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Dina Horwedel, Director of Public Education, American Indian College Fund
303-426-8900, dhorwedel@collegefund.org

Colleen R. Billiot, Public Education Coordinator, American Indian College Fund
720-214-2569, cbilliot@collegefund.org

Cheryl Crazy Bull, President of American Indian College Fund, Receives Working Mother Media’s Legacy Award

Denver, Colo.—July 30, 2020– Working Mother Media presented Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, with its Legacy Award on Wednesday, July 22, during its Multicultural Women’s Conference, which was hosted virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Working Mother Media established the Legacy Award in 2005 to honor one extraordinary individual for her inspiration, dedication, and contributions to the advancement of multicultural women in the workplace and beyond. In particular, the organization honors women from public and non-profit sectors for their outstanding work that creates opportunity and well-being on many levels for women, girls, and communities. Cheryl Crazy Bull was selected for the award because of her extensive experience with the tribal college movement and her tireless work in supporting Native student success and education. Her long history of education, activism, and community growth has been documented and exemplary, and has created a lasting legacy built on advancing Native voices that will continue far into the future.

Subha V. Barry, President, Working Mother Media, said, “This award acknowledges the incredible and courageous women who are out there in the field doing the hard work and making a difference, being mentors, leaders and examples to others—and who are creating a legacy and vision for future women.”

Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, said, “Receiving this award is an honor that goes beyond me. It is an award that I accept on behalf of all indigenous women who want to be seen, those who have gone into the spirit world who we must remember, those who are here now and need our support, and those who are coming who need our seventh generation vision. Many of our Tribal nations survived because women adapted to the new world, kept our traditions alive, and passed our knowledge to our children. I want to recognize my colleagues at the American Indian College Fund, and especially to honor the women of the tribal college movement today, the women who helped found our tribal colleges and universities and who served and serve as presidents and as faculty and staff, the women who are our students.”

According to the Working Mother Research Institute’s “On the Verge” study, 50% of multicultural working women considered leaving their companies within a year. On top of bias and lack of support, multicultural women are also disproportionately impacted socio-economically, and struggle with building strategic relationship capital that would elevate their careers. During the pandemic, multicultural women are faced with even greater challenges than before.

The Multicultural Women’s Conference gives working women the tools needed to lead effectively in trying times. While studies show that women of color bring higher levels of education, ambition, and diverse ideas to the workplace, the conference tasked organizations and individuals to explore ways to ensure talented multicultural women stay engaged and connected while being inclusive and helping them to build networks, new skills, and cultural leadership competencies in today’s environment.

About Working Mother Media— Working Mother Media’s (WMM) mission is to serve as a champion of culture change. WMM publishes Working Mother magazine and its companion website, workingmother.com, which is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers. WMM also produces 20-plus events dedicated to the advancement of women, work and life, and helping organizations build inclusive workplace cultures.

About the American Indian College Fund—Founded in 1989, the American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 30 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided $7.72 million in scholarships to 3,900 American Indian students in 2018-19, with nearly 137,000 scholarships and community support totaling over $221.8 million since its inception. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators and is one of the nation’s top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org.

Reporters: The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.

Contact:  Dina Horwedel
dhorwedel@collegefund.org
303-430-5350

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