Just months after we published our first news stories in August 2015, we tried something new: we listed and published brief biographies of the state’s 28 Most Influential Black Leaders. People really liked it, shared it on social media, told us who else should have been on that list. Many asked me if we’d do another list the next year; I said yes, we probably would.
We did more than that. That next year, we published another list of the state’s most influential Black leaders, as well as a list of the state’s most influential Latino leaders. Almost immediately, we started hearing an important and very reasonable question: what about the state’s Asian American and Indigenous leaders?
We wanted to do those lists, but we wanted to do them right. It took us some time to build the authentic relationships within those communities, and to gain their trust. I’m glad and proud that we took that time and did that work; it resulted in us publishing those lists for the first time in 2020.
This week we are proud to present the sixth annual edition of Wisconsin’s Most Influential Native American leaders.
Every year, with every list, I’ve intended to highlight the beauty of the diversity across our state. I want kids here in Wisconsin to see role models of people who are succeeding, to know that it’s possible for people of color to achieve great things here.
This week we shine a statewide spotlight on the dedicated leaders of Wisconsin’s Indigenous communities. The people we highlight this week are elected leaders, business leaders and community leaders, doing difficult, important work, often in the face of discrimination and literally generations of oppression.
We are also aware that this list, like every other, is not comprehensive. It’s obvious just from the number of nominations that there are far more than 26 influential Indigenous leaders doing good work in Wisconsin. We hope you will let us know about people in your community who we can include on future lists. For now, though, we just want to introduce you to a few of the people doing the work, often behind the scenes and without the accolades, across Wisconsin.
You might know a few of these names, but there’s a good chance that most of them will be new to you. I urge you to get to know them. Reach out to those living and working in your communities. Learn from them, network, create partnerships. And spread the word — let others in your network know that we have people of all ethnicities living and working across Wisconsin to make sure everyone here can thrive.
Henry Sanders
CEO, 365 Media Foundation
Publisher, Madison365
This is the first of a five-part series.
Kevin Chesnik
Kevin Chesnik is interim executive director of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, an organization that’s supported Native-owned businesses in Wisconsin for more than 30 years. Before taking the helm at AICCW in February, Chesnik served on the organization’s board. He spent most of his career with the state Department of Transportation, retiring as chief engineer. He is currently also vice president of the engineering consulting firm Bloom Companies. He earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1982.
Apache Danforth
Apache Danforth is founder of public relations firm Good Words Consulting and travel agency Good Words Travel, which connects international travelers with Indigenous cultural experiences across Wisconsin. She is also cofounder of She Rises Collective, a group of six Indigenous women business owners dedicated to supporting other women entrepreneurs. She has previously worked as tribal tourism director for Native American Tourism of Wisconsin and public relations specialist for the Oneida Nation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational administration from UW-Milwaukee and a master’s degree in public relations from Kent State.
Ryan Pulvermacher
Ryan Pulvermacher is tribal nations lead and client executive at M3 Insurance. Specializing in property and casualty for tribal nations, public entities and the hospitality industry, Pulvermacher supports the agency’s efforts to secure new business and maintain positive client relationships. He consults with and advises clients about the design, implementation and management of their coverage. Before joining M3 in 2018, he worked in management at Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells. He is currently chair of the First Nations Communty Financial, a community development financial institution, and member of the board of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Dane County. He was recently honored as a Native American 40 Under 40 by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. He graduated from UW-Eau Claire in 2012.
Robert VanZile
Robert VanZile is Chairman of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community-Mole Lake Band, a position he assumed in 2021. In 2023, United States Interior Secretary Deb Halaand appointed him to the Advisory Council for Climate Adaptation Science. He also serves on the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council Board of Directors.
Bree Bzdawka
Bree Bzdawka is U.S. Policy Manager at the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, where she focuses on advancing policies related to water resources and indigenous rights. Prior to this role, she was a Research and Policy Analyst and Legislative Assistant for Milwaukee County and served a stint as a Native American Community Organizing Director for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
Lina Martin
Lina Martin is an AUNTIE (Advocate for Uplifting Native Traditions and Indigenous Engagement) at the Native American Center for Health Professions at the University of Wisconsin, where she’s worked for 10 years. She is also Native American Outreach Liaison for the UW–Madison Precollege Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE) Program. She has previously served as a student support facilitator at Madison College and tutor coordinator for the Madison Metropolitan School District. She graduated from the UW-Madison in 2005 with a degree in history, women’s studies and American Indian studies.
Daniel Wiggins, Jr.
Daniel Wiggins, Jr currently sits on the Bad River Tribal Council, along with being employed as the Mashkiiziibii (Bad River) Natural Resource Department’s Air Quality Technician (AQT) and executive director of the Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association (MTERA). He has worked for the Bad River Tribe for over 10 years as the AQT and has overseen the Tribe’s energy activities since 2017. In 2021 he also completed the task as Project Lead for the Ishkonige Nawadide Solar Microgrid Project, which installed over 500 kilowatts of solar and 1,000 kilowatt hours of batteries at three tribal facilities.
