Twyla B. Baker (born October 4) is an American Indian (Hidatsa) academic administrator serving as the seventh president of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College since 2014. She was previously a Native health researcher focused on health statistics and elder abuse.
Twyla Baker | |
|---|---|
| 7th President of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College | |
| Assumed office October 2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Twyla Beth Baker October 4, 1976 New Town, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 7 |
| Alma mater | University of North Dakota |
Life
editBaker was born on October 4, 1976[1] in New Town, North Dakota on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.[2] She is an enrolled member of Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.[2] Her parents spoke Hidatsa but Baker did not learn the language.[3] She attended Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHS College).[4] She earned a B.S. in environmental geology and technology (2002) and M.S. in education general studies (2005) from the University of North Dakota (UND).[4]
From 2009 to 2013, Baker was the project director of the UND national resource center on Native American aging.[4] In this role, Baker established a database based on surveys of Native elder health statistics on diabetes, suicide, and other health issues.[3] She also worked in tribal data sovereignty and policy.[3] During this time, she completed a Ph.D. in teaching and learning and research methodologies in 2013 from UND.[4][2] Her dissertation was titled Mental health and social engagement among American Indian elders.[1] Her doctoral advisor was Steven LeMire.[1] The doctoral research led Baker to become the principal investigator of the National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative.[3]
In 2013, Baker returned to NHS College as the dean of students at the invitation of Alyce Spotted Bear who was working as the vice president of Indian studies.[4] Six months later, she became its interim president.[3] In October 2014, she was appointed the seventh president of NHS College.[4]
In 2020, Baker alongside Prairie Rose Seminole and Ruth Buffalo formed a Native American caucus group within the North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party.[5]
Baker has seven children.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c Baker-Demaray, Twyla B. (2013). Mental health and social engagement among American Indian elders (Ph.D. thesis). University of North Dakota. OCLC 904609344.
- ^ a b c "Twyla Baker-Demaray". LRInspire. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ a b c d e f Brandt, Katie Scarlett (2021-02-18). "Strength in Numbers". Native Science Report. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ a b c d e f Schill, Shawna (2019-05-15). "American Indian Leaders of Higher Education: Twyla Baker-Demaray". ALL: Master Collection List.
- ^ Skurzewski, Joe (2020-09-14). "Trio forms Native American Caucus in Dem-NPL party". KFYRTV. Retrieved 2023-08-14.