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Northwest Indian College Alums Use Financial Knowledge to Support Native Communities

July 17, 2025/in News, Northwest Indian College

By Hannah Deadman-Arnst

For the Hayes family (Spokane), giving back is everything. Using insights they learned in college, they hope to better equip Native communities for financial freedom.

Though their mother encouraged the pursuit of higher education, the journey wasn’t easy. Estabon played football for a junior college but wasn’t focused on classes. After working various jobs, he realized he wanted more. He earned an associate’s at Northwest Indian College (NWIC) then received a bachelor’s degree in tribal governance business management in 2019.

His sister Sasha dropped out of high school and spent time in the Job Corps before taking the leap.

“I became a single mom and came home crying about my life and my choices,” she recalls. “Estabon asked me, ‘What are you going to do?’” Sasha took the advice to heart, and earned her undergraduate degree from NWIC in 2023.

Building on Business Insights

The Johnson Scholarship Foundation supports scholarships at Northwest Indian College for Indigenous business and entrepreneurship students. The scholarship enabled Estabon to cover crucial expenses during college.

For Sasha, it meant she wouldn’t have to work while taking classes.

“The scholarship was transformative,” shares Estabon, who has also founded several businesses of his own, including Hest Collaborations for custom apparel and Brick Poppa, which sells pop culture collectibles. “That was the bridge we needed to survive and continue learning.”

During Estabon’s junior year, he also joined the American Indian Higher Education Consortium Student Congress. The group offers professional development, networking, and other opportunities to students attending any of the 37 tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) in the U.S.

“Indian Country can feel small, but when you get out of your bubble, you see there are Natives everywhere,” Estabon says. “Economic development is such a major part of our life now. There are very few cultures who are that dependent upon businesses being profitable. As an entrepreneur, I want to know everything I can about building and growing a company.”

Cultivating Thriving Communities

Estabon Hayes (Spokane) smiles for a photo with his colleague Shyanna Klatt, left, mother Helen, and sister Sasha (right).

Estabon encouraged Sasha and his mother to join him in pursuing an MBA with a focus on finance—something he believes won’t just elevate their own companies, but the broader Native community. All three will earn their degrees from Eastern Washington University in spring 2026.

They’re also developing a financial literacy curriculum for tribes in Washington State, teaching core concepts like creating budgets and saving.

“Being in Indian Country, you’re exposed to different organizations that want to help but don’t understand how to,” Estabon shares. “I’ve worked with Intuit and the largest financial companies in the world, and they don’t know how to teach financial literacy.”

The goal of their program? Engage tribes for an 18-year service, with quarterly trainings that empower local leaders to bring these same practices to future generations.

“We grew up with Natives who received $100,000 at age 18 and have nothing to show for it,” says Estabon, who now lives in the Bellingham, Washington area. “But if you have 100k and you invest it into an index fund, before age 28 you’re a multimillionaire. You can’t just tell someone that. You have to get them to want it for themselves.”

Estabon emphasizes these concepts are nothing new. Rather, it’s a reframing; instead of saving salmon or other resources, it’s dollars. He believes this resource-first approach will transform how Native people look at money.

“Most MBAs are geared toward connections,” says Estabon. “For us it’s different—we are not just gaining knowledge for ourselves. You don’t gain knowledge to hoard it—you gain knowledge to share it.”

National Center’s Chris James Shares Insights on Business Education in Indian Country

December 20, 2024/in News, Sherry Salway Black

Written by Sherry Salway Black, Johnson Scholarship Foundation board vice chair

Over the past 30 years, the Johnson Scholarship Foundation (JSF) has been supporting Native students pursuing business education through scholarships at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), Native-serving institutions and other universities.

Sherry Salway Black is Board Vice Chair of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation. She is wearing a black blazer and has short silver hair.

Sherry Salway Black, JSF board vice chair, sat down with Chris James, president & CEO of the National Center.

The focus on education comes from the founder, Ted Johnson, Sr. The “business” education focus was the result of site visits to Indian Country. In the early and mid 1990s Ted Johnson, Jr. and Malcolm Macleod, son and nephew of JSF founders, respectively, traveled and met with TCU and tribal leaders. They heard about—and saw firsthand—the need for more economic activity in Native communities. They knew it was a golden opportunity to help make change.

