Kristen Talbert, MBA, MA
Kristen (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate) is the Program Manager for the Indigenous Leadership Academy at the American Indian Policy Institute. She has thirteen years of non-profit, for-profit, case management, data collection, and teaching experience, as well as project and program planning. Her career has focused on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and connecting American Indian families with resources to provide them with the best outcomes for success.
She has previously served as a St. Paul Urban Representative for the Indian Child Welfare Advisory Council for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. She also previously served as an active member of the Indian Education Advisory Council for the Arizona Department of Education and Vice President of the Tempe Union High School District Indian Education Parent Advisory Committee. Most recently, Kristen was a recipient of the National Center for American Indian Development's "40 under 40" award at the 2023 Reservation Economic Summit.
Kristen received an MBA with concentrations in entrepreneurship and leadership from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. She also has a MA in K-12 Education from the University of St. Thomas and a BA in American Indian Studies from the University of Minnesota.