News Archives - Johnson Scholarship Foundation

Foundation Welcomes New Indigenous Peoples Programs Consultant

August 28, 2023/in News

John Henry Glover “Stormy” has joined JSF as an Indigenous Peoples Programs Consultant and will aid the Foundation in strengthening its Indigenous grant programs.

The Johnson Scholarship Foundation (JSF) is pleased to welcome John Henry Glover (“Stormy”) as a new Indigenous Peoples Programs Consultant. Glover will advise the Foundation on efforts around its Indigenous grant programs in partnership with JSF’s other Indigenous Consultant, Richard B. Williams.

Glover is a professor, administrator, and consultant in indigenous law, policy, education, and development; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); rural and underrepresented communities; and nonprofit management. He is originally from the beautiful Flathead Valley in western Montana.

Glover has served as the director of institutional advancement at Northwest Indian College, associate dean at the University of South Dakota (USD) School of Law, and professor of American Indian Studies at Black Hills State University (BHSU). He has also served as founder, executive director, and board member for Native Educational Endeavors, Inc., a nonprofit that provides educational opportunities to Native Americans and fosters cross-cultural respect.

He has also been an indigenous subject matter expert and facilitator for Kauffman & Associates; a tribal liaison for Inner City Fund (ICF) and Environmental Resources Management (ERM); a field researcher for Westat; chief diversity officer at USD School of Law; director for the BHSU Center for American Indian Studies; and an advisor to North Sound Accountable Community of Health and Borealis Philanthropy.

He received a bachelor’s degree in international studies and political science from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He also received a JD from Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon. More recently, he earned graduate certifications and professional endorsements in DEI (Cornell), nonprofit management (Harvard), and nonprofit development (Indiana University/Purdue). He has raised and managed millions of grant dollars from the USDA, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, National Endowment for Humanities, Indian Land Tenure Foundation, American Indian College Fund, and more.

Glover has appreciated contributing to community service, including providing free diversity and inclusion trainings, nonprofit assessments, and strategic planning. Additionally, he leads oral history projects and creates paid internships in Indian Country. He has also supported charities including Meals on Wheels, Good Shepherd Free Clinic, YouthWISE, Lighthouse Mission Homeless Center, Lutheran Charities, and various local and international food banks and sustainable food empowerment programs.

His tribal affiliation is Salish from the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation. He and his son Gene “Boomer” are avid fisherman, sci-fi fans, and peripatetic adventurers.

Exploring Hearing Loss in Her Homeland

August 18, 2023/in Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, News

This story was originally written by Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, a grantee partner of JSF. It is shared here with permission.

Sofia, a Clarke Alum with Hearing Loss, Advances a Global Research Project

Meet Sofia, who is currently pursuing a Liberal Arts Degree at Smith College. Sofia was born with hearing loss in Guatemala and adopted by her current family in the United States. Years ago, she attended Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech’s Preschool Program in Philadelphia to learn to listen and talk. Since its founding in 1867, Clarke’s teachers of the deaf, speech-language pathologists and audiologists have taught thousands of children who are deaf or hard of hearing the listening, learning and spoken language skills to succeed in mainstream schools and the wider world.

Children served by Clarke use advanced technologies, including cochlear implants and hearing aids, to maximize their access to sound. Following her graduation from Clarke in 2010, Sofia excelled in elementary and high school.

Entering her senior year of high school, Sofia was tasked with researching a global issue and interviewing experts in the field relative to the issue. Sofia decided to research the global effects of hearing loss, focusing on her birth country, Guatemala, and interviewed Judy Sexton, MS, CED LSLS Cert AVEd, Clarke’s head of programs and schools and interim president.

To further enrich the conversation, Judy connected Sofia with Paige Stringer, founder and executive director of the Global Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss.

“I asked questions about Paige’s work, how our country’s healthcare differs from other countries, along with how mainstreaming children with hearing loss can be hard on both the children and parents,” explains Sofia.

