Executive Cabinet

Angie Eagle Bull - Vice President for Finance (Oglala Lakota)

Angie grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and comes from a long line of family members who have attended school and worked at Red Cloud Indian School. After graduating from Red Cloud in 1979, she attended New Mexico State University for one year before enrolling in Oglala Lakota College back home. She graduated with a bachelor of science degree in business administration in 1994. Before accepting her current role, she was a major gift officer and director of direct mail operations in the advancement office. 


Brenda Bad Heart Bull - Director of Human Resources (Oglala Lakota)

Brenda Bad Heart Bull is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, born and raised here on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Brenda joined the team here at Red Cloud back in 2008 and has several years of experience working in the Human Resources Department. Brenda is also an Alumna of Red Cloud Indian School ‘03. She has family members that work here and has four children who also attend Red Cloud School.

She graduated from Oglala Lakota College with an associate degree in General Business and is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management. She takes great pride in working with an incredible group of diverse individuals and looks forward to her tenure as a Lakota Professional in a Leadership position here at Red Cloud Indian School.


Fr. Brad Held, S. J. - Pastor of the Reservation

Fr. Held is in his second stint at Red Cloud, but his first one here as a priest. He serves as Pastor of the Catholic community on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He ensures the people's sacramental and pastoral care as well as oversees and directs all areas of pastoral ministry on the reservation, in collaboration with the other priests, religious, and laity serving our churches. From 2011-2014, during his Jesuit formation, he served as a teacher and campus minister at Red Cloud High School. He left Red Cloud in 2014 to complete theology studies at Boston College in preparation for his ordination to the priesthood. Fr. Held was ordained in June 2017 and then served as a teacher and campus minister at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee. He began service as Pastor in June 2019.


Jennifer S. Irving - Vice President for Marketing & Communications (Oglala Lakota)

She has a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from Chadron State College and a Master’s in Public Health in Community Health Education from the University of Minnesota. Jennifer has spent most of her career as a public health practitioner in Maternal and Child Health serving Northern Plains tribes and American Indian urban communities. In 2019, Jennifer was chosen to participate in the Robert Wood Johnson’s Culture of Health Leaders Fellowship and in 2021 selected as a Native Nation Rebuilder. She currently resides in Nebraska with her daughter Maraya and her dog Lady!


Katie Chustak - Director of Food Sovereignty

Katie Chustak is the director of Food Sovereignty at Red Cloud, where she has been developing a Farm to School Initiative and has been active in the local food sovereignty movement 2018. She studied Sustainable Food and Farming Systems with a minor in Horticulture at Purdue University and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Health, concentrating in Food Systems, part-time at Johns Hopkins. Prior to coming to Red Cloud, she student taught at Many Farms High School in the Navajo Nation and gained experience on a diversified, regenerative horticulture farm. Katie is originally from South Bend, Indiana. She is passionate about food justice and environmental sustainability.


Maka Black Elk - Executive Director Truth and Healing (Oglala Lakota)

Maka Black Elk is the Executive Director for Truth and Healing. He first graduated from the University of San Francisco and then earned his Master's degrees in Peace & Human Rights Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College and in Educational Leadership from the University of Notre Dame. He was a history teacher and an educational administrator at Red Cloud before taking on his current role. A descendant of boarding school survivors, Maka brings a passion for interreligious dialogue to his work. He advocates for truth and healing in Catholic ministries and schools serving indigenous peoples.


Mary Maxon - Director of The Heritage Center

Mary joined the Red Cloud staff in August 2012 as the Collections Manager for The Heritage Center. She was hired as the Curator in 2014 and became the Director in 2015. Originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, she earned degrees in Studio Art and Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A museum professional since 1985, Maxon has worked with the Field Museum of Natural History’ in Chicago, the Siouxland Heritage Museums in Sioux Falls, the Idaho Museum of Natural History and the Rapid City Arts Council at the Dahl Arts Center. She is experienced in almost every aspect of museum work and is especially interested in the arts as an integral part of vibrant communities. She has been responsible for developing and managing several artist-led, community-influenced arts projects including the Main Street Square sculpture project in Rapid CIty and the Horse Nation of the Oceti Sakowin exhibition at Red Cloud.


