American Indian College Fund Appoints Five New Trustees to Board for Three-Year Terms
Denver, Colo., Sept. 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Indian College Fund welcomes five members to its governing board of trustees for three-year terms. The three tribal college presidents named to the board include Dr. Sean Chandler of Aaniiih Nakoda College, Eva Flying of Chief Dull Knife College, and Dr. Dawn Tobacco-Two Crow-Frank of Oglala Lakota College. The two private sector trustees include Nicole Bellefuille, J.D., a vice president in the financial services industry, and Nalneesh Gaur, a partner with PwC in their Cybersecurity practice.
Nicole Bellefeuille, J.D., a first-generation descendant of the White Earth Nation (Ojibwe), brings to the American Indian College Fund both deep expertise and financial knowledge, alongside a strong commitment to education, advocacy, and inclusion. She is passionate about supporting special needs families and advancing financial literacy as tools to strengthen Native communities and future generations.
A seasoned finance professional, she has built her career in buy-side investing, investor relations, institutional and product marketing, operations, and compliance. She has served across consulting, hedge fund, and large asset management sectors, providing strategic guidance to C-suite executives navigating complex challenges. Bellefeuille earned a B.S. in Corporate Finance from the University of Colorado–Colorado Springs and a J.D. in Health Law Studies from Saint Louis University School of Law.
As a first-generation college student, Bellefeuille navigated higher education and graduate school independently. She says she has an intimate understanding of the transformative power of education, both for individuals and for generations to come. In addition, her role as the mother of a disabled child has fueled her lifelong dedication to special needs advocacy and her desire to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed.
As a board member, her goal is to amplify Native voices and ensure every aspiring learner has the opportunity to pursue higher education.
Dr. Sean Chandler is an artist, educator and enrolled member of the Aaniinen (Gros Ventre Nation) serving as President of Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC) located on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. He has served the institution for the past 22 years, mostly as an Instructor and Director of American Indian Studies, until 2017 when he filled the role of Academic Dean and later as President in 2020. Dr. Chandler was also an instructor for the Aaniiih (Gros Ventre) language for grade school children at ANC’s White Clay Immersion School.
Dr. Chandler’s artwork is in collections at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Yellowstone Art Museum, Missoula Art Museum, and the Eiteljorg Museum. Most recently, he was selected as one of five artists for the 2023 Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellowship of the Eiteljorg Museum of Indianapolis, Indiana.
He holds B.A. in Art and a M.A. in Native American Studies from Montana State University-Bozeman. He also earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from The University of Montana with his dissertation entitled, “The Identity of Indigenous Lifeways.”
Dr. Chandler is a council member of the Montana Arts Council, a board member of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and the Committee on Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering. In April of 2018, he received the Montana Indian Education Association’s Indian Educator of the Year Award.
Eva Flying, the first woman President of Chief Dull Knife College (CDKC), is deeply rooted in the southeastern Montana and Northern Cheyenne communities and a champion of enhancing lives through health and education.
Flying received an A.A. in General Studies from Sheridan College in Wyoming, a B.A. from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado in Exercise Science, and a M.S. in Sports Administration from Montana State University-Billings. She completed her graduate internship at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. She started her Doctorate of Education in Community Colleges, with an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion from California State University, Stanislaus. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in Education Leadership at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana.
Flying spent a considerable amount of her professional career establishing and managing health and wellness programs at higher education institutions. As the first woman president at CDKC, she is creating pathways for young Cheyenne women to pursue their dreams and for all people to believe in the college’s mission. She says her role is to change lives through knowledge and through experience.
Flying is passionate about Native education’s role in expanding and strengthening the economic infrastructure of the Northern Cheyenne Nation in rural/remote Montana. As well as creating sustainable programs and bridging gaps for careers, preserving the Cheyenne way of life, culture, and language. “Everything we do as a tribal people is for the people and is grounded in culture. This is a way of knowing and being and a way of life. It is the thread that is constant and the purpose and intent for what we do. It is our inherent right to live and work on our reservation and to exercise that right of tribal sovereignty. Education is about preservation and living the values of who we are as Cheyenne people. Those values include education through learning, we strengthen our workforce, to take care of our community.”
Nalneesh Gaur is a Partner in PwC’s Cybersecurity practice where he focuses on cybersecurity for pharmaceutical and life sciences clients worldwide. Gaur works with global clients to help them mitigate cybersecurity risks and to address compliance needs, with expertise in Chinese geopolitical risks and data protection compliance. He helps global companies develop and execute strategies related to their business presence in China.
Gaur has expertise in developing and delivering IT and cybersecurity strategies and operating models. His other areas of expertise include cloud computing, data centers, hosting, and enterprise architecture. He conducts board and audit committee cybersecurity presentations and writes on the topic of cybersecurity for the World Economic Forum Agenda.
Gaur has extensive experience serving on non-profit boards and his work reflects a strong commitment to advancing organizational effectiveness and supporting mission-driven initiatives. He has a M.S. in engineering from the University of Oklahoma and NACD Directorship Certification.
Dr. Dawn Tobacco-Two Crow-Frank (Taoyate Winyankapi Win – Her People See Her) is the first female president of Oglala Lakota College (OLC). An enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and an alumnus of OLC, Dawn holds a B.S. in Human Services, a master’s degree in Lakota Leadership and Management from OLC, and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota, in 2010.
Dr. Tobacco-Two Crow-Frank has extensive experience in health administration, having worked with the Oglala Sioux Tribe's Health Administration office and the Indian Health Services. She served as the Project Director of the Teca Aicibleza Pi Kte Program (Youth Understanding Themselves) until 2004, when she was appointed Executive Director of the Oglala Sioux Tribe under Cecelia Fire Thunder's administration.
Dr. Tobacco-Two Crow-Frank has worked with Oglala Lakota College for 19 years. She served as the Director and Chair of the Graduate Studies Program from 2005 to 2013. From 2013-2022 she was the Vice President for Instruction and successfully spearheaded implementing OLC's Institutional Effectiveness plan. She engaged faculty and staff to design, implement, and assess OLC's assessment system, General Education Assessment Framework, Enrollment Management plan, and co-curricular framework for all academic and non-academic programs. She successfully led the college through the Higher Learning Commission accreditation criteria. She continues to ensure that assessment and planning are integral to OLC's mission and vision to meet the needs of the reservation and surrounding communities.
Dr. Tobacco-Two Crow-Frank has served as a board member of community organizations such as Wacante Kiyapi and Tasunke Wakan Okolakiciye and as the Calico Community President and a Wakpamni District Task Force member. She has been a member of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) since 2006, the South Dakota Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (SDEPSCOR), and the Circle of Life Steering Committee through the University of Colorado. She served on the Oglala Sioux Tribe Research and Review Board (OSTRRB) from 2009 to 2014 and was the Oglala Lakota College IRB Chair from 2005 to 2012. Dr. Tobacco-Two Crow-Frank was seated on the Black Hills Treaty Council on September 19, 2012.
About the American Indian College Fund — The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 34 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided $17.4 million in scholarships and other direct student support to American Indian students in 2023-24. Since its founding in 1989, the College Fund has provided more than $319 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 34 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 and is a Charity Navigator four-star charity. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org.
Journalists—The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.
Dina Horwedel American Indian College Fund 303-430-5350 dhorwedel@collegefund.org Colleen R. Billiot American Indian College Fund 720-214-2569 cbilliot@collegefund.org
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