Through her international research, Sofia discovered there is only one professionally trained audiologist in Guatemala, Dr. Paty Castellanos.

Judy and Paige also connected Sofia with Paty to deepen her research and overall learning experience.

After Sofia’s insightful conversation with Paty, discussing the need for more Guatemala-native hearing loss professionals, Sofia discovered her passion for interviewing and researching within the international relations field and beyond. She says, “I hope to dedicate my time researching global challenges, how the world is changing environmentally and how to find ways to save our environment.”

Sofia is a recipient of Clarke’s Caroline A. Yale Memorial Fund Scholarship, designed to support the continuing education of Clarke students. Sofia intends to use the funds to fuel her academic ventures.

Outstanding Nursing Graduate Centers Career on Service

July 18, 2023/in News

Karla Cantero-Garcia smiles with her grandmother. She is wearing a grey top and her grandma is wearing a yellow top.

Cantero-Garcia smiles for a photo with her grandmother.

Recent Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) graduate and Johnson Scholar Karla Cantero-Garcia believes she was made to serve others. After finishing high school and earning her associate’s degree through dual enrollment, she began attending PBA in 2020.

In addition to the nursing program, the Brooksville, Fla. native was drawn to PBA’s community. It was the only university that allowed her to pursue nursing while playing beach volleyball.

“Nursing is so important,” she reflected. “I think about the second commandment—to love others as you love yourself.”

But the decision to pursue a career in nursing came from hardship. In 2019, Cantero-Garcia’s sister lost her baby during labor.

“It was really hard to go through as a family,” she said. “I have never seen someone bounce back like my sister. I knew at that moment that I wanted to be an obstetrics nurse.”

Cantero-Garcia learned about the Johnson Scholarship last year while seeking financial aid.

“I asked for help, and it fell into my lap,” she said. “College is not cheap. You already have the stresses of nursing school, so to have the finances [taken care of] reminds me how faithful the Lord is. For JSF to do that financially—while I couldn’t do it on my own—means the world to me.”

Earlier this year, Cantero-Garcia received a phone call from one of her professors, who shared more good news.

“The phone call came at a perfect time,” she said. “I was going through the loss of my grandma. We’d always talked about my graduation. She was my number-one supporter.”

During the call, Cantero-Garcia learned that she’d been elected as the 2023 outstanding graduate in the School of Nursing.

“My heart was filled with joy—I couldn’t stop smiling,” she said. “When Dr. Jane Wilson said that the faculty [chose] me by name, it was great to know my hard work was paying off.”

Cantero-Garcia credits her faith and family for her success.

“My parents have always been proud of me,” she shared. “Coming from a Hispanic household, the drive was to always ‘do’. My mom would always say in Spanish, ‘Do everything as if it were for the glory of God.’ It was ingrained into my being.”

And ‘do’ she does. Cantero-Garcia has already started the master of science in nursing program at PBA. She said she’s looking forward to getting her foot in the door at a nearby hospital—or going back to school for her doctorate in nursing someday.

“Looking back, I didn’t feel as if those tears or headaches from staring at a computer screen for so long would amount to something—and it did.”

Breaking Barriers: Reflections from a First-Gen College Graduate

July 14, 2023/in News

Johnson Scholar and University of Florida grad Jaciah Rashid shares this introspective on her college journey, the road to get there, and what it means to be a first-gen college student

This article was written by Johnson Scholar and University of Florida graduate Jaciah Rashid. It is shared here with permission.

Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of changing the world. I quickly realized that obtaining a higher education was the key to unlocking my dreams, so I set my sights on college with only a vague understanding of what a difficult undertaking it would be. There was only one major obstacle standing before me: finances.

I knew that the only way I would be able to afford a higher education was through scholarships. Thus, when high school commenced, I began on a horse race to try and acquire the funds necessary to finance my education. After many sleepless nights studying the night away, I was finally able to get the scholarships I needed to go to college, among which included Take Stock in Children/Johnson Scholars (TSIC/JS) and Machen Florida Opportunity Scholarship (MFOS). I also graduated as valedictorian of my high school as collateral.

