Master of Science Native American Leadership Faculty

“Dr. Hornback is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Native American Leadership program at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Dr. Hornback has also served as a Tribal Administrator, an Associate Vice President in a fortune 100 company, and a faculty member. As a person of Indigenous (Cherokee / Shawnee) decent, she has spent much of her career assisting in the self-determination and empowerment of indigenous people." Dr. Hornback teaches Native American Leadership courses in: Tribal Sovereignty, Geography & Treaties, Native American Education Policy, Managing Diversity, and Grant Writing for Indigenous Communities and Projects. She is the former Coordinator of the George Fox University Center for Peace and Justice. She focuses on contributing to the success of her students while teaching, speaking and writing about equality and social justice. She has published articles on American Indian education and Constructive Indigenization. In 2021, Dr. Hornback received the International Award for Excellence for the Diversity in Organizations, Communities, and Nations Journal Collection. She has spoken about Indigenous Agency, Decolonization and Survivance on National Public Radio’s “Academic Minute” and serves as a technical advisor on Indigenous films.

"Dr. Bruce King's employment with Southeastern Oklahoma State University since 1998 included stints as an advisor, academic coordinator, dean, associate dean, and executive director for the Center for Student Success and Native American Center. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma." Prior to his retirement in December 2017, Dr. Bruce King held several administrative positions at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He served on a number of university and community committees, and is actively involved as a board member of the Museum of the Red River in Idabel, Oklahoma. Before joining Southeastern, he taught high school english and psychology. He has also taught at several colleges and universities in the areas of english, education, and student development. He earned his B.A. and M.Ed. degrees from East Central University and his Ed.D. degree from Texas A&M University-Commerce. He also attended the University of Oklahoma for postgraduate education in Native American Studies. His areas of interest include developing emerging leaders, student transfer and retention, and teacher education training. Currently, Dr. King holds the position of Dean of Fine Arts, Languages, Social Sciences, and e-Learning at North Central Texas College. Dr. King and his family live in Denton, Texas. He enjoys traveling, reading, history, running and hiking. His hobbies include visiting American Civil War historic sites.

"Dr. Norma Neely is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership and has designed and implemented professional development experiences for teachers." Dr. Norma Neely, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, serves as the director for the American Indian Institute within the division of Public and Community Services at the University of Oklahoma. She received her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Texas and her master's and bachelor's degrees in education from Central Missouri State University. Dr. Neely began her career as an elementary teacher and in 1990 received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. Prior to coming to the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Neely served as coordinator for the Building a Presence for Science at the National Science Teachers Association, associate director for the NSF-funded Texas Rural Systemic Initiative, and science instructional facilitator for the Northeast Regional Professional Development Center at Truman University. She also taught classes for pre-service teachers at Oklahoma State University. During the course of her career, she has designed and implemented professional development experiences for teachers, wrote a grant to take teachers to the Peruvian Amazon and develop curriculum materials ; as well as participated in numerous grants including an NSF-funded research expedition to Antarctica, a state-funded learning experience in Galapagos, and archaeological digs in various locations in the United States and Zaire. Dr. Neely served as a professional development director on the board of the National Science Teachers Association and as the education committee chair on the SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science) board. She has also served on numerous boards and advisory committees for various organizations, including Science Teachers of Missouri, American Royal advisory committee, Missouri Governor's Task Force on Environmental Education, Scholastic's Magic School Bus advisory council, and EarthScope's Education and Outreach committee.

"Dr. Hugh Foley teaches Contemporary Native American Issues. He is a widely published author on subjects relating to the music, film and American Indian history of Oklahoma." A visiting adjunct faculty member, Dr. Hugh Foley is a professor of fine arts at Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma. Along with teaching Contemporary Native American Issues online and Native American History of North America on his televised classes at RSU since 1998, Dr. Foley also hosts weekly Native American current affairs radio programs in Cushing, Oklahoma (KUSH) and Claremore, Oklahoma (KRSC). Along with a continuous radio and television broadcasting career since 1977, Dr. Foley earned a Ph.D. in English from Oklahoma State University in 2000, and his M.A. and B.A. from New York University. His award-winning video documentaries on American Indian life, music and the subject of American Indian mascots in Oklahoma have received thousands of views nationwide on public television, at national conferences and in many local presentations. Dr. Foley is also the author of the Oklahoma Music Guide II on New Forums Press, as well as several articles, essays, book reviews and encyclopedia entries on subjects relating to the music, film and American Indian history of Oklahoma. He has lectured widely on the history of Oklahoma music that include invited presentations at Yale University, Washington University, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa University, Oklahoma State University, and for International Fulbright Scholars through Tulsa Global Alliance in 2014 and 2015. In 2013, Dr. Foley served as scholarly consultant on "This May Be the Last Time", a documentary directed by Sterlin Harjo that appeared at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival prior to worldwide distribution in 2015 on multiple platforms. At Rogers State University, Dr. Foley teaches cinema and coordinates the university's Native American Studies program, advises the Native American Student Association and serves as academic advisor to the Cherokee Promise Scholar program. Each school year at RSU, he produces a Native American Heritage Festival, stickball workshop and the Annual Graduation Honor Powwow.

