Three northeast North Dakota women named 2023 Bush Fellows

GRAND FORKS — Three women from northeast North Dakota have been named 2023 Bush Fellows, a group of 24 individuals who are working to strengthen their leadership abilities to drive change in their communities, the Bush Foundation has announced.   

Katherine (Katie) Dachtler and Hillary Kempenich of Grand Forks and Shanda Poitra of Belcourt, North Dakota, are among the newest fellowship recipients. They will engage in a two-year program to build their individual capacity to make change happen, according to an announcement by the St. Paul-based Bush Foundation.

“These talented Fellows have already made vital contributions to their communities,” said Anita Patel, vice president for grantmaking for the Bush Foundation. “We are inspired by their vision and are grateful to support their leadership journey as they seek even bigger impact.”

The Bush Foundation works to inspire and support creative problem solving to make the region better for everyone, according to its website. Through the fellowship program, it provides a flexible grant of up to $100,000 to help individuals strengthen and develop their leadership.

Dachtler, a former Grand Forks City Council and Grand Forks School Board member, has been a leader in advocating for inclusion of people whose voices are too often not heard, according to an announcement from the Bush Foundation about the fellowship recipients.

Dachtler, a Korean adoptee, understands from personal experience what it is like to be considered an outsider, according to the announcement. Yet she understands that belonging is foundational to this region’s sustainability and that strong communities are diverse communities.

She wants to create a place of connection where all people can live freely and be fully included.

To grow her capacity to transform her region, Dachtler plans to pursue a doctoral degree in change leadership for equity and inclusion.

Kempenich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, is an Anishinaabe artist, storyteller, and knowledge keeper who has long advocated for the well-being and rights of Native youth in educational settings.

A recognized agent of change with a passion for making places such as libraries and museums more accessible, Kempenich is a leader in the creation of a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) museum. She is determined to infuse authentic reconciliation, repatriation, and decolonization practices into planning and programming, according to the Bush Foundation announcement.

Kempenich intends to seek mentorship with fellow knowledge keepers to ensure cultural survival and visibility, and will pursue additional education in museum studies and STEAM.

Poitra, a member of the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, is dedicated to creating a culture in which Indigenous people see safe and healthy relationships as the norm, according to the Bush Foundation announcement.

Empowered by her experience in a self-defense course she took in college, she has made it her life’s work to teach Native women and girls that they deserve to be safe. She has worked to help them develop tools to protect and advocate for themselves.

A nationally-recognized leader of the first Indigenous-led IMPACT self-defense program, Poitra is bringing the program she adapted for her Turtle Mountain community to an increasing number of tribes and Native organizations.

As a Bush Fellow, she intends to increase her effectiveness in designing and leading abuse prevention and survivor healing throughout Indian country. To that end, she plans to pursue a degree in leadership and management.

Two other North Dakotans were also named 2023 Bush Fellows. Joseph Williams, a member of Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate nation, is director of Native American Programs at Plains Art Museum in Fargo and creator of the nationally recognized podcast “5 Plain Questions.” Agnes Yellow Bear, of New Town, is a national advocate for initiatives focused on murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

The Bush Fellowship is open to anyone age 24 and older. Applicants must live in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, or one of the 23 Native nations in that geographic area.

The Bush Foundation will accept applications for the 2024 Bush Fellowship from Aug. 22 to Sept. 21.