Donna Brown, PhD serves as a co-PI on the Native FEWS Alliance of which AIHEC is the backbone. AIHEC, the nation’s 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) work toward Strong Sovereign Nations Through Excellence in TRIBAL Higher Education.
Dr. Brown served as president of Turtle Mountain College (TMC) in Belcourt, North Dakota for the past four years. TMC is a tribal college that primarily serves the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Donna is a tribal citizen who was “back home” after having served more than 30 years in higher education institutions in North Dakota and Minnesota.
Most of her experience has been working with populations historically underrepresented in post-secondary education, primarily American Indians. Recruitment, retention, and providing access to education has been the focus of her work. Other experiences include serving on the Board of Directors for the Cass/Clay YWCA. In addition, she has recently been appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education.
AIHEC is so important to the tribal colleges in terms of funding and overall support and Dr. Brown is proud to be a member of the team that will ensure the success of all tribal colleges now and into the future.
Kathy Isaacson, PhD serves as the Director of the Backbone for the Native FEWS Alliance representing the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). Kathy ensures that the Alliance continues to have a central hub for communication and planning, continuous interaction with NSF INCLUDES, and web-based dissemination of wise practices from the Alliance partners. She has over 20 years experience working with tribal colleges and universities in strategic planning and project management. Kathy has served on the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities, was chair of the board for the Institute for Higher Education Policy, faculty member at the University of New Mexico, and president of Strategic Engagement, a consulting business. Her research and writing interests include a focus on sustainable system change and innovative methods for multi-stakeholder engagement. Kathy is the author of Communication, Conflict, and the Management of Difference; Facework: Bridging Theory and Practice; Engaging Communication in Conflict: Systemic Practice; and Mediation: Empowerment in Conflict Resolution. She received her MA from the University of New Mexico, and her PhD from Tilburg University in the Netherlands.
Jana Hanson is AIHEC’s IR and Assessment Director for Student Success.
