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April 11, 2022

Award represents emerging Indian Country leaders

Winners will be recognized at a reception on May 25 in Las Vegas, Nevada

MESA, AZ – The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (The National Center) recently announced the 2022 class of Native Americans 40 Under 40 award recipients. The Native Americans 40 Under 40 awards represent the best and brightest emerging Indian Country leaders. Every year, 40 American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian leaders under the age of 40 are inducted in recognition of their leadership, initiative, and dedication and for making significant contributions in their business and/or in their community. Award winners include leaders working in numerous fields including academia, government, nonprofits, tourism, nature conservation, technology and more.

This year, The National Center will resume the tradition of honoring Native American 40 Under 40 awardees during an in-person reception on Wednesday, May 25, 6:30PM—8:30PM PST, in Drai’s at The Cromwell Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. To learn more about attending the 2022 Native American 40 Under 40 reception, click here. Similar to the 2021 class, the 2022 class of Native American 40 Under 40 recipients have displayed resiliency and dedication during the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Center looks forward to celebrating the 2022 class.

View a list of the 2022 Native Americans 40 Under 40 class below.

“Inductees into the 2022 Native Americans 40 Under 40 Awards showcase the hard work, perseverance, and dedication that have come to define this prestigious award,” said Chris James, president and CEO of the National Center. “The Native American 40 Under 40 represent leaders in tribal government, medicine, law, politics, activism, agriculture, Native cuisine, economic development, media, and many other areas. They are a reminder that Native American leaders are making a difference in every aspect of American life. I can’t wait to welcome the Class of 2022 40 Under 40 Award Winners to the Reservation Economic Summit 2022, and I hope you’ll join us to celebrate their achievements.”

2022 Native Americans 40 Under 40 Award Recipients (Alphabetical order by last name):

Stephanie Allison, Navajo Nation, Owner/CEO, DreamCatcher Financial Strategies, LLC
Peggy Barlett, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Senior Counsel Husch Blackwell LLP
Pamela Boivin, Menominee, Executive Director, NiiJii Capital Partners, Inc.
Jackson Brossy, Navajo Nation, Assistant Administrator, Small Business Administration Office of Native American Affairs
Savannah Burwell, Chickasaw Nation, Content Manager, The Chickasaw Nation
Jeanie Campbell, Aleut, CEO / Owner, Grid Electric Corporation
Rachel Crawford, Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, CEO/President, Quivera Enterprises LLC
Emily Edenshaw, Yup’ik/Inupiaq, President & CEO, Alaska Native Heritage Center
Chelsea Fish, Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, Federal Project Officer, US Department of Labor
Kathryn Gardner-Vandy, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University
Jessi Goldner, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi/Waseybek, Development Corporation, Director of Compliance, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi/ Waseybek Development Corporation
Carly Griffith Hotvedt, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Associate Director, Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
Andrea Gusty, Yupik, Athabascan, Village of Aniak, President & CEO, The Kuskokwim Corporation
Eva Harvey, Native Village of Kiana, Alaska, Co-Founder, First Alaskans First
Kirby Hays, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, President & CEO, Hal Hays Constructions, Inc.
Tim Hicks, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Chief Operating Officer – Hospital Services, Muscogee Nation
Kandace Howell-Keahbone, Caddo, Tribal Government Relations Coordinator, Oklahoma Health Care Authority
Thomas Ice, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Small Business Banking Relationship Management Manager (LO), Wells Fargo and Company
Sasanehsaeh Jennings, Menominee, Tribal Liaison, University of Wisconsin System
Billye Jimerson, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Public Health Administrator, Cherokee Nation Public Health
Kelbie Kennedy, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Policy Manager and Policy Lead – National Security and Community Safety, National Congress of American Indians
Allison Lampo, Seneca Nation of Indians, Founder & Director of Projects, AMJ Concepts
Renee Linton, Organized Village of Grayling, Program Manager, Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation
Johnathon Lopez, Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, Atlanta Project Manager, Red Alligator LLC
Wendy Merrill, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Assistant General Manager, Grand Casino Mille Lacs
Cody Minyard, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Attorney at Law/CEO, Cody Minyard, Attorney at Law, PLLC
Francine Moreno, Village of Alakanuk, Manager of Utility Operations, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
Mary Kathryn Nagle, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Partner, Pipestem Law P. C.
Melissa Peterson, Navajo, Director Tribal Relations, University of Kansas
Bryan Polite, Shinnecock Nation, Chairman, Council of Trustees Shinnecock Indian Nation
Joannie Suina Romero, Pueblo of Cochiti, Executive Director, Laguna Community Foundation, Inc.
Brandi Ross, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Director of Business Development, The Akana Group, Inc.
Tessa Sayers, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Director of Marketing, American Indigenous Business Leaders; Owner/Designer/Artist, Soul Curiosity
Corey Still, United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Director of Student Programming and Research, American Indian Graduate Center
Marley Tanner, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe, Clinical Pharmacist, Indian Health Service, Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital
Concetta Tsosie de Haro, Navajo Nation, Democratic Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
Shea Vassar Gomez, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Journalist/Critic/Filmmaker, Freelance
Brian Weeden, Mashpee Wampanoag, Chairman/President, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
Alex Wesaw, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians , Tribal Council Member At-Large & Director, American Indian Relations Division, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians & Ohio History Connection
Carrie Whitlow, Cheyenne & Arapaho/Kiowa/Creek, Executive Director, Cheyenne & Arapaho Department of Education, Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribe