Jodi archambault gillette biography

By Heid E. Erdrich (BF&#;01)

DATELINE:

White House Tribal Nations Conference, Washington, D.C., December 3,

President Obama takes the podium and someone in the crowd cries out, “We love you!” Love is all around with tribal leaders, Native youth and elders in the room. “Love you back!” Obama replies. A few minutes later, he remarks, “I’m proud to have Native Americans serving with dedication and skill in my administration, including somebody I love — Jodi Gillette of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.” The crowd of Native leaders cheers in agreement and recognition for Gillette, a woman known for her mile-wide smile and her high-wattage intelligence.

Bush Fellow Jodi Archambault Gillette (’02) is quietly powerful, unshowy, humble — still, people love her like she’s a rock star. In fact, serving as special assistant to the president for Native American affairs does make her a star in Indian Country. Jodi Gillette gets thi