Maggie Dunne

Lakota Children’s Enrichment, Inc. is a for purpose nonprofit that empowers youth on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota through opportunities in the arts, education, sports, leadership and mentorship. Maggie has worked in the Pine Ridge community for over seven years and has built partnerships across the Reservation with schools, community organizations, a Youth Advisory Board and parent volunteers. LCE engages a global VolunTEAM, which participates in projects to support youth on Pine Ridge.

Maggie is a 2013 magna cum laude graduate of Colgate University, where she earned Excellence and Honors in Native American Studies, minored in Religion, and received the University’s highest award for a graduating senior, the Colgate Alumni Corporation’s 1819 award. She also received a Voice of Conscience Award, the Dean’s Award for Community Service, was named a Dana Scholar, a Cobb Scholar and received many other awards.

Maggie recently accepted a position on the Board of Trustees for Colgate University, the institution’s governing board. She is a member of the Leadership Council of Convergence Center for Policy Resolution and is on the Board of New York Chapter of RFK Young Leaders. Maggie is a business Mentor for Colgate University’s Thought into Action Entrepreneurship Institute and previously worked as a grant writer for Pueblo de Cochiti Tribal Council, and as an international research intern in the office of Muhammad Yunus at Grameen Bank in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Maggie has received national awards for her service including: 2016’s List of 30 Under 30 in Education by Forbes Magazine; 2015 American Express Next Generation (NGen) Fellowship from the Independent Sector; 2015 Harlequin Books More Than Words Award; 2014 Ariane de Rothschild Fellowship; 2014 Woman of Achievement Award from Tri-Delta National Sorority; 2014 President’s Call to Service Award from President Barack Obama; 2014 Opportunity Collaboration Cordes Fellowship; the 2012 Grand Prize in Glamour Magazine’s Top Ten College Women; and 2012 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact. In addition, Maggie was named a 2013 Next Generation Leader by the Women in the World Foundation and was twice awarded Critical Language Scholarships from the U.S. Department of State to study Bengali.

Maggie is an advocate for indigenous communities globally and is a frequent public speaker.

Maggie has spoken at: Nexus Global Youth Summits at the United Nations and on Capitol Hill, the Millennium Campus Conference, Colgate University, Cornell College, New York University, Rotary Clubs, religious institutions, and many public and private schools. Speaking topics include: Is the American Dream Dead? Investing in Human Capital; Homelessness in Our Homeland; Confronting Myths and Empowering Truths; Harnessing The Power of Youth and the Power of One; A Call to Action: Obstacles Facing American Indian Communities Today.