Soon after came the treacherous journey of traversing college as a first-generation college student. As soon as I stepped foot on campus, I was bombarded with collegiate buzzwords that I had never heard of, including “fraternities,” “certificates,” “tracks,” and more. At orientation, I asked the presenter if it was bad not to be “pre-med” in hopes of figuring out what this oft-heard term meant, to which I received blank stares from no less than one hundred of my peers in the room.

I could not afford the fee to bring my parents along with me. I was alone and so utterly confused. However, from then on, step by step, day by day, I conquered the uphill battle of making sense of the otherwise untrekked territory that was college. I learned about research, double majors, graduating with honors, and more. Now, here I stand at the end of my journey, on top of the mountain that is college, looking back at my journey and the trials and tribulations that I triumphed.

I am honored to be a first-generation success story, adding my tale to a garment weaved by an ever-growing community of strong individuals who beat the odds. Within my undergraduate studies, I created a computational brain cancer model to bolster the success rate of therapies undergoing clinical trials, and I published my paper with the National Institute of Health. I was able to touch lives through a variety of volunteer work, serving as a teacher, a mentor, and a conversation partner to underprivileged elementary school students, incoming freshmen, and international students struggling to adapt to American culture respectively.

I also blossomed from a meek, anxious 18-year-old into a confident, independent young adult with a deep understanding of who I am and what I stand for. All of my experiences culminated into a successful graduation: this past May, I graduated from the University of Florida’s Honors Program with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.S. in Computer Science. I also graduated from the University Research Scholars Program (URSP), an opportunity offered only to the top 5% of students. I now work as a full-time software engineer in the defense industry and hope to continue my education as a part-time graduate student in the near future.

I could not have completed this journey on my own. I am forever grateful for the friends, family members, and mentors that served as an emotional crutch for me throughout the ups and downs of college. I am also indebted to scholarship organizations like TSIC/JS and MFOS that enabled me to embark on this journey to begin with. Without the support of others, I would not have been able to succeed in college.

Still, it is difficult to process how far I have come. I can recall a childhood of hiding behind the family couch, eating spoonfuls of sugar to stave off the hunger that came with chronic food insecurity at home. Now, with a newfound sense of financial stability, I have the power to provide for myself as well as those in need. As I gain my foothold at my new job, I hope to enable another dreamer, just like me, to see their aspirations come to fruition.

Before I ever realized, I find myself at a checkpoint in life. The launch of my engineering career marks my departure from the world of helplessness that marked my childhood toward a glowing future I can look forward to, and I have never been so content. As I ponder the past, I remember a little girl who cared deeply and dreamed big, and although I can never know for sure, it brings me great joy to envision that a younger me would have been proud to know what she will grow up to be.

JSF Welcomes New Financial Controller to Staff

July 7, 2023/in News

The Johnson Scholarship Foundation (JSF) is pleased to welcome Thomas A. Pence, Jr. to its team of staff members. Pence joined JSF in June 2023 as the Financial Controller. His primary responsibilities will include managing and overseeing all accounting functions of the organization.

Before joining the Foundation, Pence was a managing director in the tax department of Eisner Advisory Group (previously known as Caler, Donten, Levine, Cohen, Porter & Veil, P.A., prior to the merger) where he worked for nearly 27 years.

He is a Palm Beach County, Florida, native, and a graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University, one of JSF’s core grantee partners. At PBA, he received his Bachelor of Business Administration. He also graduated from the University of Florida with his master’s degree in Accountancy. Tommy and his wife are the proud parents of two young children.

Lowell Weiss Joins Johnson Scholarship Foundation as Board Consultant

June 30, 2023/in News

The Johnson Scholarship Foundation is pleased to announce that longtime philanthropy professional Lowell Weiss has joined as the Foundation’s new Board Consultant.

