Michael Wassegijig Price

Work Experience

Executive Director

Native Youth Alliance of Minnesota, White Earth, Minnesota

  • Provided overall leadership, institutional development, fundraising, and fiscal management for this newly established nonprofit organization.
  • Raised funds in the amount of $145,360.00 from the Bush Foundation for the strategic planning initiative of the Indigenous Youth Research and Development Center.
  • Filed all state and federal paperwork for organizational tax-exempt status.
  • Created institutional partnership with the American Indian Cancer Foundation to host Statewide Native Youth Council Activities.
  • Organized Statewide Native Youth Council Gathering on January 4-5, 2013 at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul.
  • Organized and facilitated all NYAM Board of Director meetings.

Adjunct Science Faculty

Leech Lake Tribal College, Cass Lake, Minnesota

  • Developed culturally congruent course entitled Indigenous Astronomy (PSCI-150).
  • Taught course PSCI-150 every spring semester for 2013, 2014 and 2015.
  • Created new course entitled Anishinaabe Ethnobotany to be piloted in Summer 2015.

Academic Dean

White Earth Tribal and Community College, Mahnomen, Minnesota

  • Provided overall leadership and management of the Academic Department at WETCC.
  • Supervised 7 full-time faculty and 9 adjunct faculty, as well as library services staff.
  • Facilitated the process for updating and revising the WETCC's College Catalog.

NASA-TCUP Project Director

White Earth Tribal and Community College, Mahnomen, Minnesota

  • Provided overall management of NASA Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at WETCC.
  • Mentored two students in geospatial wild rice field research, which resulted in poster presentations at several national science conferences.
  • Created website highlighting the Nibi Manoomin Preservation Project (see above).

NSF-TCUP Project Director/Science Faculty

Leech Lake Tribal College, Leech Lake Reservation, Minnesota

  • Provided overall management and leadership for the NSF-TCUP Project Award ($2.5 million over 5 years).
  • Developed successful Summer Natural Resources Internship program on the Leech Lake reservation, which included U.S. Forest Service and tribal natural resources office.
  • Arranged for two students to participate internationally at the Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica in Summer 2007.
  • Arranged for three students to participate in internship at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California.
  • Enhanced STEM library resources utilizing NSF funding.
  • Developed annual budget and financial reports for TCUP Program.
  • Reported to the National Science Foundation on mid-term progress of the grant.

Consultant / Cultural Knowledge Specialist

1. Teaching Relevant Inquiry-Based Environmental Science (TRIBES)
2. Interinstitutional Consortium on Indigenous Knowledge (ICIK), Penn State University
3. American Indians in Science, Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM)
Provided high school science teacher training on Native American cultural integration, article media submission, curriculum development, and developed culturally congruent STEM media materials to three institutional programs mentioned above.

President

Red Lake Nation College, Red Lake Reservation, Minnesota

  • Provided visionary leadership and direction for the development of the College.
  • Raised start-up funding in the amount of $85,250.00 from the Otto Bremer Foundation.
  • Raised program funding in the amount of $60,000.00 from NASA Glen Research Center for the Satellite Remote Sensing Project that created the first computer lab for the College.
  • Raised $25,000.00 from Grotto Foundation for the Ojibwe Language Preservation Project.
  • Developed primary institutional policies and procedures for the College.
  • Developed annual operations budget and supervised College's faculty and staff.

Faculty Chair, Department of Science and Mathematics

Leech Lake Tribal College, Leech Lake Reservation, Minnesota

  • Directed and supervised all activities within the Department of Science and Mathematics.
  • Facilitated the establishment of the Native American Remote Sensing Distance Education Prototype (NARSDEP) in conjunction with NASA Glenn Research Center and University of Cincinnati.
  • Instructed science courses in ecology, botany and general biology and advised students.
  • Managed the USDA's Tribal Colleges Equity Grant and drafted proposals in the amount of $50,000.00 for each year.

Director of College Programs

American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Boulder, Colorado

  • Raised $120,000.00 in scholarship funds annually from 78 corporate donors of AISES.
  • Supervised College Chapter Coordinator and coordinated 122 college chapters and regional AISES conferences nationwide.
  • Supervised Scholarship Coordinator and administered scholarship awards.
  • Provided leadership for the AISES Annual Honors Banquet each November at the AISES National Conference.
  • Organized and directed the AISES Leadership Summit each March.
  • Conducted annual performance plans and evaluations for College Programs staff.
  • Addressed performance issues and provided counseling to resolve morale issues.