Native Nation Rebuilders named

BEMIDJI – Darrell Kingbird of the Red Lake Nation and Melinda Iverson of the White Earth Nation are among 17 individuals named to the fourth cohort of the Bush Foundation’s Native Nation Rebuilders Program.

The five men and 12 women named to the program have experience in fields including health care, education, tribal administration, business, cultural resources and community development. They directly serve the people of their nations as educators, lawyers, elected tribal leaders and administrators of a variety of social services programs.

The group gathered last week in Prior Lake, Minn., for its first meeting,

Four training sessions during the two-year program are led by several regional and national partners with expertise in nation-rebuilding, organizing and issues specific to Indian Country, including the Native Nations Institute and the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

The Bush Foundation launched the Rebuilders program in support of the elected leaders of the 23 Native nations, who said partnering with other emerging and existing Native leaders will be crucial to the success of their nations over the long term.

Rebuilders make a significant commitment. They agree to participate consistently in ongoing activities throughout the two-year period, to actively share knowledge with peers and with their respective nations’ governments, and to develop and implement nation-rebuilding action plans.