Weiss has spent more than three decades sparking social change across a broad array of local, national and global issues. At Cascade Philanthropy Advisors, he provides personalized guidance to donors and boards seeking to deepen their impact and create meaningful change in the world.

Before that, he served in a leadership role at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Among his many responsibilities, Weiss served as staff director of the internal team responsible for providing Bill and Melinda Gates with insights on how best to steward Warren Buffett’s historic gift.

Before working for the Gates Foundation, he served as director of the chairman’s office at the Morino Institute. There, he served as Mario Morino’s right-hand man on all aspects of the institute’s operations and communications. Weiss also served in the White House as special assistant to President Bill Clinton. In addition to traveling extensively with the president, he wrote more than 150 speeches for him and served as a key communications strategist.

“I am honored to join the Johnson Scholarship Foundation’s leadership team,” said Weiss. “I look forward to collaborating with this accomplished group of board members as we work with our grantee partners to help students across the United States and Canada succeed in education.”

Weiss also previously wrote speeches for Vice President Al Gore; wrote a New York Times bestselling book with political consultant James Carville; served as an editor at The Atlantic Monthly; and published articles in The New Republic, US News & World Report, Washington Monthly, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Elle and other national publications. He graduated in 1990 from Amherst College with high honors.

Weiss is an active volunteer. He serves as a trustee of the Northwest School; started a program that engaged more than 1,000 federal employees in tutoring public school students in DC; and led a successful citizen initiative to strengthen the state of Washington’s law on distracted driving.

At 40, Northwest Indian College Looks Back at Success

June 23, 2023/in News, Uncategorized

The following article was originally written by Natasha Brennan for Tribal College Journal. It is shared here with permission.

Brent Cleveland, a student at Northwest Indian College, speaks to fellow students during a graduation ceremony outside. He's wearing a black cap and gown. Mountains outline the background of the photo.

Brent Cleveland speaks to his fellow graduates at Northwest Indian College’s commencement. Cleveland earned his Bachelor of Arts in tribal governance and business management with highest honors.

As a student at Northwest Indian College (NWIC), Laural Ballew attended American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) meetings while working on her associate’s degree.

“Even though we were all from different tribal colleges and nations, we all had the same drive, ambitions, and dreams. We were being educated and given space to hold onto our culture. I got to see that at a national level thanks to AIHEC,” Ballew said.

After completing her program at NWIC, which only offered associate’s degrees at the time, she completed her bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University in 2002 and her master’s in public administration with a concentration in tribal governance from Evergreen State College. When she returned to NWIC as the director of finance, Ballew was later asked to lead the two-year business administration and entrepreneurship programs.

In 2010, NWIC was accredited to offer bachelor’s degrees. An NWIC survey found the community wanted the college’s two-year programs in tribal governance and business management (TGBM) to grow. In researching how to fill that need, Ballew learned there were certificates, two-year programs, and master’s programs for TGBM at other institutions—but not four-year degrees. With the help of her MPA mentor, the late Alan Parker, Ballew adapted Evergreen’s TGBM master’s curriculum into a four-year program at NWIC.

“I had so many students knocking down my door. I didn’t have to advertise. Students were anxious to be the first graduates. Using Evergreen’s curriculum meant our graduates were better prepared for master’s programs,” Ballew said.

In 2013, the Bachelor of Arts in Tribal Governance and Business Management program became the third of four bachelor’s degrees NWIC offers. Designed to develop the skills that support governance and business management in tribal communities and organizations, the program of study offers students the fundamental knowledge and experience necessary to succeed in the areas of leadership, sovereignty, economic development, entrepreneurship, and management.

“With funding in-part from the American Indian College Fund [AICF], NWIC was able to acquire 160 acres of land,” vice president of campus development and administration services Dave Oreiro said. “The college’s capital campaign, in collaboration with AICF through AIHEC, expanded the Lummi main campus’ facilities.”

