Dr. Michael Munson received a beaded sash from Sandra Boham that was made by Tony Earthboy for former SKC President Robert Depoe III.
PABLO — Dr. Michael Munson’s journey to SKC’s presidency emerges from a deep commitment to Indigenous education and community-driven leadership. She credits her education and teachers for instilling strong values rooted in culture, language, and community.
Growing up in Missoula, Dr. Munson’s path to cultural understanding was paved through education and relationship-building. Receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Montana and a doctoral degree through the Indian Leadership Education and Development (I LEAD) program at Montana State University paved the way towards becoming the SKC President.
In 2015, she completed her practicum experience at SKC under then-Vice President Sandra Boham and was also adjunct teaching in the Native American Studies department.
“My education background has always been focused on improving education for and with our people, as determined by our people, and with an effort to increase understanding and decrease bias,” said Munson.
It was through her master’s work where she felt that she had the opportunity to reconnect with her community. The relationships she built with the late Tony Incashola, Pat Pierre, Dolly Linsebigler, and Louie Adams during her master’s program led to her doctoral work which focused on traditional education practices. Exploring what education looked like traditionally and how it evolved for younger generations gave insight to possibilities for the future.
“It also gave me a framework for working in the work that I get to do. Values and our stories became the foundation of everything that our education is to me and that pretty much guides what I do.”
This philosophy now guides her vision for the college. Doing meaningful work to revitalize culture and language through higher education, partnerships, and community input laid the foundation for Dr. Munson.
Initially hesitant to leadership roles, she was repeatedly encouraged by others to step forward first as the Dean of Native American Studies, then as Vice President of Academic Affairs and serving as the interim President.
“I have this tendency… I don’t usually want to move up into the next leadership position,” Munson shared, revealing her humble approach. “Then eventually, if enough people are like hey we really need you to do this. Culturally, you can’t say no forever. You got to do it.”
While serving as interim President at SKC, things weren’t lining up. Munson left SKC to work for Washington State University to cultivate her other passion for developing leaders for tribes and tribal colleges. Stepping away from SKC temporarily gave her time to think and listen to her heart.
“I kept thinking what am I doing? I was leading the college and I’m really worried about SKC especially because of federal dynamics and what was going on federally. My heart was really here and so again, enough people reached out and said please reapply.”
The presidential selection process was transformative and she relied on prayer to prepare for the interviews and presentations to the SKC Board of Directors. She felt blessed with divine intervention as she suddenly knew the words she wanted to speak during the interview process.
After she was selected as the new President, she felt she was where she needed to be and felt gratitude. “I’m so thankful for that, because I get to be back with students and our community and be of service.”
Looking forward, Munson’s strategy combines cultural preservation with institutional sustainability. “We’re taking a hard look at how we’ve been doing things and how we should be doing things,” she stated. Her immediate priorities include: financial sustainability, cultural revitalization, and community engagement.
Her leadership approach reflects traditional Indigenous decision-making: collaborative, patient, and community-centered. “When you have people who agree to move forward together, it turns out better,” she said.