Searching for successful Native Americans

Hi folks, thanks for visiting. This page was set up in effort to ask for help with a project I have recently undertaken.

First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Scott Parker. I am an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Belcourt, North Dakota. I have a B. S. in Elementary Education and a M.S. Ed. in Instructional Design & Technology.

My goal is to gather and present information on (at least) one hundred successful contemporary Native Americans in effort to showcase their achievements. My purpose is to use this compilation as an educational tool.

First and foremost, this is in effort to provide role models for Native Americans, young and old.
Second, this will be a tool to promote and celebrate the successes of Native people not only in the eyes of other Natives, but to the general population as well.

In my attempt to point out role models for today’s youth, I am hoping to find information on Native people who are successful in as many areas/fields as possible. I am not necessarily looking for the rich and famous here; this isn’t all about movie stars, music legends and sports heroes. While I do of course intend to include actors, singers, athletes, artists, etc., I also want to include a good mix of entrepreneurs, scientists, doctors, lawyers, educators, and such. My hopes are that these will not only be the people my target population will be able to relate to, but also people they are related to.

I hope to include people from as many tribes as possible, working in as many fields as possible.
While I cannot promise I will be able to include everyone whose information I receive, I do welcome all the candidates I can get.

I also need photographs for each candidate, and I will need full rights to publish said photograph along with candidate’s information.

The information I need will be; Photo, Birth date, Tribal affiliation, Biography, areas of success, level of education (if applicable), and a way to contact this person (through a third party is fine).

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. You can email me at successfulnas@gmail.com, or just leave information as a comment if you choose.

I welcome any comments, questions, or concerns you may have.

Thanks again,
Scott Parker


The project is well underway, but I still need more participants. In case you might be wondering who is already involved in this project (who some of the participants are), following is a short list. Keep in mind, this is only a partial list, but I do still need many more.

LuAnn Leonard – Hopi
First American Indian to be appointed to the Arizona Board of Regents

Richard Monette – Turtle Mountain Chippewa
Associate Professor of Law, University of Wisconsin Law School

Shana Cozad – Kiowa, Otoe, Pawnee, Wichita
Noted, recognized public speaker and HIV/AIDS prevention educator

Shawn White Wolf – Northern Cheyenne
White Wolf Media Distributing, Native View

Sherman Alexie Jr. – Spokane/Cour d’Alene
Poet, Short Story Writer, Novelist, Screenwriter, Filmmaker

Marc Bluestone – Three Affiliated Tribes, Seneca, Cayuga
Superintendent, New Town Public School District #1

Kim Shuck – Tsalagi, Sauk & Fox, Polish
Poet, Weaver, Educator

Gerald Sherman – Oglala Lakota
President/CEO, Indian Land Capital Company

Clayton Peltier – Turtle Mountain Chippewa
Student Support Services Advisor/Instructor Cankdeska Cikina Community College

Urban Giff – Pima
Director, Community’s Board of the Lone Butte Industrial, Inc.

Diane Glancy – Cherokee
Educator, Writer

Linda Rodriguez – Cherokee
Author

Joseph Edward Bruchac III – Western Abenaki
Writer, Storyteller, Performer of traditional Abenaki music, Martial Arts instructor

Carol Davis – Turtle Mountain Chippewa
Tribal College Liaison- North Dakota EPSCoR

Grayson Noley – Choctaw
Chair and Associate Professor, Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Oklahoma, Norman

Carty Monette – Turtle Mountain Chippewa
Senior Advisor with Quality Education for Minorities Network (QEM)

Talia Martin – Shoshone, Bannock
Pharm. Chem. Scholar, University of Kansas

Jim Davis – Turtle Mountain Chippewa
Consultant to various tribal, state and federal educational institutions and health care facilities in over 20 states throughout the country

Victoria Wright – Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, Aquinnah
Vice President, Strategic Marketing, Merrill Lynch

Craig Dan Goseyun – San Carlos Apache
Internationally Acclaimed Apache Sculptor, Stone, Bronze, Steel

Richard McCloud – Turtle Mountain Chippewa
Entrepreneur, Postmaster USPS

Jessica Rickert – Prairie Band Potawatomi
First recognized American Indian woman dentist

Liegh Jeanotte – Turtle Mountain Chippewa
Director, American Indian Student Services, University of North Dakota