Gabriel Saiz
Gabriel Saiz is a sustainability program coordinator in the mayor’s office for the City of Madison, a role he took on in August 2023 after nearly two years as a volunteer program specialist at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. While a student at Stanford University, he co-chaired the Stanford American Indian Organization, worked with Students for the Liberation of All People, and was the co-president of the Students of Color Coalition. He earned a bachelor’s degree in earth systems in 2020 and a master’s in earth systems with a concentration in Indigenous community sustainability in 2021.
Cheryl Cloud
Cheryl Cloud is CEO of the Wisconsin Native Loan Fund, a role she was appointed to in January 2023. Prior to being appointed CEO, Ms. Cloud has been serving on the WINLF’s Board of Directors for over six years. She spent more than 15 years working for the federal government the Indian Housing and Tribal Transportation areas, most recently as Administrator Advisor for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Eastern Woodlands Office of Native American Programs. She has served as a Housing Director, Tribal Operations Manager, a Small Business Development and Technical Assistance Specialist and on her Tribal Business Development Corporation Board. She’s also an entrepreneur and has owned a construction company with her husband for nine years. She earned a bachelor of science degree in Business, Management and Leadership from Northland College and is an enrolled Bad River Tribal Member.
Mattea Twinn
Mattea Twinn is grants manager for the Ho-Chunk Nation, where she provides leadership on the implementation and management of grants focusing on the integration of Indigenous arts and sciences. She took on that role in 2024 after two years serving the Democratic Party of Wisconsin as Native American Coalitions Manager. She earned a bachelor of business administration degree from UW-Stevens Point.
Randy Cadotte
Randy Cadotte is program director foor the Wisconsin Native Loan Fund, which supports the renovations of distressed homes for people in need as well as down-payment assistance and debt consolidation loans. He previously served as advancement director for Wisconsin Indigenous Economic Development Coorporation, a coalition of non-profit Native Community Development Financial Institutions (NCDFIs) with the mission to expand Native economic development in Wisconsin by strengthening Native-owned businesses, Tribal enterprises and communities. He took on that role after five years as executive manager of Seven Winds Casino and six years in management roles at LCO Casino.
Anne Egan-Waukau
Anne Egan-Waukau is Urban Native Vote Organizer for Wisconsin Conservation Voters, where she works to encourage and support voting among Native Americans in Milwaukee, Madison and other areas around the state. She is a member of Marquette University’s Council on Native American Affairs, a board memnber of Strong Native Minds and the Wisconsin School Public Relations Association, and vice chair of the board of the Gerald L Ignace Indian Health Center. She previously served on the board of Indian Community School. She has a degree in journalism from Marquette.
Monica Isham
Monica Isham is a Sawyer County Circuit Court judge, elected in August 2023, the first woman and the first member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians to serve as a judge in Sawyer County. Prior to being elected to the bench, she was an Associate at Dallenbach, Anich and Wickman, SC in Ashland, spent five years as an attorney for the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Child Support Program, and served a year as Deputy Attorney General for the Tribe. She earned an undergraduate degree from UW-Green Bay and law degree at Marquette.
Philomena Kebec
Philomena Kebec is chief judge of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community and economic development coordinator for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. She has previously serves as an Associate Justice for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and a policy analyst for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. She also developed the Gwayakobimaadiziwin Bad River Needle Exchange as a harm reduction project for the Bad River Reservation and surrounding community. She was named the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for 2024 by the State Bar of Wisconsin. She earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota and is currently a Bloomberg American Health Fellow in overdose and addiction at Johns Hopkins University.
Becky Albert-Breed
Becky Albert-Breed is executive director of First Nations Financial, a Native Community Development Financial Institution founded in 2010 to help Native Americans and surrounding communities access funds for personal growth such as home ownership, small business, investing and personal finance.. She has served the Ho-Chunk Nation as Treasurer, Business Finance Director over Casinos and C-Stores, and Legislative Financial Examiner. She holds a bachelor degree in accounting from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a MBA from Cardinal Stritch University.
Karl Morrin
Karl Morrin is superintendent of the School District of Maple in far northern Wisconsin. He took on the role in 2023 after two years as superintendent of the School District of Florence County. Prior to Florence County, he served as the assistant superintendent of Menominee Indian School in Keshena where he began working in 2014. Morrin, who has been in K-12 education as a teacher and administrator for 27 years, is also a member and past president of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control. He earned his undergraduate degree in physical education from UW Superior and master’s and doctoral degrees from Marian University.
Ryan Crain
Ryan Crain is executive director of education for the Ho Chunk Nation, where he oversees a variety of early childhood, cultural and language education, and academic support programs. He too that role on in 2023 after several years as a project director and interim treasurer for the nation. He earned a degree in business administration at UW-La Crosse and a master’s degree in servant leadership at Viterbo.
