Jason Baldes is a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe from the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Dr. Baldes currently serves as the Eastern Shoshone Tribal Buffalo Representative, and Tribal Buffalo Coordinator for the Tribal Partnerships Program of the National Wildlife Federation. He also sits on the board of directors of the Inter Tribal Buffalo Council and leads the newly formed Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative. Dr. Baldes will offer his perspective on tribal interests in the management of Yellowstone National Park bison. Link to MSU article about Dr. Baldes.

Helen J. Augare Carlson is an enrolled member of the Ampsakapii Pikanii Blackfeet Tribe. Helen began her career in STEM education reform as director of the Rural Systemic Initiative project at Blackfeet Community College in 2000. She led an NSF-funded Native Science Field Centers. Her outstanding mentoring has significantly increased participation of Native American K-12 and tribal college students in STEM throughout the Northern Rockies.

Shane Doyle (Apsaalooke archeologist and cultural educator) has significant expertise to share regarding the ancient history and archeology of the Yellowstone National Park area.

Laura Ferguson (Associate Editor, Montana Historical Society) has led development of IEFA lesson plans, including one specific to Indigenous food sovereignty.

Chris Geremia (Head of the Yellowstone National Park Bison Ecology Management Office and the bison conservation and transfer programs in and around Yellowstone) will describe current park efforts to study and manage bison populations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, including the park’s commitment to supporting Tribally-led bison restoration. He works closely with Mr. Desmarais to support EPI educational research.

Mike Jetty (Indian Education Specialist with the Montana Office of Public Instruction) has led the development of innumerable IEFA lessons and is an acclaimed speaker throughout Montana. He will be a significant collaborator in recruitment and dissemination.

Dennis Jorgensen, Bison Program Manager, leads World Wildlife Fund’s bison restoration initiative in the Northern Great Plains to support establishment of herds on tribal and public protected areas in order to ensure the conservation and long-term health of bison and enable human and wildlife communities that once relied upon them to thrive again.

Robert McAnally, JD, Nakoda (retired Native American Studies Professor at Fort Peck Community College, including Federal/Tribal Legal Studies) will contribute his wisdom and knowledge of the Self-Determination era and as a historian of the Fort Peck Tribes. He has designed a winter-count (painted buffalo hide) that tells the tale of the return of the buffalo relatives to Fort Peck. McAnally is an award winning traditional artist/replicator working in all traditional mediums. His specialty is “Par fleche’’ (rawhide) art works, miniature buffalo hide shields with mini-weapons, and Indian dancing regalia.

KayAnn Miller is proprietor of Local Faire, LLC (www.localfaire.com). Local Faire caters a wide variety of events but Ms. Miller developed her distinctive style as the manager of the MSU Catering Fork in the Road food truck, which emphasized Indigenous and International foods across several seasons and at key Indigenous group events including multiple MSU Powwows.

Bill Stockton, Montana 2022 Teacher of the Year, teaches science at Arlee High School on the Flathead Indian Reservation. He will support presentations and activities surrounding integration of program framework elements, IEFA, and interdisciplinary content.