WaziHanska, an enrolled citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, is an award-winning educator and leader in American Indian education. Over the course of his 35 years in education, he has been a teacher and a school principal and served on numerous American Indian/Indigenous education councils and boards. He is the recipient of a 2005 Milken National Educator Award and former President of the National Indian Education Association, and was called to serve by President Obama on the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. He is Head of Teach For America’s Native Alliance, and a founding board member of the American Indian Academy of Denver. He and his wife live in Summerset, South Dakota with their two sons, the oldest an elementary teacher on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
“I am excited to help out and utilize my experience and understanding of education work and how funding can help (grantees) succeed in their mission and goals.”