FEATURED SPEAKERS
For a full list of presenters see the tentative agenda on the homepage
From South Dakota Public Broadcasting - Marcy Drew
Lakota Nations Education Conference is pleased to announce that Marcy Drew, Director of Education at SDPB, will be joining us once again at the conference as a presenter. Marcy presents many wonderful presentations such as: Difficult Times & Tough Talks with Sesame Street in Communities-SDPB Marcy Drew
Marcy Drew grew up on a farm near Fort Thompson and graduated from Chamberlain High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from South Dakota State University and a master’s in Early Childhood Special Education and a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Dakota. Most recently, Drew was a lecturer at USD, where she taught courses in early childhood, elementary, and special education and also supervised student teachers in classrooms for several types of field experiences.
We are thrilled to include Marcy Drew to our team at LNEC. Her background and passion for education will help LNEC strengthen programming and services that provide a lifetime of learning. Marcy will be presenting December 14th at 1:00 PM in the Bear Butte Room.
I Love You Guys Foundation
(Safety and Security Training)
The “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s programs for crisis response and post-crisis reunification are used in more than 30,000 schools, districts, departments, agencies, organizations and communities around the world. They are created through the research-based best practices of school administrators, psychologists, public space safety experts, families, and first responders. We’re a powerful conduit uniting this work.
The “I Love U Guys” Foundation team of trainers all have personal and professional experience with school and public safety. Through their experiences, our trainings come to life in a way that can only be felt through people who’ve been there.
It was a tragedy that launched The Foundation. And we thrive because we know that with love, we can work together to protect and restore the joy of youth. We’re doing it. Join us. With you, we got this.
Below are the two of the speakers who you will be hearing at this All Day Training - starting at 9:00 am - 4:00 PM on Wednesday December 13, 2023 in the Washington Room.
Anticipating the Unthinkable:
Carly Posey
Carly Posey is a national speaker and advocate for school safety. Two of her four children were inside Sandy Hook Elementary School when an armed man entered the building on December 14, 2012. The shooter made his way to her son’s first grade classroom, killing his teacher and a classmate. When he stopped to re-load, her son escaped, running to a nearby fire station. Her daughter, who remained hidden inside an art room office, also survived, but the lessons learned were significant. Carly’s other two children were at the intermediate school in Newtown where they were in lockdown the entire school day. The lack of preparedness within the community to respond and recover to such an incident left a lasting impression.
Today, as Mission Director for the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, Carly travels the country sharing her story to promote school safety and preparedness. Her experiences as a parent and a community member provide a compelling, often heartbreaking, case study for the need to prepare for the unthinkable. Carly has previously served as the Executive Director for the Safe2Tell Nonprofit and as Program Director for Anderson Software. She now lives in Colorado with her husband, Dave, and their four children.
The I Love U Guys Standard Response Protocol and Standard Reunification Method:
Officer Stacy Avila (Retired)
Introduced in 2009, the Standard Response Protocol is a proven enhancement to school safety planning. Thousands of schools in the US and Canada have adopted the program. Introduced in 2012, the Standard Reunification Method fills a critical void in school safety planning: How to reunite students with their parents after a crisis. Also included in the training is a segment on Incident Command and how it relates to crisis management for educators.
Stacy was raised on a cattle ranch in southwestern Montana, approximately 30 miles from the middle of nowhere.
In 1995, she graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Administration of Justice and an emphasis in Psychology and Sociology. Stacy was a police officer for the City of Arvada, Colorado for twenty-one years and during her tenure served as a Field Training Officer, Patrol Sergeant, and Hostage Negotiator. Stacy served as a negotiator on the Jefferson County Regional SWAT team for fifteen years and was the primary negotiator at Platte Canyon High School on September 27, 2006.
Officer Stacy Avila (Retired)
Introduced in 2009, the Standard Response Protocol is a proven enhancement to school safety planning. Thousands of schools in the US and Canada have adopted the program. Introduced in 2012, the Standard Reunification Method fills a critical void in school safety planning: How to reunite students with their parents after a crisis. Also included in the training is a segment on Incident Command and how it relates to crisis management for educators.
Stacy was raised on a cattle ranch in southwestern Montana, approximately 30 miles from the middle of nowhere.
In 1995, she graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Administration of Justice and an emphasis in Psychology and Sociology. Stacy was a police officer for the City of Arvada, Colorado for twenty-one years and during her tenure served as a Field Training Officer, Patrol Sergeant, and Hostage Negotiator. Stacy served as a negotiator on the Jefferson County Regional SWAT team for fifteen years and was the primary negotiator at Platte Canyon High School on September 27, 2006.
John Forkenbrock
From Washington DC, we welcome back John Forkenbrock to LNEC. He is a strong advocate for children and a strong advocate for Native People. Mr. Forkenbrock is an expert in funding issues for Native Schools and will be speaking several times during the 2023 LNEC Conference held at Ramkota Inn, December 13-16th, 2023. He will also be one of the speakers at the LNEC pre-conference December 12th.
Mr Forkenbrock has a long history with NAFIS and is one of the nation's foremost experts on Impact Aid. He retired as NAFIS Executive Director in 2015 after serving in the role for 27 years. Since then he has continued to lead Impact Aid technical assistance workshops and provide support to the organization. In addition he has traveled throughout Indian country offering assistance and information to educational leaders.
When John speaks we all listen because no one wants to miss a single word he says. His experience and wisdom make him a valuable asset to LNEC. LNEC is in it's 44th year, John has only missed one of those years. Please don't miss his informative talk on the History of Indian Education with an emphasize on education funding issues. Presenting 2023
How To Spot Possible Signs Of
Human Trafficking
Jan Edwards
President Paving the Way Foundation
Jan Edwards is the founder and President of Paving the Way Foundation, an organization that empowers communities to be a fierce disruption in the cycle of child trafficking around the globe. This is accomplished through educational and training programs that empower communities to break the cycle. Paving the Way has educated over 21,000 youth and adults the past 5 years around the nation; from Florida to Washington DC, Texas to South Dakota. Ms. Edwards has been featured on national television, podcasts and
radio shows as an influencer on prevention education. Jan has been awarded Woman on the Rise Community Impact Leader for her
organizations work and the United Abolitionists Polaris Star Award for NGO Leader of the Year. She is a member of the Cherokee Tribe. Jan is the writer, co-director and producer of the award-winning film,
Trapped in the Trade, which won Best Script in the London Short Film Festival and featured on CNN.
Presenting on December 14th, 2023 at 10:30-11:45 AM and December 15th at 10:30-11:45 AM both sessions are in the Washington Room.
President Paving the Way Foundation
Jan Edwards is the founder and President of Paving the Way Foundation, an organization that empowers communities to be a fierce disruption in the cycle of child trafficking around the globe. This is accomplished through educational and training programs that empower communities to break the cycle. Paving the Way has educated over 21,000 youth and adults the past 5 years around the nation; from Florida to Washington DC, Texas to South Dakota. Ms. Edwards has been featured on national television, podcasts and
radio shows as an influencer on prevention education. Jan has been awarded Woman on the Rise Community Impact Leader for her
organizations work and the United Abolitionists Polaris Star Award for NGO Leader of the Year. She is a member of the Cherokee Tribe. Jan is the writer, co-director and producer of the award-winning film,
Trapped in the Trade, which won Best Script in the London Short Film Festival and featured on CNN.
Presenting on December 14th, 2023 at 10:30-11:45 AM and December 15th at 10:30-11:45 AM both sessions are in the Washington Room.
Cheryl Crazy Bull
President & CEO
American Indian College Fund
Board of Trustees Liaison and Senior Manager – President’s Office
Cheryl Crazy Bull, Wacinyanpi Win (They Depend on Her), a member of the Sicangu Lakota nation, is President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, a role she has held since 2012. A lifelong educator and community activist, Cheryl is an advocate for self-determination focused on Native voice, philosophy, and traditions as the heart of the people’s work in building prosperity for current and future generations.