Given JSF’s mission and focus, I was excited to be talking with the head of the oldest, largest business-focused organization serving Indian Country—and someone with significant business knowledge and experience personally, to get his take on the importance of Native students pursuing business education and degrees. Here is what Chris James has to say.

Q: Given your longtime involvement in Native business, what do you think is the role of business education for Native people?

A: Tribes continue to grow their enterprises. They need to have people, preferably from their communities, to manage these entities. We need to have people trained in management, finance, accounting, marketing, and other disciplines. Having a pipeline of Native people educated in business is important to meet the needs of tribal businesses.

Alaska Native corporations have done this well, supporting their members through scholarships, internships, and pathways to management. Ho Chunk Inc. has also done this well, building a pipeline of tribal citizens to move into their expanding tribal enterprises. I know there are other tribes doing this as well.

How can we create management jobs within our companies that are accessible to our own people? With the growth of tribal enterprises and the increasing sophistication of tribal government programs, sometimes in the billions, we need people from our communities with management experience. We need team members with the community and cultural knowledge and business education and sense to achieve success.

It’s important to engage youth early. Youth may not see many pathways growing up on the reservation. I didn’t really see many when I graduated high school. I had the option to go to college or to stay at home and work in the family business. Creating these pathways to college, entrepreneurship, and work is important.

Citizen entrepreneurs are important because then you have a business owner—and every time you have a business owner, you have a potential community leader. These are the people who may become leaders of the tribe, council members, school board members—making important decisions for their communities.

Q: What advice would you give to Native students who want to study business?

A: My advice is to look for a mentor. This person could be from inside your community or from the outside. Look for someone to whom you can just say, “Hey, how did you do it? What was your path? What classes did you take in college? What motivated you to go to college? What opportunities were there for you inside or outside of your community?”

Chris James is president and CEO of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.

And do not be afraid to ask questions. It’s okay to send emails to folks and say, “I know you have a successful business. I’d love to have a conversation.”

Try to find someone who might have an opportunity. The National Center works with hundreds of businesses throughout Indian Country. There could be a mentor or internship opportunity there. And if you are told “no” the first time, don’t get discouraged. You may have to go to 20 people before someone says, “Yes, I can help you with this.” You have to be the one empowered. Everyone can give you resources but you have to find the strength within yourself and know how to use those resources to be successful.

Q: At the annual JSF Entrepreneurship Scholarship meeting when we bring together representatives of the schools we are actively working with or have endowments, the need for mentors and internships is always a high priority. What advice would you give to Native business students who are looking for mentors and internship placements?

A: #1. You have to search, dig, and put yourself out there. Use all the technology you have available to search for opportunities. Use artificial intelligence, like chatGPT, to help you. And think through the type of internship you want. Use your community networks. There may be opportunities working for your tribe, perhaps in offices you hadn’t thought about before.

#2. Make sure you are prepared. Take some time to work on your resume—work with your school, parents, and even technology to get your resume up to par. It may take someone else to see or hear about your experience and [help you] present it accurately.

#3. Get out of your comfort zone. You need to be proactive and engaged if you want to get to the next level. Instead of waiting for someone to ask you to do something, be there with ideas. Never go to a meeting with an empty notebook. You bring your ideas to the table. That’s going to help you be prepared when you get the job or the internship.

The National Center has this great recognition program, “40 Under 40”, and you can go to the website to see all 600 amazing Native people over the past 15 years. This list could be one of those resources to look for a potential mentor.

Q: What are the types of businesses that a younger generation might be interested in starting?

A: There are so many exciting areas where we see potential growth. These go hand-in-hand with those mentioned in the part one of our interview—technology, exporting to international markets, federal contracting, and environmental businesses. Let me focus specifically on one sector: agriculture. We have land that is either leased to others or not used efficiently. How can we put it to more productive use? Farming itself has changed since I grew up. Now technology can analyze specific needs for specific products. Food sustainability and safety are big challenges now—and places to look for opportunities.

And I want to be sure to mention the growing number of Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs)—close to 70 certified organizations across 27 states. These organizations make capital, training, and technical assistance available to Native people with existing and startup businesses. The National Center recently launched its own CDFI—Native Edge Finance to focus on clean energy projects.

Native people—particularly students in business-related degree programs, have so many exciting opportunities available today.

Author’s note: This interview took place before the December 18 announcement of philanthropist MacKenzie Scott awarding more than $100 million to Native CDFIs in the United States.