Tia Menore
Tia Menore is quality control manager at Peters Concrete in Green Bay, a role she’s held for seven years, after six years as materials coordinator. She works with a variety of facets of the business, including reclamation plans; engineering, procurement, and construction agreements; the opening and closing of pits and quarries, and rezoning and conditional use permits. She started in the construction industry as a traffic flagger for Northeast Asphalt back in 2016. She is an outspoken advocate for women, especially Indigenous women, in the construction industry.
Todd van den Heuvel
Todd van den Heuvel is associate vice president for human resources at Lawrence University in Appleton, a role he took on in January. He comes to Lawrence from the Oneida Nation, where he served as executive human resources director since 2021. He previously worked in HR leadership positions at North Star Mohican Casino & Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans, Winnebago Mental Health Institute, Brown County, and the State of Wisconsin. He also serves on the board of directors of Oneida Bay Bank. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Florida State and a master’s degree in human resource management at Marquette.
Alyssa Verstoppen
Alyssa Verstoppen is executive director of Woodland Financial Partners, a Native Community Development Financial Institution providing financing and technical assistance for Wisconsin tribal entrepreneurs and businesses. She took on the role last year after almost two years as director of lending at Woodland. Much of her career has been in agricultural banking, including nearly seven years as senior agricultural portfolio manager for BMO Harris and a stint as senior agricultural credit analyst at Nicolet National Bank. She earned a degree in agricultural business and management at UW-Madison.
Diana Nachtigal
Diana Nachtigal is Captain of Community Engagement for the City of Madison Police Department, where she oversees a wide variety of community-focused initiatives, including Amigos en Azul, the Black Officer Coalition, MPD Pride, Community Academies, youth engagement programs, mental health programs, and much more. Law enforcement is a second career; she started as an accountant at biotech company Promega. She joined the Madison Police Department as an accounting technician in 1998 and became a sworn officer in 2004. Since then she’s risen through the ranks, serving as a mental health liaison officer, criminal intelligence officer and detective in the violent crime unit. She was promoted to captain and placed in charge of the community engagement unit in December 2024. She holds an associates degree from Madison College and a bachelor’s degree from Upper Iowa University, both in accounting.
Bryan BainBridge
Bryan BainBridge is Chief Executive Officer of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, a coalition of 12 Tribal nations across Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan whose mission is to enhance the lives of Native people through education, health care, elder services and economic development. He previously served as a council member and chairman of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
Jordan Dominguez
Jordan Dominguez is senior manager of marketing and public relations at Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison, where she leads sponsorship, donation, and volunteer initiatives to strengthen the casino’s presence and impact in the local community. Originally from Chicago, Jordan moved to Wisconsin in her youth and joined Ho-Chunk Gaming in Wisconsin Dells as food and beverage manager in 2017. She held that position for just a few months before moving over to marketing. She took on the role at the Madison casino in 2023, as the tribe’s gaming enterprise continued to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Jordan is the Vice President of the Monona East Side Business Alliance.
Nicolasa Alamilla
Nicolasa Alamilla is community engagement coordinator for Milwaukee County Zoo, where she works to ensure that people of color see themselves reflected at the Milwaukee County Zoo in programming, events, and outreach. Nico specializes in connecting with Indigenous youth across the state to market zoological, ecological, and conservation careers to them with the Milwaukee County Zoo’s support. She took on that role in 2023 after a stint as an assistant division administrator for the Forest County Potawatomi Nation’s Community Center, a 60-million-dollar sports complex where she developed youth, family and cultural programs. She is also an adult advisor to The Milwaukee County Youth Commission. She helps to advise the youth on legislative action and support them in a parliamentary role during official meetings at the county courthouse. She attended the Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York, where she earned a bachelor of business administration with a concentration in strategic design and management.
Dr. Tim Fish
Dr. Tim Fish is a tribal liaison and senior population health strategist with the Independent Care Health Plan (iCare). Dr. Fish works in collaboration with tribal communities and community-based organizations to eliminate healthcare barriers for tribal elders, people who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities, and those who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds by providing opportunities for high-quality and equitable access to long-term care programs with the goal of improving the overall health and well-being of tribal people and communities throughout Wisconsin. Dr. Fish is an enrolled tribal citizen of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma and holds an AA degree in Liberal Arts with an Ethnic Studies certificate from Madison College, a BS degree in Community and Nonprofit Leadership (CNPL) with an American Indian Studies certificate, two Master’s degrees in Human Ecology (MS) and Clinical Social Work (MSW) with a concentration in Mental Health, a PhD in Civil Society and Community Research (CSCR) from UW-Madison, a Strategic Healthcare Leadership certificate from Cornell University, and is a certified advanced practice social worker (APSW).
Who did we miss? Email us at [email protected] to let us know who should be on next year’s list!
