TINHORN’s Favorite Native Women in STEM

In celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day on March 8th, here are my favorite Native American women in STEM. 

1. Dr. Karletta Chief, Navajo

A former Miss Navajo Nation, a distance runner, and an amazing mom, Dr. Chief led the hydraulic research and water quality testing for Gold King Mine. She most recently wrote a grant that was awarded funds to support the efforts of the Navajo Nation and the UArizona Navajo-COVID-19 working group.

2. Dr. Otakuye Conroy-Ben, Oglala Lakota

Dr. Conroy-Ben utilized her chemistry and environmental engineering knowledge to test wastewater for COVID-19 on tribal lands. She’s a remarkable mother, frybread maker, and was an actor in Dances with Wolves as a young lady.

3. Kristina Halona, Navajo 

Kristina has worked on the Antares Rocket Program which provided low-Earth orbit (LEO) launch capability for payloads weighing up to 8,000 kg in support of NASA. She is an aerospace engineer and serves on the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Board of Directors.

4. Shannon Hulbert, Yurok Tribe

Shannon was one of Mirror Review’s Top 10 Most Prominent Leaders in Cloud Computing. Her company, Opus Interactive, was named by Inc 5000 as the Fastest Growing Private Companies in the US for the past two years.

STEM leaders in their own right, these rez-raised women embrace technology to benefit their communities. Each of them works their own way and disrupts perceptions of Indigenous people in the process.

I admire that they are also multifaceted, multidimensional persons who successfully balance today’s hectic schedule of work, family, and self-care. If that weren’t enough, each of them also participates in the community through speaking engagements, publishing academic articles, and staying involved with important causes. They are intelligent, capable, connected and caring individuals. They are real women, aunties, and mothers, some with small children and working spouses, who share real laughs, shed real tears, and offer genuine, warm hugs. 

When I’m asked who my favorite Native women are, my mind first goes to individuals in my mom’s generation, because they shaped me. But STEM experts like Karletta, Otakuye, Kristina, and Shannon prove that you can still innovate and break glass ceilings while inspiring the next generation of tech. You can bridge your wisdom with your understanding of the implications of emerging technology.

These women’s total impact is shaping the future of Indian Country by raising the next generation of leaders with expertise and intention.