Track 2)
Presenter: Taylor Davison and John Godoy
From Winter Counts to Data Hubs: Reimagining Public Health Data Through Tribal Sovereignty (Track 7)
Presenter: Sarah Shewbrooks
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Water and Wastewater Utilities – Regional Development Case Studies (Track 1)
Presenter: Kevin Martin
Reclaiming History, Reclaiming the Future: The Bismarck Indian School Digitization Project (Track 7)
Presenter: Prairie Rose Seminole
Healthy Relationships, Healthy Futures for Native Communities, and the Next Generations (Track 2)
Presenter: Opal Jones & Cody Ingle
Choosing An Entity- Pros and Cons of state law, tribal, or section 17 incorporation for your 638 entity (Track 4)
Presenter: Clifford Rhodes
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Afternoon Snack
Enjoy an afternoon snack served in Hall B.
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
4:00 PM
4:00 PM
Event End
Speakers
Growing Native Enterprise: Resources, Partnerships & Progress
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Souris Basin Planning Council
Growing Native Enterprise: Resources, Partnerships & Progress
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Souris Basin Planning Council
Rooted in Culture, Growing Through STEM: Empowering Indigenous Futures and Tribal Economies
NDSU/ND EPSCoR
Amber Finley (Abi Mia'sh - Corn Silk Woman), NHSC Director of
Research & Development/Science Faculty
Rooted in Culture, Growing Through STEM: Empowering Indigenous Futures and Tribal Economies
NDSU/ND EPSCoR
Alexa Azure (Anpo A’ou Win - Brings the Dawn Woman), UTTC
Engineering Department Chair/Instructor
Rooted in Culture, Growing Through STEM: Empowering Indigenous Futures and Tribal Economies
NDSU/ND EPSCoR
Sheridan McNeil (Oyate Ohowicada Win - Respects the People Woman)), Director of Tribal Partnerships
Program Director
BIA OJS Indian Highway Safety Program
Kimberly Belone, Program Coordinator
Program Director
BIA OJS Indian Highway Safety Program
Justin Wendland, Program Director
Federal Policy Update 2026: Navigating the Changing Federal Landscape for Tribal Nations
Buffalo Tail Consulting, LLC
Ryan Wilson, Principal, Buffalo Tail Consulting, LLC
Federal Policy Update 2026: Navigating the Changing Federal Landscape for Tribal Nations
Buffalo Tail Consulting, LLC
Marisa Cummings, Founder and Principal, Buffalo Tail COnsulting, LLC
Leading with Purpose: North Dakota’s Tribal College Presidents Panel
North Dakota Tribal College System
Dr. Twyla Baker, NDTCS Member-At-Large + President of Nueta Hidatsa
Sahnish College
Leading with Purpose: North Dakota’s Tribal College Presidents Panel
North Dakota Tribal College System
Dr. Wanda Parisien, NDTCS Treasurer + President of Turtle Mountain
College
Leading with Purpose: North Dakota’s Tribal College Presidents Panel
North Dakota Tribal College System
Dr. Steven Smith, NDTCS Secretary + President of Cankdeska Cikana
Community College
Leading with Purpose: North Dakota’s Tribal College Presidents Panel
North Dakota Tribal College System
Dr. Tomi Kay Phillips, NDTCS Vice-Chair + President of Sitting Bull
College
Leading with Purpose: North Dakota’s Tribal College Presidents Panel
North Dakota Tribal College System
Dr. Leander "Russ" McDonald, NDTCS Board Chair + President of
United Tribes Technical College
Leading with Purpose: North Dakota’s Tribal College Presidents Panel
North Dakota Tribal College System
Dr. Tracey Bauer, NDTCS Executive Director (Moderator)
TBD
NSF AgTech Engine in North Dakota
Nick Bittner, AgTech Research & Development Manager
Reclaiming History, Reclaiming the Future: The Bismarck Indian School Digitization Project
Northern Plains National Heritage Area
Prairie Rose Seminole, Archivist
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Water and Wastewater Utilities – Regional Development Case Studies
Houston Engineering, Inc.
Dan Heitzman, Senior Project Manager and Vice President
Federal Updates Impacting Public Safety in Tribal Communities: Laws, Programs, and Opportunities
Cedar Tree Native Law
Deidre Y. Aanstad, Senior Litigation Attorney
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Water and Wastewater Utilities – Regional Development Case Studies
Houston Engineering, Inc.
