MAKE A GIFT

Board Of Directors

Foundation Board of Directors

Victoria Kitcheyan

Victoria “Tori” Kitcheyan was elected Chairwoman of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska in 2020. She was first elected to the Winnebago Tribal Council in 2015. Ms. Kitcheyan is former Chairwoman of the National Indian Health Board based in Washington, DC. She is also former Chairwoman of and currently on the Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She has testified numerous times before the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Haskell University.

Sunshine Thomas-Bear

Education and Employment Background:

  • LPTC Associate’s Degree of Science – Business 2012
  • UNL Bachelor of Science in Education and Human Services 2015
  • LPTC Associate of Arts – Native American Studies 2021
  • Currently taking classes at UNL for a certificate in TESOL, Teaching English as a Second Language and at OU with their Indigenous Law Program – Master’s Degree

Current Employment:

  • THPO (Tribal Historic Preservation Officer), NAGPRA (Native American Graves Repatriation Act) Representative, Cultural Preservation Director and Angel De Cora Museum Director for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska

Winnebago Health System / Winnebago Tribe Affiliation:

  • Hanac Hinikaragiwi! Sunshine Thomas-Bear ga Higaire na. Hocak Nisoc haci eja howawaji na. Huc hikikarac wa’uaje na.
  • I am a Bear Clan member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and a lifelong resident of Winnebago. I have a passion for caring for my people and do my best in my position with the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska to revitalize and hold onto our culture, land, resources and language. I work throughout the community and all areas where our ancestors have been. Collaborating and relationship building as I work in the different areas our ancestors have been. Our health care and the overall health of the tribe and its members is of great importance to me and I take my role seriously to serve my people on the Winnebago Health Foundation Board of Directors.

Rona S

Bio Coming Soon.

Regina Idoate

Education and Employment Background:

  • B.S. in Psychology
  • M.A. in Spanish Language and Culture
  • M.A. in Christian Spirituality
  • Ph. D. in Preventive and Societal Medicine
  • Graduate Certificate in Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology
  • Graduate Minor in Native American Studies

Current Employment:

  • Assistant Professor of Health Promotion

Winnebago Health System / Winnebago Tribe Affiliation:

  • I have no affiliation with the Winnebago Health System, other than the awesome maternal and child health work I get to do with Mona Zuffante and previous work as a program evaluator for the Winnebago Educare.

Pat Hubbard

Education and Employment Background:

  • 35 year career in fund development at UnityPoint St. Luke’s and June E. Nylen Cancer Center.

Current Employment:

  • Retired

Winnebago Health System / Winnebago Tribe Affiliation:

  • I have many friends and a relative that have worked and are currently working for the Winnebago Tribe in some capacity. I respect and appreciate what is being done to help the tribal members and appreciate what they are doing for the entire community.

Amy Encinger

Education and Employment Background:

  • I received my doctoral degree at the University of Nebraska Lincoln in Human Sciences. I have led and worked on a number of evaluation and research projects over the last 10 years, including statewide and national projects. Most of my work has centered on early childhood care and education, with a specific interest in material hardship and parent stress in relation to child outcomes. I joined the Global Center for Health Security (GCHS) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center as a Program Evaluation Specialist for NICS/SHIPC in November 2022. Prior to GCHS, I was an assistant professor in the Department of Education and Child Development at the University of Nebraska Medical Center-Munroe Meyer Institute.

Current Employment:

  • Evaluation Specialist for the Global Center for Health Security at University of Nebraska Medical Center

Winnebago Health System / Winnebago Tribe Affiliation:

  • Former Primary Investigator for Educare Winnebago Evaluation and The Educare Ho-Chunk Early Childhood Revitalization Project funded by the Spencer foundation. Instructor for Community Evaluation Course, a partnership between LPTC and UNMC-MMI, funded by the Preschool Development Grant.

