Deeply passionate about her work, Ms. Miijessepe-Wilson draws upon her heritage's deep knowledge, wisdom and resources to advance conservation efforts, tribal sovereignty, and self-determination.
NORTH KANSAS CITY, MO, January 16, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Charissa Miijessepe-Wilson has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Miijessepe-Wilson is recognized for more than a decade of leadership in tribal affairs, executive decision making and management and culturally informed methodologies. As co-director of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, she oversees the administrative, financial, programmatic and organizational activities for the Coalition, a historic consortium of sovereign tribal nations united in an effort to conserve the Bears Ears cultural landscape. Deeply passionate about her work, Ms. Miijessepe-Wilson draws upon her heritage's deep knowledge, wisdom and resources to advance conservation efforts, tribal sovereignty, and self-determination. She joined the Coalition as the organization's director of operations in 2018.
Growing up on the Kickapoo Reservation in northeast Kansas, Ms. Miijessepe-Wilson's upbringing was not dissimilar to other reservation Natives' lived experiences, witnessing drug and alcohol addiction, experiencing abuse, and many facets of intergenerational trauma. It was not until she began attending primary school off the reservation that she realized how drastically different her surroundings and worldview were from those of her non-Native peers. With this powerful realization and experience, she applied to college, ultimately earning a Bachelor of Arts in cultural anthropology from Wichita State University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Kansas and completing coursework in international relations and affairs at American University.
Adjacent to her work with the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, Ms. Miijessepe-Wilson leads the Washburn University Alumni Association and Foundation's Caleb Wahwasuck Scholarship Memorial Fund as tribute to her late older brother who passed unexpectedly in his youth, and she was a candidate for tribal council of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in 2022. Previously, she held positions as executive management trainee and project coordinator with Norterre Healthy Living Community, management fellow with the city of Topeka, and legislative fellow in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. She has also worked in the restaurant industry as a shift leader and staff trainer for Redrock Canyon Grill and served as head bar trainer for a new restaurant concept, Deano's Grill and Tapworks.
A volunteer within her local community, Ms. Miijessepe-Wilson is active with ReNew Earth Running, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and previously volunteered with ABQ Mutual Aid and Refuel Topeka. She has served as a student advocate for Native communities, a reader for the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund, and meeting coordinator for Dress for Success Wichita.
Among her many career accomplishments, Ms. Miijessepe-Wilson was particularly proud to be a featured speaker at Patagonia's Tools for Grassroots Activists' Conference in 2023. Other speaking engagements in 2023 included an educational speaker at Harvard University in 2023, a presentation at Yale University Co-Management Conference, and presentations to Biodiversity Funders Group and the Wabanaki Advisory Board. Previous speaking engagements have included the keynote at the 2022 Sierra Club Native American Land Rights Gathering and a presentation at the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Social Services Advisory Board First Annual Leadership Conference in 2017. Well regarded for her contributions to the field, she was highlighted on the 2022 Native STEM Enterprises to Watch list by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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