Twyla Beth Baker (born October 4, 1976) is an American Indian (

Hidatsa The Hidatsa ( ) are a Siouan people. They are enrolled in the federally recognized Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. Their language is related to that of the Crow, and they are sometimes considered a pa ...

) academic administrator serving as the seventh president of

Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College is a Public college, public Tribal colleges and universities, tribal Land-grant university, land-grant college in New Town, North Dakota. Chartered by the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, th ...

since 2014. She was previously a Native health researcher focused on

health statistics Medical statistics (also health statistics) deals with applications of statistics to medicine and the health sciences, including epidemiology, public health, forensic medicine, and clinical research. Medical statistics has been a recognized branc ...

and

elder abuse Elder abuse (also called elder mistreatment, senior abuse, abuse in later life, abuse of older adults, abuse of older women, and abuse of older men) is a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where ...

Life

Baker was born on October 4, 1976 in

New Town, North Dakota New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 2,764 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 18th largest city in North Dakota. New Town was platted in 1950 as a replacement site for the residents of Sanish and ...

on the

Fort Berthold Indian Reservation The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation is a U.S. Indian reservation in western North Dakota that is home for the federally recognized Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. The reservation includes lands on ...

. She is an enrolled member of

Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation), also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan language, Mandan: ''Miiti Naamni''; Hidatsa language, Hidatsa: ''Awadi Aguraawi''; Arikara language, Arikara: ''ačitaanu' táWIt''), is a fede ...

. Her parents spoke

but Baker did not learn the language. She attended

(NHS College). She earned a B.S. in environmental geology and technology (2002) and M.S. in education general studies (2005) from the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

(UND). From 2009 to 2013, Baker was the project director of the UND national resource center on Native American aging. In this role, Baker established a database based on surveys of Native elder health statistics on diabetes, suicide, and other health issues. She also worked in tribal data sovereignty and policy. During this time, she completed a Ph.D. in teaching and learning and research methodologies in 2013 from UND. Her dissertation was titled ''Mental health and social engagement among American Indian elders''. Her doctoral advisor was Steven LeMire. The doctoral research led Baker to become the principal investigator of the National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative. In 2013, Baker returned to NHS College as the dean of students at the invitation of Alyce Spotted Bear who was working as the vice president of Indian studies. Six months later, she became its interim president. In October 2014, she was appointed the seventh president of NHS College. In 2020, Baker alongside Prairie Rose Seminole and

Ruth Buffalo Ruth Anna Buffalo is an American people, American politician who served as a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives from the 27th District, from December 1, 2018 to December 1, 2022. She is the first Native American Democratic Party ...

formed a Native American caucus group within the

North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party The North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party (abbreviated Democratic-NPL or simply D-NPL) is the North Dakota affiliate of the national Democratic Party. It was formed by the 1956 merger of the state Democratic Party with the Nonpartis ...

. Baker has seven children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Twyla Living people People from Mountrail County, North Dakota University of North Dakota alumni North Dakota Democrats Hidatsa people 21st-century Native American women Native American women scientists 21st-century Native American scientists Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Women heads of universities and colleges 21st-century American women scientists 1976 births Three Affiliated Tribes people