By 2014, the 4,500 square-foot Kwina building became home to the college’s TGBM program. Despite having a new building, TGBM faculty knew the program—being geared toward working students with full-time jobs, entrepreneurs, and business leaders—had to be as accessible as possible. They developed online and hybrid courses, becoming the first four-year program at NWIC to offer them.

“My own story helped me to understand where our students were coming from,” Ballew said. “Juggling family, work, and school isn’t always easy.”

TGBM became a model for the school in developing its distance learning curriculum, which was in the works prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic hit, the program—which was ahead of its time in online offerings—was instrumental in preparing the school to become an accredited distance learning institution in 2020.

“Going into the pandemic, our faculty and staff were already prepared. That was unique and made our program favorable for working students,” Ballew said.

TGBM faculty and staff have worked to make the program affordable and offer exciting opportunities for students. The program is supported by an endowment with the college’s foundation, including a $1 million match and an additional $100,000 in scholarship awards from the Johnson Scholarship Foundation. The program works closely with the College Fund and tribal entities to develop career readiness and internship programming with the Lummi Nation, Intuit, Pyramid Communications, and White Swan Environmental. The program is also working to finalize an official partnership with the Bureau of Trust Fund Operations to support student career pathways with federal government roles that impact tribal nations.

To date, the Tribal Governance and Business Management Program has conferred 160 bachelor’s degrees. Over 40% of the college’s 370 bachelor’s graduates majored in TGBM.

“It goes to show that when you build something that the community wants, the community will help you build it up quickly. The program has great faculty and staff like TGBM department chair Brandon Morris. They know that every day a Native student walks into the classroom or through that virtual door is a success,” Ballew said.

In addition to her role as a member of NWIC’s board of trustees, Ballew serves as Western Washington University’s first executive director of American Indian, Alaska Native, and First Nations relations and tribal liaison to the president. She is working on her doctorate in Indigenous development and advancement from Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi in New Zealand.

“I’m fortunate to have insight into what it’s like to be a student, staff, and administrator. Being on the NWIC board has enabled me to attend AIHEC meetings like I did as a student. Only now I listen to the presidents and administrators who are experiencing the same challenges, relishing in our students’ success, and supporting each other toward bettering Indigenous higher education,” Ballew said. “I am excited to be celebrating 50 years of AIHEC and thankful for their support of Northwest Indian College as we celebrate our 40th year.”

JSF Indigenous Student Excellence Scholars excel and give back at Toronto Metropolitan University: Part 2

May 12, 2023/in News, Toronto Metropolitan University

The following article was submitted by Toronto Metropolitan University. It is shared here with permission.

JSF Indigenous scholar and student-athlete spends summer mentoring students back home

Following closely in the footsteps of Johnson Scholar Cody Anthony is Saije Catcheway, who has recently completed her second year of a Bachelor of Commerce, studying Business Management and Law.

Catcheway cites coming to Toronto to study and join the Varsity Women’s Hockey team as a “dream come true.”

She too is a recipient of the JSF Scholarship, which Catcheway says reinforced her belief in herself. “This gracious gift showed that my hard work is paying off and relieved a weight from my shoulders,” she says. “I’m grateful for being able to continue my education while knowing that I’m able to pay my living expenses and my transportation home.”

Catcheway is Ojibwe-Cree and returns home for four months in the summer break to Skownan First Nation in Manitoba to mentor students from Grade 3 to Grade 7 through speaking engagements and athletics. Her mentorship initiative is funded by the Ted Rogers Student’s Society Leadership Award.

Education on the reservation only goes to Grade 10, but – thanks to a scholarship – Catcheway, who was born and raised in nearby Winnipeg, had the opportunity to attend and graduate with honors from an all-girls private school. Soon after, she attended college in the U.S., but the high tuition and cost of living led her to leave. She thought her dreams to pursue post- secondary education and play college-level hockey may have ended, until she was accepted to study business at TMU, which she says was always her number-one choice.

