Shelley Buck: President of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi
He Hahawakpa kin ohinniyan oíhduha.
The (River of the Great Falls) will always be free.
Shelley Buck describes the work of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi (OO) to restore Dakota culture and Indigenous landscape at Owámniyomni (St. Anthony Falls). OO's engagement and design processes are centered on traditional Dakota principles—making decisions by consensus, viewing the land and water as living relatives and honoring the power of this sacred place. Buck emphasizes the need to uphold Tribal sovereignty through community development processes and shares her experiences as a Dakota winyan (woman), nonprofit leader, and former Tribal president.
Shelley Buck became President of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi in January 2023. Buck is an enrolled member of the Prairie Island Indian Community and served 12 years on the Prairie Island Tribal Council, including six years as president. Prior to being elected to Tribal Council, Buck held other positions serving the Tribe, including enrollment clerk and government relations specialist. Buck has a Bachelor of Science in business accounting from Indiana University and a Masters of Art in sports management from Concordia University. She recently finished a second Masters of Jurisprudence in tribal Indian law from the University of Tulsa. Buck currently serves on the boards of the Minnesota Wild Foundation, Great River Passage Conservancy, and Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi in St. Paul. She also held the position of Alternate Regional VP for the National Congress of American Indians.
Bonnie Keeler: Associate Professor, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Valuing the Mississippi River: Communities, contaminants, and implications for environmental investments
Keeler will discuss her current research on the value of the Mississippi River funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Keeler and her team are working in partnership with Mississippi River communities from the Headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico to document threats to water quality, understand values and uses of the River, and identify equitable solutions to manage the Mississippi River.
Bonnie Keeler is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, where she co-directs the Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy. Keeler’s research investigates the distribution and value of environmental benefits and burdens with a focus on water quality. Dr. Keeler is a member of the Environmental Protection Agency's Board of Scientific Counselors, serving on the subcommittee for social and community science. She is an active consultant on state and regional water planning, collaborating closely with Minnesota's Environmental Quality Board, Department of Health, Pollution Control Agency, Department of Natural Resources, Board of Soil and Water Resources, Metropolitan Council, and Clean Water Council.
Katey Pelican: Founding Co-Director of the Strategic Partnerships and Research Collaborative, University of Minnesota
Katey Pelican, DVM, PhD was one of the founding Co-Directors of the Strategic Partnerships and Research Collaborative (SPARC) in the University of Minnesota’s Research and Innovation Office in 2019 before becoming Director in 2022. She has led large-scale trans-disciplinary, multisectoral programs at the U of M since she arrived in 2007. She was initially hired by the University to start an Ecosystem Health program at the College of Veterinary Medicine, a program that has now grown into a 16 member One Health Division focused on addressing local and global health challenges at the intersection of humans, animals, and the changing environment. She was Principal Investigator of the USAID One Health Workforce Project which supported university networks in Africa and Asia to build a global workforce to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats (>85 Universities in 16 countries total). Prior to arriving at the U of M, Dr. Pelican was a wildlife veterinarian and researcher with the Smithsonian Institution and helped initiate an Environmental Change and Species Survival Initiative and lead the Smithsonian-wide Cryobanking initiative.
Moderator: Mark Ritchie, Former Secretary of State of Minnesota
Mark Ritchie served as Minnesota’s Secretary of State from 2007–2015 and recently retired from his position as President of Global Minnesota. He serves as Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Minnesota, and serves as Senator Amy Klobuchar’s appointed representative to the National Advisory Board of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Since 2013, he has led Minnesota’s public-private partnership working to bring an International Exposition to Minnesota and is a co-founder and National Secretary of Expo USA. Mr. Ritchie has served as a director on the boards of the Minnesota Historical Society, Minnesota’s State Board of Investment, Minnesota Executive Council, Twin Cities Public Television/PBS, Communicating for Agriculture, and the Overseas Vote Foundation. He is a Life Member of the Association of the U.S. Army, a former Senior Advisor to the Minnesota National Guard, a life member of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, and the Army War College Foundation.
