Two words Michelle Simms uses very frequently in conversation about her recent achievement of being elected Vice Chair of the Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments (CMTED) are “empowerment” and “leadership,” and with good reason! This new role, and the journey Simms has taken to get there, has been made possible by an abundance of empowering moments that have inspired the leadership she needed to take on such a responsibility.

CMTED came into Simms’ life the same time working for NHBP did, and the nine years she has spent with both have seen many accomplishments in all the roles she has occupied. For three years she was on the Special Education Advisory Committee for the state of Michigan, where she represented CMTED and collaborated with others on feedback and advice for the state of Michigan regarding the implementation of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Second came her role within CMTED as a representative for Indigenous History in Michigan, during which Simms and her team worked with the Michigan Department of Education to amend Michigan’s Social Studies Standards within the public school system. During that time 50 revisions were proposed to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), and 39 were approved to be incorporated into preexisting educational resources. From there Simms sought more involvement, and at the same time the Vice Chair role opened within CMTED. Shyness initially kept her from seeking the Vice Chair role, but empowerment and leadership won in the end as Simms nominated herself the following year and was appointed the position.

Of course, with progress comes pushback, and Simms expects “status quo-ers” to object to indigenous history program improvements within Social Studies Standards and make any changes to the system harder to achieve, prioritizing their own comfort over the teaching of historical events that can be an unpleasant reality to face. But Simms is adamant that CMTED’s goal is not to point fingers or place blame upon one party in discussions of history. Rather, she sees the opportunity to graciously present stories to educators and students and to share indigenous knowledge and experiences that nurture a collective sense of understanding.

Luckily, Simms does not have to face these challenges alone. CMTED is a team-based effort, and as the team hopefully grows with more impassioned involvement from all twelve Michigan Tribes, the change will begin to outweigh the challenge. “You can accomplish a lot more with more brains and more hearts,” Simms says. “Heart work” and “hard work” go hand in hand, according to Simms, and both are crucial in leading earnest discussions and achieving the end goal of cross-cultural understanding.

Amid all the changes and challenges, Simms stays grateful for her new role as Vice Chair and envisions a bright future ahead. An accomplishment like this truly embodies Simms’ ability to empower and lead. She brings pride to NHBP, and we cannot wait to see what her incredible future with us and CMTED has in store!

 “Without NHBP and CMTED I would not be the confident, empowered leader that I am becoming. I am so thankful to NHBP and CMTED for all of the opportunities I receive to grow in my profession.”

– Michelle Simms