Rynalea Whiteman Pena is an American politician and tribal leader. She served as a member of the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House In the event that the parti ...

from the 41st district. Elected in November 2020, she assumed office on January 4, 2021.

Early life and education

Whiteman Pena was raised in

Lame Deer, Montana Lame Deer (Meaveʼhoʼeno in Cheyenne) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The community is named after Miniconjou Lakota chief Lame Deer, who was killed by the U.S. Army in 1877 under a flag of truce s ...

. She earned an associate of arts degree in early childhood education from

Chief Dull Knife College Chief Dull Knife College is a public tribal land-grant community college on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Lame Deer, Montana. It is an open-admission college with about 141 students. On average, more than half of its graduates mo ...

Career

Prior to entering politics, Whiteman Pena worked as a transportation manager and tribal president of the

Northern Cheyenne Tribe The Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation () is the federally recognized Northern Cheyenne tribe and a Plains tribe. The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation is reservation located in southeastern Montana, that is a ...

. She was elected to the

in November 2020 and assumed office on January 4, 2021, succeeding Rae Peppers.

References

Living people People from Rosebud County, Montana Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Native American state legislators in Montana Women state legislators in Montana Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Montana Legislature {{Montana-politician-stub