She emphasizes that “in the TMU culture, athletics are at a very high standard, but as a student athlete, ‘student’ comes first, academics come first.” Balancing both academic and athletics has helped her hone her time management skills to balance school with practice, training and traveling for hockey games. In the process, she has also been awarded the Ontario University Athletics Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award in 2023.

She feels she’s at TMU “for a reason” and wants to continue to be a role model for her First Nation community and culture, who along with her family have been supportive of her goals.

This summer, she hopes to also mentor the high school students and consult with the Skownan chief, counsel and teachers about expanding opportunities, perhaps online, for learners past Grade 10.

“I want to inspire these kids to further their education. I want to be a role model to promote inclusivity, change and opportunity, especially for Indigenous women in the workplace,” Catcheway says. “I can’t stress enough that you’ve got to love what you’re studying and be passionate about your goals in school in order to do well and to have fun.” She hopes to pursue a law degree after graduation.

The Johnson Scholarship Foundation continues to make higher education accessible for three additional Indigenous students who are studying Professional Music, Midwifery and Sociology at TMU and who are passionate about making a positive impact in their communities.

JSF Indigenous Student Excellence Scholars excel and give back at Toronto Metropolitan University: Part 1

May 12, 2023/in News, Toronto Metropolitan University

The following article was submitted by Toronto Metropolitan University. It is shared here with permission.

Cody Anthony is the first JSF Scholar to graduate from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) in Canada. He is one of five Indigenous students at TMU whose academic and career dreams have become tangible and achievable thanks to support from the Johnson Scholarship Foundation.

“I’m so grateful for the Johnson Scholarship Foundation award. It gave me peace of mind, so instead of worrying about meeting basic life necessities, I got to focus my attention on Indigenous initiatives and community impact,” he says. “It has prepared me for a lifetime of community work, which is exciting.”

Anthony identifies as a mixed urban Indigenous person, whose father is Dene with roots from the Deh Gah Got’ie Kue First Nation in the Northwest Territories. In May 2023, he graduated from TMU’s Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) with a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in Business Management with an interest in Pre-Colonial Indigenous Entrepreneurship and Modern Economic Reconciliation.

“A lot of people don’t know the history of business or commerce between First Nations groups before colonization in what we now call Canada. I had the opportunity to work with the Indigenous Advisor at TRSM, Michael Mihalicz, to help develop an e-learning module called ‘Indigenous Entrepreneurship: A community-driven approach to new venture creation,’” says Anthony.

For this project, he gathered archaeological transcripts and evidence of trade amongst First Nations before 1941. “We did business differently, which was really cool. Gift giving was important, as was equity amongst relationships and partnerships. And leadership meant caring for one another.”

Mihalicz, who in addition to being the Indigenous Advisor in the Office of the Dean, is also an Assistant Professor, Entrepreneurship and Strategy Department in TRSM, says:

“Cody moves fast and efficiently, and I was really impressed.” He adds, “He has some incredible ideas and is committed to creating space for Indigenous Knowledges to exist within TRSM. Cody is also committed to bridging the cultural divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples at TMU through community-building activities that bring everyone together in a way that maintains the integrity of our identities and voices. One really big initiative that he founded was the inaugural Reconciliation in Business conference in 2022.”

The conference was spearheaded by the Ted Rogers Indigenous in Business student group, which Anthony also founded. His vision for the conference included uniting Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Toronto to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call-to-Action 92 by accelerating the fight for Indigenous economic sovereignty and self-determination and against the economic injustices Indigenous communities face, by closing the socioeconomic gap, and by unlocking the emerging C$100-billion annual Indigenous economy.

Mentorship at the heart of the JSF Indigenous scholar experience

Anthony credits mentorship opportunities as being key to his success at TMU.

