Indianz.Com > News > Harvard University Native American Program names new leader

Harvard University Native American Program names new leader
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Indianz.Com
Kelli Mosteller, a citizen of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, is the new leader of the Harvard University Native American Program, also known as HUNAP, in Massachusetts.
Mosteller comes to HUNAP from the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center in Shawnee, Oklahoma, where she served as executive director. She also worked as her tribe’s historic preservation officer.
“I am excited and honored to join Harvard University as the new executive director of HUNAP,” Mosteller said in a news release on Tuesday. “I believe that Harvard University is uniquely positioned to bring together thought leaders and academic resources to make a significant impact in Indian Country. This opportunity to support students and scholars within the Harvard community and beyond who are dedicated to enacting Indigenous-led research and initiatives in Native communities is an incredible honor.”
Mosteller starts her job on July 11, according to the release. She will report to Joseph P. Gone, HUNAP’s faculty director and professor of anthropology and of global health and social medicine. “Following a nation-wide search, HUNAP is delighted to have recruited Dr. Kelli Mosteller (Citizen Potawatomi) to Harvard to serve as our new executive director,” said Gone. “Kelli’s prior leadership experience across various tribal initiatives has been effective and impressive, and I am thrilled that she will join our team to guide HUNAP toward a more vibrant, visible, and impactful future.” Harvard University’s charter, adopted in 1650, dedicates the school to “the education of English and Indian youth.” Despite the pledge, the first official program for Native students didn’t start until 1970, according to HUNAP’s history page. More recently, HUNAP has adopted a land acknowledgment, following consultations between the program’s faculty advisory board and the Massachusett Tribe in 2019. It reads.We are extremely excited to announce our new executive director Kelli Mosteller (Citizen Potawatomi)!
— Harvard Native (@Harvard_Natives) May 25, 2022
Read the full announcement here:https://t.co/RkUBGqYR6N pic.twitter.com/ecxX3UoWkr
“Harvard University is located on the traditional and ancestral land of the Massachusett, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. We pay respect to the people of the Massachusett Tribe, past and present, and honor the land itself which remains sacred to the Massachusett People.”
HUNAP now reaches over 1,000 Native alumni, according to the program.
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
A ‘cultural gem’ in nation’s capital closes after 87 years of promoting Native art
Native America Calling: Progress and pushback for Native Pride
AUDIO: Budget hearing for Indian Health Service
Native America Calling: Thirty years of Native America Calling
‘These are our lives’: Indian Health Service slated for budget hearing amid new setbacks
Native America Calling: New pressures instill fear in Indigenous immigrants
Native America Calling: Tribes oppose mining projects that threaten habitat, human health, and cultural sites
‘Absolutely unacceptable’: Indian Country hit with major budget cuts
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know this Week (June 2, 2025)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation invests in our safety
Native America Calling: Native Bookshelf with Matthew Fletcher and David Robertson
Native America Calling: The future of SNAP, logging’s effects on food, and Native culinary arts grads on The Menu
Native America Calling: Native storm trackers make the difference when every second counts
‘We will never stop fighting’: Sacred site movement continues amid high-profile setback
VIDEOS: Memorial Day at National Museum of the American Indian
More Headlines
Native America Calling: Progress and pushback for Native Pride
AUDIO: Budget hearing for Indian Health Service
Native America Calling: Thirty years of Native America Calling
‘These are our lives’: Indian Health Service slated for budget hearing amid new setbacks
Native America Calling: New pressures instill fear in Indigenous immigrants
Native America Calling: Tribes oppose mining projects that threaten habitat, human health, and cultural sites
‘Absolutely unacceptable’: Indian Country hit with major budget cuts
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know this Week (June 2, 2025)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation invests in our safety
Native America Calling: Native Bookshelf with Matthew Fletcher and David Robertson
Native America Calling: The future of SNAP, logging’s effects on food, and Native culinary arts grads on The Menu
Native America Calling: Native storm trackers make the difference when every second counts
‘We will never stop fighting’: Sacred site movement continues amid high-profile setback
VIDEOS: Memorial Day at National Museum of the American Indian
More Headlines