Native Forward Scholars Fund is the largest direct scholarship provider to Native students in the U.S. We are committed to ensuring that every Native student who wants to pursue higher education has the resources to do so.
For over 50 years, we have provided over $400 million in direct scholarships and have empowered over 22,000 scholars from more than 500 Tribes in all 50 states. We have contributed to over 1,700 law degrees and more than 2,200 Ph.D. degrees.
Through scholarship funding and holistic support, we have increased the graduation rates of undergraduate students to 69%, compared to the national average of 41% for Native students, and have boosted the rate for graduate students to 95%.
Native Forward will hold two sessions at this year’s SXSW EDU and SXSW. More information on each session is below.
SXSW EDU Session
How To Stand Up For Students Post-SCOTUS Affirmative Action
When: March 7, 2024 | 10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. CT
Where: Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon J
We will examine how the Supreme Court’s decision about higher education impacts Native students, the ways to support their journeys, and the unique political position of Native communities. If higher education institutions want to strengthen the admission and retention of Native scholars, they have to better understand the nuanced ways Native communities interact as sovereign nations. We will also share the support structures that most help Native communities and other marginalized groups.
Contact: Sara LaBarge | Sara@nativeforward.org
SXSW Speakers
Angelique Albert
CEO, Native Forward Scholars Fund
Angelique Albert is the CEO of Native Forward Scholars Fund, the largest provider of direct scholarships to Native students in the United States. She is a mission-driven leader with expertise in public service, philanthropy, social justice and ensuring that Native students have the resources and support to fulfill their academic and professional aspirations. Since assuming leadership in 2017, Angelique has transformed Native Forward into a national force, surpassing $400 million in total scholarships to over 20,000 students from 500 Tribes in all 50 states.
Raised on the Flathead Indian Reservation, Angelique is a proud member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Angelique’s leadership is grounded in over 25 years of experience spanning nonprofit, philanthropy, business, and government sectors. Prior to her tenure at Native Forward, she served as the Executive Director of the Salish Kootenai College Foundation and Associate Director of the National American Indian Business Leaders Organization.
Angelique is a graduate of Salish Kootenai College where she received three degrees in Native American Studies, Liberal Arts, and Human Services. She received her MBA with a concentration in American Indian Entrepreneurship from Gonzaga University, where she is also an Advisory Member of Gonzaga University’s MBA-AIE Program. Angelique also lends her expertise to the Obama Foundation’s MBK Alliance Advisory Council and serves on the board of directors for the Johnson Scholarship Foundation.
SXSW Session
Visibility Matters: Native Women Leaders Creating Change
When: March 9, 2024 | 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. CT
Where: Austin Convention Center | Room 9AB
This session will examine actionable steps to amplify opportunities for Native communities and marginalized groups. Speakers will unpack the significance of visibility and its role in Native excellence, fostering opportunities and progress through the extraordinary journeys of Native women “firsts” such as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Presidential Humanities Medal recipient Dr. Henrietta Mann, and Cherokee Nation Delegate Kimberly Teehee. If you see it, you believe you can be it.
Contact: Sara LaBarge | Sara@nativeforward.org
SXSW Speakers
Angelique Albert
CEO, Native Forward Scholars Fund
Angelique Albert is the CEO of Native Forward Scholars Fund, the largest provider of direct scholarships to Native students in the United States. She is a mission-driven leader with expertise in public service, philanthropy, social justice and ensuring that Native students have the resources and support to fulfill their academic and professional aspirations. Since assuming leadership in 2017, Angelique has transformed Native Forward into a national force, surpassing $400 million in total scholarships to over 20,000 students from 500 Tribes in all 50 states.
Raised on the Flathead Indian Reservation, Angelique is a proud member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Angelique’s leadership is grounded in over 25 years of experience spanning nonprofit, philanthropy, business, and government sectors. Prior to her tenure at Native Forward, she served as the Executive Director of the Salish Kootenai College Foundation and Associate Director of the National American Indian Business Leaders Organization.
Angelique is a graduate of Salish Kootenai College where she received three degrees in Native American Studies, Liberal Arts, and Human Services. She received her MBA with a concentration in American Indian Entrepreneurship from Gonzaga University, where she is also an Advisory Member of Gonzaga University’s MBA-AIE Program. Angelique also lends her expertise to the Obama Foundation’s MBK Alliance Advisory Council and serves on the board of directors for the Johnson Scholarship Foundation.
Henrietta Mann
Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at Montana State University, Bozeman
Montana State University
Native Forward Scholars Fund Alumna
Dr. Henrietta Mann is a full-blood Cheyenne enrolled with the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and is the Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at Montana State University, Bozeman. She has taught for 28 years across universities such as the University of Montana, Missoula, UC Berkeley, and Harvard. Dr. Mann served as the Director of the Office of Indian Education Programs and Deputy to the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and was the National Coordinator of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act Coalition for the Association of American Indian Affairs. In 1991, Rolling Stone Magazine named her one of the ten leading professors in the nation. She has been an interviewee and consultant for television and movie productions and has lectured throughout the world.
Kimberly Teehee
Cherokee Nation Congressional Delegate
Native Forward Scholars Fund Board Member At Large and Alumna
Kim Teehee is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She is the Cherokee Nation’s first delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, Director of Government Relations for Cherokee Nation and Senior Vice President of Government Relations Cherokee Nation Businesses. Prior to returning home to the Cherokee Nation, she served as Partner for Mapetsi Policy Group, a Washington, D.C. based federal advocacy group representing Indian tribes and tribal organizations. She previously served President Obama as the first-ever Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs in the White House Domestic Policy Council and as Senior Advisor to the U.S. House of Representatives Native American Caucus Co-Chair, Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI).
Sarah EchoHawk
CEO, American Indian Science And Engineering Society
Native Forward Scholars Fund Alumna
Sarah EchoHawk, a citizen of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, has been working on behalf of Indigenous people for over 20 years. She is the CEO at AISES, an organization dedicated to Advancing Indigenous People in STEM. Prior to joining AISES, Ms. EchoHawk was the Executive Vice President of First Nations Development Institute, a national nonprofit organization with a focus on economic development for Indigenous people. Ms. EchoHawk also served as the interim CEO for the organization’s subsidiary, First Nations Oweesta Corporation, a community development financial institution (CDFI). Ms. EchoHawk has served on several boards and committees, including American Indian Policy Institute, Last Mile Education Fund, National Girls Collaborative, and Native Americans in Philanthropy.
Have questions about the sessions, please email Sara LaBarge at sara@nativeforward.org
Resources
- National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) – Native Knowledge 360° Essential Understandings about American Indians is a framework revealing critical concepts about the rich and diverse cultures, histories, and contemporary lives of Native Peoples.
- National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) – historical overview of one of the most important intertribal organizations founded in 1944 to address national priority issues that impact Tribal sovereignty.
- Illuminative: Reclaiming Native Truth Research Findings – addresses negative stereotypes in the media and the general public’s misperceptions while providing a deeper understanding of narratives and social justice, fighting bias, and structural racism.
- Illuminative: 2020 Indigenous Futures Survey Report – first-ever study conducted for Indigenous Peoples and led by Indigenous Peoples, aimed at understanding the priorities and needs of Indigenous individuals and communities in the United States with participation from over 6,400 Native peoples from across the country, representing 401 Tribes from all 50 states. This study reveals insight into voting, voting behavior, and political engagement.
Have questions about the sessions, please email Sara LaBarge at sara@nativeforward.org