“I’ve had a lot of amazing people support me in the journey. I could always depend on Michael Mihalicz,” he says.

Mihalicz first met Anthony through the Indigenous Student Welcoming Committee, where TRSM advisors reach out to welcome all incoming Indigenous students.

Mihalicz introduced Anthony to Sana Mulji, Senior Advisor for External stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Partnerships with Indigenous Initiatives. Mulji recruited Anthony to join the Indigenous Initiatives team, which works to integrate Indigenous art, curriculum, Knowledges and worldviews at TRSM, and she was key in helping Anthony run Reconciliation in Business 2022.

“Sana was imperative to my whole student experience, and she has helped my personal development so much,” says Anthony.

He also credits fellow student Hadia Siddiqui, Vice President of Speaker Relations of TEDxTorontoMetU, for her mentorship and guidance in producing his February 2023 Tedx Talk, titled “The Future is Indigenous,” which connects his personal experiences with the history of entrepreneurship and trends towards prosperity for Indigenous groups. The talk is scheduled to be released in Spring 2023.

“Hadia is an incredible student and helped me craft the perfect Ted talk,” he says, adding that there are others who served as invaluable peer mentors throughout his academic journey.

“I had the opportunity every single day to go out there and meet new people and be part of different projects, and have a huge network of incredible people that are going to support me down the line,” he says. “I wouldn’t have been able to get that without the scholarship.”

Now that he’s graduating, Anthony jokes that the first thing he is looking forward to is sleeping in during the summer. After that, he’s planning a career in advocacy, Indigenous entrepreneurship, economic development and, eventually, politics. “I’m really interested in supporting Indigenous youth and speaking up for the voiceless.” His advice for Indigenous students who follow in his footsteps: “Be yourself. Don’t be afraid to bring your Indigeneity to Toronto Metropolitan University.”

Native Forward Scholars Fund Leader Angelique Albert Joins  Johnson Scholarship Foundation’s Board of Directors

May 1, 2023/in Native Forward Scholars Fund, News

The Johnson Scholarship Foundation (JSF) is pleased to announce that Angelique Albert of Native Forward Scholars Fund has joined the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Albert (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes) has dedicated her career to serving Tribal communities. As Native Forward’s chief executive officer, she leads the nation’s largest scholarship provider to Native students, which has distributed more than $350 million in scholarships to students representing over 500 Tribes across all 50 states.

“The Johnson Scholarship Foundation has a strong legacy of partnering with organizations across North America to enable students to pursue greater educational and career opportunities,” said Robert A. Krause, the Foundation’s CEO. “Angelique Albert brings over 25 years of experience as a leader in nonprofit, philanthropic, business and government industries. The Foundation will look to her for insights on how to better serve our program areas, including Indigenous communities.”

Albert is a 2014 graduate of Gonzaga University’s Master of Business Administration in American Indian Entrepreneurship (MBA-AIE) program, which was created in 2001 in partnership with the Foundation. The program was designed to meet the unique needs of Indigenous students living on reservations and spark economic growth.

“I am beyond thrilled to join the Johnson Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors,” Albert said. “Investing in society by creating opportunities for access to quality education and fulfilling careers is a true passion of mine. I am excited to join this wonderful organization and help create brighter futures for people from all walks of life.”

Albert’s career began by serving her own Tribe as a legal intern, a court-appointed special advocate, and a chief juvenile probation officer. Before working at Native Forward, she was the executive director of the Salish Kootenai College Foundation and associate director of American Indigenous Business Leaders.

Philanthropic roles include serving as lead Native American program officer for the Beaumont Foundation of America and external grant reviewer for the Case Foundation. She is a member of the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Advisory Council. She is also an executive officer of the Southwest Association of American Indian Arts board of directors and an advisory member of Gonzaga’s MBA-AIE program.

For more information about the Johnson Scholarship Foundation, visit jsf.bz. For more information about Native Forward Scholars Fund, visit nativeforward.org.