Gonzaga Alum Uses Business Leadership & Fitness to Serve Native Communities

October 18, 2024/in Gonzaga University, News

Danny Brigman (Spokane/Kamloops) was always prepared to give back—and his experience at Gonzaga University empowered him to make that desire a reality.

Growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation, Brigman says its sense of community inspired him to pursue an education.

“I realized I wanted to set the bar higher for my family and future kids,” he shares. “We have so much potential but there’s a lack of resources [here]. This being my home I wouldn’t feel right to get my education and never come back. This reservation and community have given so much to me, I want to give back.”

He credits his family for his success, as they were a big source of encouragement.

“I’m thankful for my parents. My dad helped build that [sense of community] with me,” Brigman says. “He took me hunting out here. My earliest memories were of spending time in the woods with him.”

After taking classes at Spokane Community College for two years, he transferred to Washington State University (WSU). In 2015, he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics, with a focus on comparative ethnic studies.

While academics came naturally to Brigman, the first-gen student had to learn how to navigate college life—especially transitioning from a small high school to college classes with hundreds of students.

While attending WSU, Brigman learned about Gonzaga’s Master of Business Administration in American Indian Entrepreneurship (MBA-AIE), which JSF helped launch in 2001. The program aims to meet the unique needs of Indigenous students living on reservations and spark economic growth. It’s open to enrolled members of federally or state-recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. To date, it’s the only MBA program of its kind in the United States.

“I knew the program was meant for me,” he says. A year after earning his bachelor’s, he began the program. During his time at Gonzaga, Brigman worked for the Spokane Tribe of Indians as a bookkeeper and later as the purchasing manager.

He shares that, in addition to honing specific business and technical skills, the MBA-AIE program helped him find his voice.

“MBAs prepare you, but you don’t realize it until you look back or a situation comes up,” he says. “Now, I have the confidence to give a solid answer—and people are listening. Before I would have ideas but not say anything. I feel like that’s a big part of what helped me get ready for my career.”

Brigman earned his MBA in 2018. Now, he’s the finance director for the Spokane Indian Housing Authority. Since undertaking the role, he has led a $3.49 million purchase of housing units in Spokane for tribal members. It was the first time the organization purchased housing outside of the reservation’s boundaries.

In 2021, Brigman organized a 215-mile relay race in honor of the 215 children whose remains were found at Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada.

An avid runner, he’s also developing an app called Homelands, which brings land acknowledgment to the world of fitness—connecting people to the Native lands on which they walk, hike, run, or explore.

The idea came in 2021 after Brigman learned about the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada where the remains of over 200 Native children were found. He wanted to respond in some way, especially since some of his relatives went through Kamloops.

His response? Raise awareness by running 215 miles for all 215 children. He organized a special relay event, which received an outpour of support—and participants.

Since then, Brigman has organized multiple events. In 2022, he organized a virtual run challenge, where participants logged their miles and flagged the Native lands on which they ran. That sparked an idea: engage everyday athletes by enabling them to track their fitness goals and learn the rich histories of Native lands and peoples.

He fleshed out the idea with an app development company—determining timelines and phases, branding the company, building a social media presence, and more.

Eventually, Brigman envisions Wikipedia-type pages with aggregated data and verified oral histories of tribes. He also aspires to create a youth cross-country team on his reservation and inspire healthy living.

“I’m just looking to get [the app] out there,” he says. “I would love to take the profits of the app and put it back into my community. It might take a bit longer to build, but I’m open to seeing what happens next.”

November is Native American Heritage Month

November 23, 2018/in Malcolm Macleod, News

The photo above was taken at the Johnson Scholarship Foundation’s annual Entrepreneurship Scholarship meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, last month. As you can see, we had a good turnout of JSF board members, staff and consultants and representation from almost all our nonprofit, tribal college and university partners in this program.

The Entrepreneurship Scholarship program is in its 28^th year and this annual convening has been an integral part. The Foundation’s persistence in this program – and in our Indigenous funding generally – is paying a dividend of improvement and these meetings seem to get better every year.

The meeting heard a presentation by Jamie Schwartz and Tiffany Gusbeth of the American Indian College Fund. The College Fund administers 200 scholarship programs for Indigenous students, two of which – the Business Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurship Pipeline – are matching scholarship endowments established by the Foundation.

The Business Entrepreneurship Scholarship supports students who have already obtained an associate’s degree, typically at a tribal college, and are in their junior or senior year of a bachelor’s degree. This scholarship program has a 93 percent persistence and graduation rate.