“Dr. McCraw is a Professor and Department Chair for Art, Communication & Theatre at Southeastern where he also oversees the Native Studies minor, and Native American Leadership program.” Dr. McCraw is experienced in building meaningful academic partnerships with tribal nations, developing and administering academic programs in Native American Studies, and serves on the executive board of the Semple Family Museum of Native American Art. He has been an educator, advocate, and ally of Native American peoples for his more than 20 year career at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He also teaches the MSNAL course in effective communication. Dr. McCraw is an integral part of the development, teaching, and administration of the Master of Science in Native American Leadership program."

"Amy Gantt, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and trained in language and culture from her tribe, teaches native studies at Southeastern Oklahoma State University." Amy Gantt is an Associate Professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SE), where she teaches in both the Art and Native Studies departments. Prior to working at SE, Mrs. Gantt was employed by the Chickasaw Nation for 13 years. Her work at the Chickasaw Nation included cultural preservation and research. She frequent presents at the Dynamic Women of the Chickasaw Nation Conference on topics of Native language revitalization, Native health issues, and Native Arts. Amy Gantt grew up in a military family and has lived all over the United States. She completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of North Texas and earned her master’s degrees from both Texas Woman’s University and Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Mrs. Gantt teaches native studies, art history, and art studio classes. As an artist, she works primarily in clay and photography. Her work has been exhibited in Oklahoma and Texas.

"Dr. Timothy Boatmun helped create the Native American Center for Student Success at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He has been a co-author of federal grants for Native American students." Dr. Tim Boatmun served as the Dean of Graduate School, e-Programming and Academic Support at Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SE). He has 18 years of experience in developing, supervising and evaluating programs. Before coming to SE, Dr. Boatmun served as the Director of Residential Programs for Youth Services of Tulsa and created professional development programs for the Department of Continuing Education at the University of Oklahoma. At SE, Dr. Boatmun has established the Academic Advising and Outreach Center, and the SE CARES Program. He has also assisted with the creation of the Native American Center for Student Success. Dr. Boatmun has been a primary co-author of federal grants approaching $4 million that serve Native American or adult students. For his efforts, he was recognized by the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience as one of the Top Ten Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates in 2007. Dr. Boatmun has a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, a master's degree in counseling from New York University, and a doctoral degree in higher education from Northcentral University. His research interests include strengths identification and how individuals use internal mechanisms to perform difficult tasks and reach long-term goals.

"Dr. Marlin Blankenship teaches Developing the Native American Leader. According to the International Coach Federation, he is one of only 10 professional certified coaches in Oklahoma. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma." Dr. Marlin Blankenship currently serves with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He was also the executive director at the Center for Student Success and the Native American Institute at Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SE) from 2018 - 2022. Dr. Blankenship has 12 years of experience in higher education and has held several positions in admissions, recruitment, advising, academic success center and the Native American Institute. Since 2013, Dr. Blankenship has over 500 hours coaching individuals in education, private business and Native American organizations. Prior to returning to Southeastern, he worked as a specialist for the Chahta Foundation. He also spent 10 years working in emergency management. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Dr. Blankenship has a bachelor’s degree in Interpersonal/Organizational Communication from Southeastern, a master’s degree in theology from Liberty University, a graduate certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching from the University of Texas at Dallas, and a doctorate in education from Oklahoma State University. His areas of interest include the use of executive coaching to support learning and professional success in organizations and universities, the importance of well-being to professional success, health communication and Native stories of success.