David Edwards

Education and Employment Background:

  • Mr. Edwards holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA, and a Master’s of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration from Seattle University in Seattle, WA.
  • David worked his way through school, eventually achieving an MBA in Healthcare Administration. He served vulnerable people on 3 continents over the last 35 years and is familiar with the challenges and unfairness of life. David has been fortunate to work with outstanding organizations in tribal health, public health, and integrated primary care. In all instances he has sought alignment with enduring great principles as he has helped organizations to align principles, policies, and practices for greater mission accomplishment. In 2022, David authored his first book, “New You, Who Knew”, a guide to help individuals align their lives with the core principles of human success.

Current Employment:

  • As Chief Executive Officer of the Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System (WCHS), Mr. Edwards is responsible for the overall operation and administration of WCHS and its subdivisions. He has served vulnerable populations on 3 continents over the last 35 years and worked in tribal health, public health, and integrated primary care.

Winnebago Health System / Winnebago Tribe Affiliation:

  • In 2022, Mr. Edwards authored his first book, “New You, Who Knew”, a guide to help individuals align their lives with the core principles of human success. As CEO of One Community Health, he helped the organization double in size while strengthening financial results, improving quality to the best in their region, and designing/building the leading integrated primary care center in the nation. Mr. Edwards has distinguished himself and his organizations as creative and inclusive while having helped turn around financially struggling organizations, grown services to meet community needs, and aligning efforts with community partners. Mr. Edwards’ experience spans specialty, tribal, and integrated primary care. He has also served on a broad range of boards and as CEO, COO, and CFO with an inclusive perspective.

Danelle Smith

Education and Employment Background:

  • Danelle J. Smith is a founding Partner with Big Fire Law & Policy Group LLP, a 100% Native-owned, majority women-owned, law firm dedicated to the representation of American Indian tribes and organizations throughout the United States.  Ms. Smith has spent her career advocating and working on behalf of Tribes and tribal interests.  She has extensive experience in a broad range of policy, governance, administrative, business, financing, and economic development matters. From 2018-2022, Ms. Smith also served as the first Chief Executive Officer of the newly established Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System (WCHS), a subdivision of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.  The WCHS manages all the Tribe’s health programs, including the Twelve Clans Unity Hospital and the Winnebago Public Health Department. In 2018, WCHS assumed operational responsibility for the federal Indian Health Service (IHS) hospital located in Winnebago.  Prior to the assumption, Ms. Smith was instrumental in the Tribe’s Self-governance Steering Committee, which was created to carry out planning and implementation activities necessary for the Tribe to assume management of the hospital under the P.L. 93-938 Indian Self-determination and Education Assistance Act.

Current Employment:

  • Ms. Smith has received numerous awards for her work including the Nebraska Appleseed’s Good Apple Roots of Justice Award (2021), the National Indian Health Board’s Local Impact Award (2020), and the Wayne State College School of Business & Technology Outstanding Alumni Award (2017).  Ms. Smith is also a lifetime member of the Nebraska State Bar Foundation Fellows Program, was previously selected as a “Native American 40 under 40” award recipient by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) and is an alumnus of the Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO) Ambassadors Program. Ms. Smith has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in human resource management from Wayne State College in Nebraska and a juris doctorate degree from the University of Iowa School of Law. Ms. Smith is also active in community and non-profit organizations, currently serving on the Boards of Directors for the Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation, Winnebago Health Foundation, Nebraska State Bar Foundation, and the Nebraska Appleseed. 

Winnebago Health System / Winnebago Tribe Affiliation:

  • She is a member of the Winnebago Tribe.

David Bernstein

Officer and co-owner of State Steel Supply Company, a group of 6steel service centers operating in the Upper Midwest. Officer of Sioux City Compressed Steel and TJN Enterprises, a group of 8 scrap recycling facilities operating in the Upper Midwest. Founder, Saturday in the Park Festival. Vice President, Orpheum Theatre Preservation Project.