Mandy Smoker Broaddus

HELENA, MT (Friday, February 19, 2016) – The Office of Public Instruction's Indian Education Director Mandy Smoker Broaddus has been named to President Barack Obama's National Advisory Council on Indian Education, the White House announced late Friday.

The 15-member council is appointed by the President and works as an advisory group to the U.S. Secretary of Education.

"It's an honor to be selected to serve on the National Advisory Council on Indian Education," Broaddus said. "I look forward to highlighting the great work being done across our state, and to be among a group of education leaders shaping the future of Indian Education in America."

Broaddus was recently named the National Indian Education Association's Educator of the Year. Broaddus has worked at the Office of Public Instruction since 2005. She is also an accomplished poet and a member of the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation. Broaddus holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Montana, and a bachelor's degree from Pepperdine University.

"Mandy is a leader in education and works each day to make sure all Montana students are given the opportunity to succeed," Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau said. "Thanks to Mandy's leadership and vision, Montana is at the forefront of providing a culturally-relevant education to all students. Her work is why Montana can boast a one-third decline in the American Indian student dropout rate and a narrowing of the achievement gap."

Read the announcement from the White House, here.