North Dakota Network for Women in Higher Education: Presidential Sponsors
Cynthia Lindquist
President
Candeska Cikana Community College
Spirit Lake Dakota Nation
Cynthia Lindquist graduated with two degrees in 1981, her bachelor's degree is in Indian Studies. Since 1981 she has gone on to a master's degree in Public Administration at the University of South Dakota. Cynthia has completed her dissertation in UND's Educational Leadership doctoral program and graduated in 2006. She is a citizen of the Spirit Lake Nation.
Her career has included administrative and teaching positions with Indian Health Services and the Medical School at UND. She has garnered many honors including being a Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow, serving on the Barbara Jordan Health Policy advisory board, and serving with the Council of Public Representatives, which advises the Director of the National Institutes of Health. In April 2004, Cynthia was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education, an advisory body to the Secretary of Education; she is chairperson.
She became President of Candeska Cikana Community College in 2003. During her presidency, the college has grown and is assuming a leadership position in American Indian higher education, particularly among tribal colleges.
Laurel A. Vermillion, Ph.D.
President
Sitting Bull College
Dr. Laurel Vermillion, a recognized member of the Hunkpapa-Lakota peoples of the Standing Rock Reservation, serves as President of Sitting Bull College. She is married to husband, Duane and together they have three children and four grandchildren. Dr. Vermillion is an alumnus of Sitting Bull College (SBC). She began her higher education at SBC when it was known as Standing Rock Community College (SRCC). She received her baccalaureate degree in Elementary Education through an articulation agreement between Standing Rock Community College and the University of North Dakota in 1980. During her 14 years as an elementary teacher for the Fort Yates, ND BIA school, she pursued and completed a masters degree in Education Administration from the University of North Dakota. Soon after, she relocated to Marty, SD and served as Principal at the Marty Indian School before moving back to the Standing Rock Reservation. In 1995, she accepted the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs at Sitting Bull College and eventually became Vice President of Operations in 1999. During her seven years as Vice President of Operations at Sitting Bull College she completed a doctorate degree in Teaching and Learning, Higher Education from the University of North Dakota. She is an active member for numerous non-profit and community service groups, including Bear Soldier Horizons, the Standing Rock Education Consortium, Standing Rock Education Leaders, the North Dakota Association of Tribal Colleges (NDATC), Recruiting American Indian Nurses (RAIN) program, Quality Education for Minorities (QEM), Travois New Markets, American Indian College Fund (A*CF), and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC).
