Courageous Conversations: "Support and Advocacy with Native American and Indigenous Populations"

Join the College of Social Work for a virtual panel on "Support and Advocacy with Native American and Indigenous Populations" on November 13th from 1:30 to 2:30 pm (EST) to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. Speakers include FSU alumna and social worker Dr. Melita "Chepa" Rank, Shannon Smith and Shana King from the Indian Child Welfare Act Law Center, and Michael Huesca of Paternal Opportunities Programs and Services. This event is a part of the Courageous Conversations event series, which explores social issues through discussions with FSU alumni.

Register at: fla.st/I1T1CU8I (Registration required.)

Panelists:

Dr. Melita “Chepa” Rank (FSU - MSW '07), a member of the Hunkpati Dakota Tribe, is a dedicated social worker whose mission centers around holistic wellness and well-being within Tribal and Indigenous communities. Her work is driven by innovative practices aimed at tackling the significant challenges faced by our Tribal communities knowing Tribal and Indigenous people are a vital resource and asset.  Recognizing the alarming rates of suicide in Indigenous nations, Dr. Rank works tirelessly on suicide prevention initiatives, providing support, resources, and hope.  Within Tribal nations, Dr. Rank advocates for services centered on physical, mental, and spiritual well-being that fosters a culture of overall wellness. A cornerstone value she holds at the forefront is utilizing a collective impact approach to improve health and utilization of data for programmatic decision-making. Dr. Rank is a Mental Health First Aid National Trainer and is a certified trainer in Adverse Childhood Experiences along with various other prevention-based programs. She earned her doctoral degree in social work from the University of Southern California, her MSW ('07) from Florida State University, BSW from the University of Kansas and an associate's degree of arts from Haskell Indian Junior College.

Shannon Smith has served as the executive director of the Indian Child Welfare Act Law Center  (ICWA) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, since 2004 and has worked with the center in various capacities since 1996. She has more than two decades of experience working in the field of Indian child welfare. Ms. Smith has provided direct legal representation to hundreds of families impacted by the child protection system in state and tribal courts. She has also provided ICWA training to local and national audiences. She earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota.

Shana King is a community outreach advocate and parent mentor at the Indian Child Welfare Act Law Center where she provides support to American Indian families affected by the child protection system. Ms. Smith provides peer-to-peer support to Native American families involved in child protection in Minnesota and shares her personal experiences with the child welfare system across the United States to bring change and allow stakeholders to hear a personal perspective. She is a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation and is a citizen of North Dakota’s Fort Berthold Reservation living in Minnesota. Shana is actively involved in her community as a board member for Minnesota One Stop for Families and is a member of the Families as Partners Program for Children’s Hospital, which mentors families with children with special needs. 

Michael Huesca, is chief executive officer of Paternal Opportunities, Programs and Services, San Diego, California and is Indigenous Mexican-American. Mr. Huesca is a single father who resides in San Diego, California, and raised three children on his own. He is a well-recognized father advocate in San Diego, throughout California, and nationally. He is the chair of the board of directors of Paternal Opportunities Programs and Services (POPS), an advocacy organization that supports fathers and families. He served as the Tribal Administrator for two years with the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel in San Diego County. He is currently serving as the lead lobbyist consultant for the tribe. A state expert in dealing with male victims of domestic violence, Michael has been an active member of the San Diego Domestic Violence Council.  He serves on the Executive Committee, Design Team, and Steering Committee for the Thriving Families Safer Children Initiative, which is a national partnership of the Administration for Children and Families Children’s Bureau, Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Prevent Child Abuse America.