Board of Directors

Dr. Baker is a Native Governance Center Rebuilder (Cohort 2) and serves as President of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, the chartered college of her Tribal Nation. Living and working in her home community, Dr. Baker brings networking expertise and real world experience working with Tribal Nations, which she has done throughout her career. As a researcher and data scientist, Dr. Baker is vested in ensuring Tribal Nations possess and employ quality data and information to empower and inform decision making for the good of Tribal citizens.

Dr. Beane holds a BA in American Indian Studies and a PhD in American Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is an educator and public historian in the Twin Cities, with a background rooted in education and a passion for state history narrative change. Previously, she served as a Charles A. Eastman Pre-doctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College, and a President’s Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of California, Santa Cruz. As the director of Native American Initiatives at Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) Dr. Beane helped to strategize engagement practices with regional Indigenous communities. She advised MNHS on best practices for incorporating Native perspectives and voices on projects throughout the institution and at historic sites. She is currently the Executive Director of the Minnesota Museum of American Art.

Frank is a former Tribal Chairman and a current Appellate Court Justice. He works on leadership development for Indian Country. His work includes local, regional, national and international efforts on Indigenous cultural property rights, treaty rights, environmental protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation.