American Indian Science and Engineering Society 2017 ANNUAL REPORT YEARS AISES 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 ANNUAL REPORT COUNCILS AISES Council of Elders Cecelia Lucero (Acoma Pueblo) Council of Elders in Dr. Bret R. Benally Thompson Dr. Henrietta Mann Memoriam (White Earth Ojibwe) (Southern Cheyenne) Horace Axtell (Nez Perce) Antoinelle Benally Dr. James May (United Eddie Box, Sr. (Southern Ute) Thompson (Navajo) Keetowah Band) Franklin Kahn (Navajo) Steve Darden (Navajo/ Faith Spotted Eagle (Ihanktonwan Cheyenne/Swedish) Band of the Dakota/Nakota/ Bow Lane (Chickasaw) Lakota Nation of South Dakota) Rose Darden (Ute) Phil Lane, Sr. (Yankton Sioux) Lee Piper, Ph.D. (Cherokee) Norbert Hill, Jr. (Oneida) Council of Elders Emeriti Phil Lane Jr. (Yankton Andrea Axtell (Nez Perce) Dakota/Chickasaw) Mary Kahn (Navajo) Stan Lucero (Laguna Pueblo) AISES Board of Directors Amber Finley (Three Affiliated Tribes) Dr. John B. Herrington (Chickasaw) Secretary Dr. Twyla Baker (Three Alicia Jacobs (Cherokee) Affiliated Tribes) Bill Black Dr. Adrienne Laverdure (Turtle Chair Dr. Grace Bulltail (Crow, Mountain Band of Chippewa) Richard Stephens (Pala Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) Shaun Tsabetsaye (Zuni Pueblo) Band of Mission Indians) Barney “B.J.” Enos (Gila Vice-Chair River Indian Community) Michael Laverdure (Turtle Kristina Halona (Navajo) Mountain Band of Chippewa) Treasurer Advisory Council Government Relations Tribal Nations Advisory Chairs/Co-Chairs Council (GRC) Council (TNAC) James Daugomah (Kiowa), National Maria Dadgar (Piscataway Tribe of Academic Advisory Council (AAC) Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Accokeek), Inter Tribal Council of Arizona Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen (Mohawk), Northeastern University Noller Herbert (Navajo), USDA Mark Harding (Mashpee Natural Resources Conservation Service Wampanoag), Next7 Canadian Indigenous Amanda James (Pyramid Lake Paiute John Lewis, (Gila River Indian Advisory Council (CIAC) Tribe), Bureau of Land Management Community), Gila River Indian Jamie Ricci Marcellus Proctor (Piscataway- Community Utility Authority Matt Dunn (Dene, Athabasca Conoy), National Aeronautics Alicia Ortega (Pojoaque Pueblo), Chipewyan First Nation), and Space Administration All Pueblo Council of Governors University of Saskatchewan Professional Chapter Gary Santos (Tule River), Tule Council (PCC) River Indian Tribe of California Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) Joe Connolly (Haudenosaunee Laurence Brown (Navajo), of the Onondaga Nation), National Sandia National Laboratories Aeronautics and Space Administration Chuck Ross (Choctaw), Raytheon AISES 1 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 ANNUAL REPORT CONTENTS 2 Letter from the Chair and CEO 3 Growing Strong After 40 Years 4 Why STEM and Diversity Matters 5 Organizational Culture 6 The Structure of AISES 7 AISES by the Numbers 8 Where We Work 10 Program Growth 13 Annual National Conference 14 Annual Leadership Summit 15 Regional Conferences 18 Winds of Change Magazine 21 Student Representatives 22 Awards, Funders, Scholars, and Interns 30 2017 National Conference Sponsors 33 2017 Donors 34 Sequoyah Fellows 36 AISES Staff 37 2017 AISES Circle Partners 2 AISES 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 40 YEARS Letter from the AISES Board Chair and AISES Chief Executive Officer Dear Friends, Thank you in joining us for our celebration of AISES’ 40-year anniversary! As you read through these pages, we think you’ll be impressed at how much impact our organization has had in encouraging indigenous people in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Although we have faced many challenges over the years, we persevered, and thanks to people like you who are the heart of the AISES family, achieved success. As an organization, AISES grows stronger every year. We now offer more opportunities, programs, and services for our members than ever before. Together, we are celebrating a 40 year track record of milestone achievements, including: • Awarding $377,800 in 2016-2017 Academic Year Scholarships • Hosting Indian Country’s Largest College and Career Fair • Publishing Winds of Change magazine and producing Paths to Opportunities newsletters - student and professional editions • Championing Tribal Colleges in STEM education • Pioneering Lighting the Pathway to Faculty Careers for Natives in STEM • Hosting the National American Indian Virtual Science and Engineering Fair • Annually awarding the Ely S. Parker Award to a Champion making significant contributions in STEM education or STEM workforce • Supporting 190 College Chapters • Hosting the Annual Leadership Summit • Increasing STEM capacity in Indian Country through the annual AISES National Conference • Improving STEM education from pre-college through college We are so proud of our humble beginnings and what a difference 40 years of dedication, hard work, and support people like you have made. Please enjoy reading about the highlights of our 40th anniversary year and join us in the deep sense of pride we feel for AISES and all of its accomplishments. Sincerely, Dr. Twyla Baker Sarah EchoHawk Chair, Board of Directors CEO AISES 3 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 ANNUAL REPORT AISES Founders George Thomas (Cherokee) and Jerry Elliott (Osage/Cherokee) formed the National Society of American Indian Engineers (NSAIE) in Oklahoma in 1975. A.T. Anderson (Mohawk), AI Qöyawayma (Hopi), and Carol Metcalf Gardipe (Penobscot/Passamaquoddy) formed the American Indian Engineering Council (AlEC) in New Mexico in 1976. The organization that would eventually become AISES was officially created during a meeting at Winthrop Rockefeller Center in Winrock, Arkansas in 1977. The National Society of American Indian Engineers is officially incorporated in Oklahoma withGeorge Thomas, Alex Labadie, and Jerry Elliott signing the Articles of Incorporation. Later, the name will be changed to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). Al Qöyawayma (Hopi) becomes the Founding Chairman and A.T. Anderson (Mohawk) becomes the founding Executive Director (AISES charter members) in 1977. AISES Board Chairs Emeriti Al Qöyawayma Donald Ridley Michael Avritt Anthony Kahn (Hopi) (Shoshone) (San Felipe Pueblo) (Navajo) George Thomas Sandra Begay Andrew Conseen Duff Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen (Cherokee) (Navajo) (Eastern Band of (Mohawk) Jaime Pinkham Dr. Robert K. Whitman Cherokee) Rick Stephens (Nez Perce) (Navajo) Dwight Gourneau (Pala Band of Thomas Dawson, Jr. Judy Gobert (Turtle Mountain Mission Indians) (Eastern Cherokee) (Blackfeet) Chippewa) Tommie Lee Dr. Dorothy Pender (Navajo) (Inupiat Eskimo) *Special note: The current staff at AISES worked very hard to create this 40-year timeline in consultation with previous executive directors and others long affiliated with AISES. Please note we tried our best to capture the 40-year history of this extraordinary organization accurately. However, we may have mistakenly omitted milestones or important people and/or contributions. If this is the case, we offer our humble apologies and welcome comments to be sent to our communications team: mwhiteman@aises. org or [email protected]. We hope we have at the very least captured many of the key highlights for our AISES family. 1975 George Thomas and Jerry Elliott form the National Society of American Indian Engineers (NSAIE) in Oklahoma. 1976 A.T. Anderson, AI Qöyawayma, and Carol Metcalf Gardipe form the American Indian Engineering Council (AlEC) in New Mexico. 1977 The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is officially created during a meeting at Winthrop Rockefeller Center/Winrock, Arkansas. AI Qöyawayma will become the Founding Chairman and A.T. Anderson (Andy) the founding Executive Director. AISES receives its IRS tax exempt status and conducts its first membership drive. Continued on Page 8 4 AISES 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 ANNUAL REPORT HOW AND WHY Why STEM Matters • Available jobs in the field are set to increase • The prestigious World Economic Forum The Business of AISES 17% between 2014 and 2024, while non-STEM ranks the U.S. as No. 48 in quality of math and employment will grow just 12%. (Source: science education. Why and How We Do What We Do National Science Foundation) • The U.S. has fallen behind the rest of the world at an alarming rate. U.S. students • 8,650,000 - Estimated size of the STEM recently finished 27th in math and 20th in workforce in the U.S. by 2018. (Source: U.S. science in the ranking of 34 countries. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and • The average wage for all STEM occupations Development) is $85,570, nearly double the average for all occupations ($47,230). (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics) Why Diversity Matters • Companies reporting highest levels of racial • While more women than men are enrolled in diversity in their organizations bring in nearly all U.S. undergraduate programs, as recent as 15 times more sales revenue than those 2012, just 18% of women earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering. (Source: National with lowest levels of racial diversity. (Source: Science Foundation) American Sociological Review) • In the U.S., for every 10% increase in diversity on the senior executive team, earnings rise 0.8%. (Source: McKinsey & Company) Why STEM Matters to Indian Country • STEM is the key to ensuring that Native People • A strong tribal STEM workforce helps generate have a voice in the workforce within (non- entrepreneurial opportunities to create Native) companies, institutions, and agencies businesses to support tribal communities. – providing Tribal Nations