(she/her/winyan)

Maggie (Pabaksawiŋ) is Dakota and Anishinaabe. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe and descends from Spirit Lake Dakota Nation. She has spent her career in the fields of education, cultural resiliency and healing, and environmental justice.

Maggie serves on the board of directors for Owámniyomni Okhódayapi, F. R. Bigelow Foundation, and Tiwahe Foundation.

Email: mlorenz at wakantipi dot org

(she/her)

Louisa is a member of Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and a descendant of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the Blackfeet Nation. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Education in Youth Development Leadership at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Prior to joining WTA, she served as the Interim Assistant Director of the Circle of Indigenous Nations (COIN) at the University of Minnesota. Prior to that, Louisa served as the Assistant Director of Native American Student Development at the University of California, Berkeley. Louisa has more than 8 years of experience working with American Indian communities, developing programs, and managing teams.

Email: lharstad at wakantipi dot org

(he/him)

Ben is a Cultural Resources Manager with over fifteen years devoted to mission-driven organizations in the St. Paul area, where he lives with his wife and children.

Ben has a background in Native American & Natural History, Art, Community Engagement, and Exhibit & Program Development. He received a Master of Science in Cultural Resource Management working with Dakota communities.

Email: bgessner at wakantipi dot org

(she/her/winyan)

Jenna (Nape Mato Win) is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. Since the KXL pipeline threatened treaty territory of the Dakotas, Jenna has been passionate about a world beyond fossil fuels and centering Indigenous voices, culture, and history. Jenna is also a beadwork artist, Indigenous gardener, and received a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Augsburg University. She believes that positive cultural and ancestral based knowledge are vital components to Indigenous resiliency.

Email: jgreyeagle at wakantipi dot org

(she/her/sí)

Clare is an Irish American who has worked in and with Indigenous communities for many years. She studied Native American Studies and Applied Leadership at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she received the Diversity Ambassador Award in 2020 for her work as co-founder and Vice President of the Owaci Okodakiciye. Clare believes that Indigenous leadership and land stewardship will create a brighter future for all peoples.

Email: ccarroll at wakantipi dot org

(she/her/kwe)

Gabby is an enrolled member of the Forest County Potawatomi Community (bullhead clan) of northern Wisconsin. With a master’s degree in Tribal Natural Resource Management, Gabby is focused on plant relatives and how climate change is impacting them. She is passionate about the environment and looking at how to center indigenous voices, values, and knowledge in the stewardship of the land.

Email: gmenomin at wakantipi dot org

(she/her/winyan)

Maliyah (Caŋte Wauŋšida Wiŋ) is Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota and Cambodian. Prior to working for WTA, she volunteered at events and helped with our annual Pollinator Festival. Maliyah is a homebody who enjoys spending time with her family and her guinea pigs. She is passionate about working in the Native community and Indigenizing spaces.

Email: mnelson at wakantipi dot org

(he/him)

Travis (Mazomani) is Mdewakanton Whapeton Dakota and Kanien'kehá'ka Bear Clan (Mohawk) enrolled in Sisseton Whapeton Dakota Oyate and Kahnawake Mohawk Territory. He is a Union Journeymen Local 512 Ironworker by trade. Travis is learning Dakhodiapi and about Dakota Makoce/Sacred sites to pass down to his daughters. "I'm excited to be part of the team. Hau Hau Hecetu'Do."

Email: tbush at wakantipi dot org

Current term: 2023 - 2025

Committee roles: Governance (Chair)

Kate is a citizen of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota and is Executive Director of the Minnesota Museum of American Art (The M). She holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota, and previously served as a Charles A. Eastman Fellow at Dartmouth College and as a President's Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California, Santa Cruz.

Current Term: 2024 - 2026

Committee roles: Development

Shelley Buck is serving her sixth term on Prairie Island Tribal Council, currently as Vice President. She is also the President of Friends of the Falls.

Buck has a Bachelor of Science in business accounting from Indiana University and a Master of Art in sports management from Concordia University. She recently finished a second Masters of Jurisprudence in tribal Indian law from the University of Tulsa.

Current term: 2023 - 2025

Committee roles: Governance

Thomas is a Lakota Language and Culture teacher at American Indian Magnet School. He is Hunkpapa Lakota from Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota. His passion is educating youth about indigenous history and culture, particularly about sacred sites around the Twin Cities.

Current Term: 2024 - 2026

Committee roles: Chair, Finance Committee; Member, Development Committee; Member, Capital Campaign Committee.

Lindeke is an employee of Architecture Advantage at its offices in Lowertown Saint Paul. Formerly a principal and President of Rafferty Rafferty Tollefson Lindeke Architects, he has 35 years of project experience, over a broad range of project types.

Current Term: 2024 - 2026

Committee roles: Finance

Cyndy is retired Senior Vice President and Division Director North for the Trust for Public Land. She is also a licensed attorney. At Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, Cyndy has been an important connector to private citizens and public agencies focused on public access to parks and trails.

Current term: 2024 - 2026

Committee roles: Member, Finance Committee.

Johnson is Senior VP and Director of Portfolio Management with Mairs and Power, an investment firm based in Saint Paul.

Cantemaza (Spirit Lake Dakota) is a Dakota Language Specialist in the American Indian Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.