Cheryl is an expert in education. She served as a faculty member, department chair, Dean of Academic Affairs, and Vice President of Administration at Sinte Gleska University on the Rosebud Reservation, her home reservation, in South Dakota; as Chief Educational Officer at St. Francis Indian School; and as President of Northwest Indian College, a tribal college in Washington state, for ten years.
Cheryl is also a member of non-profit organization boards, including IllumiNative, an organization whose mission is creating an accurate narrative about Indigenous people; the Native Ways Federation, a national association of Native non-profits; the State Higher Education Executive Officers Organization (SHEEO) Equity Advisory Committee; and the Brookings Institution.
Cheryl is a frequent public speaker, presenter, and writer about Indigenous education and issues with a focus on Indigenous higher education equity and place-based education. She has an honorary cultural degree from Sinte Gleska University, an honorary doctorate from Seattle University, and has received awards for her leadership as a Native educator and Native woman. We are honored to have Cheryl Crazy Bull join us this year and offer her valuable information to the attendees of this conference.
President & CEO
American Indian College Fund
- Keynote address on Thursday at 9:00 AM
- Presentation in Sylvan II on Thursday at 1:00 PM
- Presentation in Sylvan I on Friday at 10:15 AM
Board of Trustees Liaison and Senior Manager – President’s Office
Cheryl Crazy Bull, Wacinyanpi Win (They Depend on Her), a member of the Sicangu Lakota nation, is President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, a role she has held since 2012. A lifelong educator and community activist, Cheryl is an advocate for self-determination focused on Native voice, philosophy, and traditions as the heart of the people’s work in building prosperity for current and future generations.
Cheryl is an expert in education. She served as a faculty member, department chair, Dean of Academic Affairs, and Vice President of Administration at Sinte Gleska University on the Rosebud Reservation, her home reservation, in South Dakota; as Chief Educational Officer at St. Francis Indian School; and as President of Northwest Indian College, a tribal college in Washington state, for ten years.
Cheryl is also a member of non-profit organization boards, including IllumiNative, an organization whose mission is creating an accurate narrative about Indigenous people; the Native Ways Federation, a national association of Native non-profits; the State Higher Education Executive Officers Organization (SHEEO) Equity Advisory Committee; and the Brookings Institution.
Cheryl is a frequent public speaker, presenter, and writer about Indigenous education and issues with a focus on Indigenous higher education equity and place-based education. She has an honorary cultural degree from Sinte Gleska University, an honorary doctorate from Seattle University, and has received awards for her leadership as a Native educator and Native woman. We are honored to have Cheryl Crazy Bull join us this year and offer her valuable information to the attendees of this conference.
Joe Marshall
JOSEPH M. MARSHALL III
Award-winning Sicangu Oglala Lakota author and historian, Joseph M. Marshall III, PhD, is one of the most prolific Native writers in the United States. Raised by his maternal grandparents in a traditional Native household on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, he has written eighteen historical fiction and nonfiction books and narrated his own audio books. He is best known for award-winners “The Lakota Way,” “The Journey of Crazy Horse,” and “The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn.”
At this year's conference Joseph Marshall 111 will be speaking on his new book "Sing for the Red Dress". Marshall’s latest novels, his first contemporary fiction, will be released by Lucid House Publishing in 2024 as part of his “Smokey River Suspense Series.” The titles are “The Last Prisoner of Little Bighorn,” “The Wolf and the Crow,” and “Sing for the Red Dress” —all to be released in spring 2024. “Blood on the Dress,” the sequel to the latter will be released on October 1, 2024. The main characters primarily live on the fictional Smokey River Reservation based on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, but plotlines extend to traditional Lakota territory on the Northern Plains. His new novels are based on current issues facing Lakota people, including crime and the interface between tribal government, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the FBI, and the ongoing epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women that have largely been ignored by the American public and media. After spending many years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Marshall has once again returned home.