Kevin Martin, Senior Project Manager and Principal
Recording Voices of Japan's Indigenous Tribe Ainu: Documentary Film Daichi-yo (2022)
Doshisha University
Eriko Yamamoto, Ph.D., Doshisha University
Bison: Keystone Species for Tribal Sovereignty
NDN Collective - Bison Homelands initiative
Dr. Valeriah Big Eagle, Director of He Sapa Initiatives
Sacred He Sapa Restoration Act: LANDBACK as a Pathway to Indigenous Sovereignty & Environmental Justice
NDN Collective
Anissa Martin, Organizer He Sapa LandBack Campaign
Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Urban Spaces: Infrastructure, Equity, and Action
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Zoe Landin, Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Bison: Keystone Species for Tribal Sovereignty
NDN Collective - Bison Homelands initiative
Foster Cournoyer-Hogan, Bison Coordinator
From Learning to Leading: Native Students Inspiring Future Technology Leaders
United Tribes Technical College
Vince Iglehart, Computer Science Instructor
Hardwired Resiliency: Brain Based Trauma Informed Teaching & Learning in Action
DREAM Consulting
Desiree Reine, M.S.
Support or Surveillance? SROs, IEPs, and the Urban Indigenous Student Experience
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Support or Surveillance? SROs, IEPs, and the Urban Indigenous Student Experience
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Support or Surveillance? SROs, IEPs, and the Urban Indigenous Student Experience
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Protecting Tribal Citizens from Housing Predators
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Ashley Jahner, Director of Advocacy, Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Indigenous Communities and Organ Donation: Insights from Community Listening Sessions
LifeSource
Paula St John
From Couch to Community: Empowering Native Youth
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Presley HeavyRunner, Director of Youth Engagement, Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Traditional Wisdom, Modern Support: The Indigenous Holistic Approach
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Dr. Mariah Foote, Director of Health Engagement, Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Growing Native Enterprise: Resources, Partnerships & Progress
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Brek Maxon, Director of Business Engagement, Sacred Pipe Resource Center
"Democracy is Indigenous"
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Dr. Cheryl Kary, Executive Director
"Democracy is Indigenous"
Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Daniela Aki, Director of Civic Engagement
Grow Your Intentions: Build Habits That Support You
Bright Ember Insights, LLC
Dr. Sheeresa Begay
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA): Building Financial Strength With A Community Based Program
Stakeholder Partnership Education & Communicati...
Cheryl Deaton, Area 2 Manger
Community Mycology in Uncertain Times
UTTC Land Grant
Amanda Padron, Land Grant Operations Specialist
Storytelling as Pedagogy: Indigenous Perspectives in Social Studies Education
United Tribes Technical College
Mathew Foolish Bear
Supporting Native Civic Engagement Through Community-Led Facilitation
Native Governance Center
Jessica Glidden, Leadership Development Program Manager
Supporting Native Civic Engagement Through Community-Led Facilitation
Native Governance Center
Community Engagement Specialist
Sustainability: Social Equity, Balance, People First
Two Crow Development LLC - Two Crow Gardens
LLoree Dickens Two Crow - Speaker Owner
Building WókpÈŸaÅ‹ Kits: Traditional Medicines & 988 Awareness
GPTLHB
Terrance Roy: 988 Program Navigator
Healthy Relationships, Healthy Futures for Native Communities, and the Next Generations.
GPTCHB
Cody Ingle (Lost & Found Senior Research & Evaluation Specialist)
On the Process of Ideation for Designing Novel Materials based Processes for Commercialization
University of North Dakota
Surojit Gupta
Waniyetu Wowapi Khetkopawingxe: A Thousand Winters of History Hechena Waniyetu Wowapi Wichohx'an: The Winter Count Tradition Continues
United Tribes Technical College
Waniyetu Wowapi Khetkopawingxe: A Thousand Winters of History Hechena Waniyetu Wowapi Wichohx'an: The Winter Count Tradition Continues
United Tribes Technical College
Waniyetu Wowapi Khetkopawingxe: A Thousand Winters of History Hechena Waniyetu Wowapi Wichohx'an: The Winter Count Tradition Continues
United Tribes Technical College
Dakota W. Goodhouse, M.A. , History & Indigenous Studies Instructor
Bridging Community Support and Clinical Care Within a 638 Behavioral Health System: The CWOY Model
Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board
Keaton Widow, Program Manager
Economics and Political Power of Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Native BioData Consortium
Joseph Yracheta, MS Executive Director
Healthy Relationships, Healthy Futures for Native Communities, and the Next Generations.