Moria Coomes - Superintendent of Schools (Oglala Lakota)

Moira Coomes has thirty-two years in educational experience including eighteen years in the classroom teaching English to middle and high school students. She has 14 years of administrative experience as an assistant principal, principal, and director of curriculum. Moira is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and grew up in Hot Springs SD. Moira earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Northern State University of South Dakota in 1985 and her Masters in Education Administration and Curriculum from Azusa Pacific in California in 2002. She is currently the superintendent at Red Cloud Indian School where she oversees the provision and management of a quality K-12 educational program that is rooted in faith values and cultural competencies for all students enrolled in the school system.


Monica Macek - Vice President of Facilities (Oglala Lakota)

Monica Macek is Red Cloud’s first Vice President of Facilities. She started September 17, 2020 and is in charge of the planning, care, and maintenance of Red Cloud’s physical properties and buildings. A member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the valedictorian of Red Cloud’s Class of 1989, Monica brings over 20 years of experience serving as a facilities engineer, guiding operations maintenance, construction, and safety procedures for complex organizations. She spent 19 years working with the Indian Health Service (IHS) on the Pine Ridge Reservation managing resources for the hospital, five clinics, and 123 housing units. She led her team to implement short- and long-term planning and property acquisitions and, through energy efficiency improvement projects, she reduced IHS’ energy consumption by 35% in seven years.

More recently, Monica served North Dakota’s General Services Administration, responsible for all aspects of professional architectural and engineering duties of the project planning, design, construction, and repair of agency buildings. Monica graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. She is a Certified Energy Manager and obtained a Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers from the Federal Acquisition Institution.


Robert Brave Heart Sr. - Senior Vice President for Community Relations and Major Gifts (Oglala Lakota)

Currently serving as Senior Vice President for Community Relations and Major Gifts (2019 - Present), Bob has served Red Cloud for 35 years in several capacities. He dedicated himself as a charismatic teacher in the classroom, as a coach on the court, a dedicated principal, an understanding and compassionate director of spiritual formation, as Superintendent of Schools (2003-2011), and as Executive Vice President (2011-19). He was the recipient of the Opus Prize along with Fr. Peter Klink, SJ in 2021. Bob serves on the Lakota Nation Invitational board of directors, a position that he has held since 1993, is a member of the National Indian Education Association (since 2004), and was a member of the AdvancEd State Council from 2009 - 2011. Bob has been married for 43 years, has 5 children, 18 grandchildren, and is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.


Tashina Banks Rama - Executive Vice President (Oglala Lakota)

As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Tashina leads Advancement, Communications, Facilities, Finance, Food Sovereignty, Human Resources, and Truth and Healing. The Executive Cabinet’s goal is to provide an efficient and cost-effective suite of services while being agile to the needs of Red Cloud’s three key areas of mission and those who lead them: our Schools, Churches and Heritage Center.

In 2009, Tashina returned home to Pine Ridge and joined Red Cloud to work with young alumni enrolled in college. Over the last 12 years, Tashina’s responsibilities kept expanding while leading teams who consistently exceeded their goals. Tashina transitioned into her new role as Executive Vice President in the summer of 2020. Tashina earned a BBA in Marketing from the University of New Mexico and an MBA from Gonzaga University.

Tashina's mother is Oglala Lakota and father is Ojibwe from the Leech Lake Band. Tashina herself, is a second language learner of the Lakota language. Tashina is married to Matthew Rama, a Lakota language revitalization advocate, veteran teacher and basketball coach. They live on 30 acres on the Pine Ridge Reservation with their five children where they all practice being the best amateur farmers they can be!

 

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