The Entrepreneurship Pipeline supports first and second year business students at tribal colleges that do not partner directly with the Foundation. Interestingly, the College Fund has also gone into the secret sauce business and has developed “student success services” such as coaching and mentoring, transition assistance and peer tutoring.

We also heard from Loris Taylor, president and CEO of Native Public Media, a network of 57 radio and four television stations. Loris gave a wonderful presentation on the strengths and challenges of Native Public Media and its role and potential in education.

The best of this meeting took place at the very beginning when we had presentations from two Johnson Scholars from Northern Arizona University. Dylan Graham, from the Navajo Nation, has just obtained a degree in hotel management and was president of NAU’s student body. She presented very well and, not surprisingly, has several options. She may go overseas to work with an international hotelier or to Arizona State University for an MBA.

Elliott Cooley is also from the Navajo Nation and is in his senior year of business management. While in high school he suffered nerve damage in a car accident that partially paralyzed his left side. After two years of physiotherapy he joined the Marines and served for four years, including a tour of duty in Iraq. He began college on the GI Bill and, when it ran out, obtained a Johnson Scholarship. Elliott is an entrepreneur and won the NAU Center for American Indian Economic Development (CAIED) business competition. He hopes to do business on the Navajo Reservation and serve as a role model for other would-be entrepreneurs.

Elliott referenced his tour of duty in Iraq and stressed how grateful he is for the freedom to pursue education and a career of his choice. Gratitude was a good theme at our meeting and for the Foundation’s work generally. A year from now it will be Native American Heritage Month and we will be back in Scottsdale, talking to our grantee partners about how we can support another year of their excellent work. We should all be grateful for this opportunity.

Malcolm Macleod is the president and CEO of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation (JSF). Since joining the Foundation as president in 2001, he has spent the past 17 years working with the Board, staff and grantees to ensure that JSF is a Foundation that makes quality grants serving as catalysts for effective change. Prior to his work with the Foundation, he had a 26-year career in law and is currently a member of the Bar.

My Native American Heritage

November 20, 2017/in News, Sherry Salway Black

This year for Native American Heritage Month, I have been reflecting on my own Native American heritage. I am Oglala Lakota through my father and German American through my mother – and I’m blessed with this lineage. However, since it is Native American Heritage Month, let me focus on that side.

Sherry Salway Black is an infant in her father’s arms in this family photo taken in Pine Ridge Village.

I was the only one of four siblings born on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota – and I’m the only one that has spent their career working with Native peoples and Native issues. I didn’t grow up on Pine Ridge – my family was part of the federal American Indian “relocation movement” from the mid-1940s – early 1960s – a policy of assimilation. After getting my undergraduate degree in Pennsylvania in the mid-1970s, I felt drawn to “return” to the reservation, to meet family I had only talked to on the phone and to see the place I was born, as many “urban Indian” young adults from relocated families did at the time. I haven’t “left” Indian Country since – working with and for Native peoples for more than 40 years. To bind the tie even tighter I married into the Seneca Nation.

Being Native means different things to different people. To me, it means I have a rich, vibrant network of relatives, friends and colleagues, both Native and non-Native, across the country and the world, who work for the betterment of Native peoples. To me, being Native means lifelong learning about the diverse, magnificent and resilient Native communities to better understand and assist in development. To me, being Native means I have been blessed with financial support for my undergraduate education and my graduate degree which led to a career where I have been passionate about my work. I’ve worked directly in communities with Native peoples and tribal nations, locally with Native organizations, and nationally with national Native and non-Native organizations and the federal government. Being Native led me down a unique and rewarding lifelong path.

This postcard shot of Pine Ridge Village was taken during the 1950s.

I have received so many opportunities because of my Native heritage. Many generations of leaders, both Native and non-Native, made this possible through their work, commitment and advocacy along with sacrifices by our ancestors. What do I owe in return? Being Native means you might be eligible to receive certain benefits but these benefits come with certain responsibilities, certain obligations. The importance of giving back – or reciprocity – is so vital to Native societies.

In this month to celebrate and recognize Native Americans and their innumerable, vast and continuing contributions to this country, and in the season of giving and appreciation, let each of us, with our unique and diverse heritages, give thanks for all that we have. And do not forget to reciprocate, or give back, for your good fortune.