American Indian Leaders of Distinction: Amber Finley

Amber Finley Executive Director, Northstar Council B.S., Fisheries & Wildlife Biology, 2006, University of North Dakota M.S., Environmental Management, 2008, University of San Francisco Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation Prairie Chicken Clan Amber Finley is an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation, and is also Spirit Lake Dakota and Standing Rock Lakota on her maternal grandmother’s side. Although she was raised in California, her home is Mandaree, located on the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota. Amber was a two-time graduate of Fort Berthold Community College before receiving her Bachelor of Science in Fisheries & Wildlife Biology from UND in 2006. In 2008, she earned her Master of Science in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco. Amber is a Gates Millennium Scholar alum, a lifetime Sequoyah member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and serves as a mentor for several diversity-based organizations After returning to Grand Forks, Amber worked with other members of the American Indian community, exploring avenues for cultural awareness, development, and expression. In 2010, the group established Northstar Council, an organization with the mission of empowering indigenous people through research, education, and outreach. Finley is the Executive Director of Northstar Council.https://commons.und.edu/lam-amhr/1001/thumbnail.jp