Joseph Marshall 111 will be joined by Lily Mendoza, Founder of the Red Ribbon Skirt Society. A society of Indigenous women that volunteer their time to the families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Children and Two-Spirit as well as educating communities both tribal and non-tribal, schools, tribal governments across the United States about the MMIW epidemic.
Join us Friday, December 15 2023, from 2:30-4pm in the Washington Room
Award-winning Sicangu Oglala Lakota author and historian, Joseph M. Marshall III, PhD, is one of the most prolific Native writers in the United States. Raised by his maternal grandparents in a traditional Native household on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, he has written eighteen historical fiction and nonfiction books and narrated his own audio books. He is best known for award-winners “The Lakota Way,” “The Journey of Crazy Horse,” and “The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn.”
At this year's conference Joseph Marshall 111 will be speaking on his new book "Sing for the Red Dress". Marshall’s latest novels, his first contemporary fiction, will be released by Lucid House Publishing in 2024 as part of his “Smokey River Suspense Series.” The titles are “The Last Prisoner of Little Bighorn,” “The Wolf and the Crow,” and “Sing for the Red Dress” —all to be released in spring 2024. “Blood on the Dress,” the sequel to the latter will be released on October 1, 2024. The main characters primarily live on the fictional Smokey River Reservation based on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, but plotlines extend to traditional Lakota territory on the Northern Plains. His new novels are based on current issues facing Lakota people, including crime and the interface between tribal government, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the FBI, and the ongoing epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women that have largely been ignored by the American public and media. After spending many years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Marshall has once again returned home.
Joseph Marshall 111 will be joined by Lily Mendoza, Founder of the Red Ribbon Skirt Society. A society of Indigenous women that volunteer their time to the families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Children and Two-Spirit as well as educating communities both tribal and non-tribal, schools, tribal governments across the United States about the MMIW epidemic.
Join us Friday, December 15 2023, from 2:30-4pm in the Washington Room
Miss South Dakota-Miranda O'Bryan
Miranda graduated from College in Brookings, South Dakota with a double major in Journalism and History. She was able to be an intern for KOTA News and after graduating college she moved up to Rapid City, South Dakota to pursue a career with KOTA and KEVN news. On June 1st she has been working for the news for 3 years, Miranda has worked her way from being a reporter, to a morning anchor, noon anchor and is now an evening anchor for the news.
A big part of her journey is her community service, she has donated over 10,000 books to the department of health, child services, homeless shelters and helped put up “little libraries” in different locations in Rapid City and in Martin, she plans to expand more and put up more little libraries so people will have access to free books.
Every year she has been determined to raise and meet her goal of donating books, and every year she has been able to surpass that goal. This year she reached her goal of donating over 40,000 books.
Miranda also does a podcast in her free time and speaks about books and with some amazing authors as well like Sean Sherman, who wrote the cookbook “Sioux Chef”. Her podcast is called “Page Turners” which you can find on the Apple podcast.
Miranda will join the Lakota Nations Education Conference this year as a keynote speaker and a presenter of the Importance and Love of Reading. You can catch her keynote Thursday morning at 9:00 am in the Sylvan I & II rooms and her presentation will be in the Badlands room Friday morning at 9:00 AM.
A big part of her journey is her community service, she has donated over 10,000 books to the department of health, child services, homeless shelters and helped put up “little libraries” in different locations in Rapid City and in Martin, she plans to expand more and put up more little libraries so people will have access to free books.
Every year she has been determined to raise and meet her goal of donating books, and every year she has been able to surpass that goal. This year she reached her goal of donating over 40,000 books.
Miranda also does a podcast in her free time and speaks about books and with some amazing authors as well like Sean Sherman, who wrote the cookbook “Sioux Chef”. Her podcast is called “Page Turners” which you can find on the Apple podcast.
Miranda will join the Lakota Nations Education Conference this year as a keynote speaker and a presenter of the Importance and Love of Reading. You can catch her keynote Thursday morning at 9:00 am in the Sylvan I & II rooms and her presentation will be in the Badlands room Friday morning at 9:00 AM.