Coquille citizen Bridgett Wheeler named to Oregon board of education

Monday, September 30, 2019  

News from the Coquille Indian Tribe, based in North Bend, Oregon.

Myrtle Point native Bridgett Wheeler has been named to Oregon’s State Board of Education.

Wheeler, who directors cultural and education programs for the Coquille Indian Tribe, was appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) and confirmed by the Oregon Senate on September 18. The four-year appointment will see Wheeler helping to set educational policies and standards for Oregon's 197 public school districts and 20 education service districts.

An enrolled member of the Coquille Indian Tribe, Wheeler has been employed by the tribe for the past 19 years. She spent the first 10 years as a social worker and became Education Director in 2011. She now leads the tribe’s Culture, Education and Learning Services Department.

Wheeler has served on a work group addressing a state board goal of implementing historically accurate, culturally appropriate Native curriculum in every school district. She looks forward to helping local schools prepare for “Tribal History / Shared History,” a curriculum package mandated by 2017’s Senate Bill 13 and scheduled for release next year.