GPTCHB
Opal Jones (Program Manager) and Cody Ingle (Lost&Found Senior Research & Evaluation Specialist)
Grant Management Toolkit
Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center
Miranda Whitman, MPH, TECPHI Program Manager
Connecting Kids to Coverage, Medicaid Application/Renewal Assistance for Children, Families, and First-Time Moms
Great Plains Tribal Health
Kristar Shouldis, Enrollment and Retention Specialist
Connecting Kids to Coverage, Medicaid Application/Renewal Assistance for Children, Families, and First-Time Moms
Great Plains Tribal Health
Barbara LeBeau, Enrollment and Retention Specialist
The Cost of Carrying Everything: Nervous System Stress, Leadership Pressure, and Identity in Indigenous Students
Whitney Nordvold, MSW, CSW, QMHP
Connecting Kids to Coverage, Medicaid Application/Renewal Assistance for Children, Families, and First-Time Moms
Great Plains Tribal Health
Travis Johnson, Program Manager
Grant Management Toolkit
Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center
Tinka Duran, MPH, Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center, Director
Transforming Tribal Oral Health: Care Circles and the Care Progression Pathway
Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health board
William Colson - Senior Director of Allied Services
Advancing Tribal Data Infrastructure: The Contemporary Story of Winter Count
Great Plains Tribal Health
Larry Bearking, Chief of our Informatics and Analytics Department
Teaching Heart, My Life from Native American Boarding School to Leader in Education
Dr. Matt Villeneuve
Teaching Heart, My Life from Native American Boarding School to Leader in Education
Dr. Ramona Charette Klein
Wastewater system and its potential to transform utility management on the reservation.
Avanza CLEANTECH
Joseph Serna
Human Trafficking in Indigenous Communities: How to raise awareness, prevent it, and how to respond.
Great Plains Tribal Leaders' Health Board
Deanna Prue - Program Manager - Trauma & Violence Prevention Initiative/MMIR Task Force Leader
From Winter Counts to Data Hubs: Reimagining Public Health Data Through Tribal Sovereignty
Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center
Sarah Shewbrooks, MPH, Data Coordinating Unit Director and Lead Epidemiologist
Sovereign Systems: How Organizational Development and People Operations (HR) Strengthen Tribal Governance
GPTLHB
Elle Swan, Sr. Director of People Operations
Sovereign Systems: How Organizational Development and People Operations (HR) Strengthen Tribal Governance
GPTLHB
Tori Whipple, Vice President of Organizational Development
Dialysis Burden and Gaps in Care Among American Indian and Alaska Native Medicare Enrollees
GPTLHB
Building Care Together: Implementing Integrated Care Teams at Oyate Health Center
GPTLHB-Oyate Health Center
Jackie Yotter, RN- Vice President of Clinical Care
Building Care Together: Implementing Integrated Care Teams at Oyate Health Center
GPTLHB-Oyate Health Center
Fawn Janis, RN-Senior Director of Nursing
Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Public Health
American Indian Public Health Resource Center
Chris Taylor-Community Public Health
Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Public Health
American Indian Public Health Resource Center
Amanda Strauss-Community Public Health
Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Public Health
American Indian Public Health Resource Center
Tahni Parisien-Indigenous Food Sovereignty Project Manager,
Penicillin and Partnership: The Tribal Response to Syphilis in the Great Plains Area
Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center
John Godoy, MPH | Program Manager
Penicillin and Partnership: The Tribal Response to Syphilis in the Great Plains Area
Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center
Taylor Davison, MPH | Program Manager
Building Care Together: Implementing Integrated Care Teams at Oyate Health Center
GPTLHB-Oyate Health Center
Allison Joachim, RN-Senior Director of Integrated Care
Choosing An Entity- Pros and Cons of state law, tribal, or section 17 incorporation for your 638 entity
GPTCHB-OHC
Clifford Rhodes, General Counsel, Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board
Dialysis Burden and Gaps in Care Among American Indian and Alaska Native Medicare Enrollees
GPTLHB
Dr. Cheng Wang
Amber Finley (Abi Mia'sh - Corn Silk Woman), NHSC Director of Research & Development/Science Faculty
Alexa Azure (Anpo A’ou Win - Brings the Dawn Woman), UTTC Engineering Department Chair/Instructor
Sheridan McNeil (Oyate Ohowicada Win - Respects the People Woman)), Director of Tribal Partnerships
Dr. Leander "Russ" McDonald, NDTCS Board Chair + President of United Tribes Technical College
Opal Jones (Program Manager) and Cody Ingle (Lost&Found Senior Research & Evaluation Specialist)
Deanna Prue - Program Manager - Trauma & Violence Prevention Initiative/MMIR Task Force Leader
No records found.
