Zoe Higheagle Strong

Zoë Higheagle Strong, PhD (Nez Perce tribal member) is the Executive Director for Tribal Relations/Special Assistant to the Provost, Director of the Center for Native American Research and Collaboration, and Assistant Professor in Educational Psychology at Washington State University. The Office of Tribal Relations helps facilitate collaborations between WSU (systemwide) and Northwest tribes that honors Native American protocols, knowledge systems, and tribal sovereignty. As sovereign nations, Dr. Higheagle Strong chairs and coordinates the Native American Advisory Board to the President that consists of 12 tribal government officials or delegates of whom WSU has an MOU agreement, and she serves on several other advisory boards and committees to speak on Native American education issues and policies. The Tribal Relations Office also oversees Native American Programs. Native Programs is an umbrella structure that includes: a) early outreach and recruitment of Native American students, b) retention services for undergraduate Native American students, c) the Tribal Nation Building Leadership Program (a courses series for undergraduate Native American students), d) recruitment and support services for Native American graduate students. The Center for Native American Research and Collaboration, also under the Tribal Relations office, represents 60 plus faculty and staff affiliates and host collaborative research meetings. The Center also offers a series of trainings on Indigenous research and tribal consultation. Dr. Higheagle Strong focuses her passion on evaluating and improving programs that serve Native American students and communities and conducts various grant funded projects. Her personal research focuses on social emotional, cognitive, and cultural factors that influence youths’ identity, safety and learning in academic environments. Her overall research goals are 1) to identify positive strategies to support students from diverse and Native American backgrounds who experience perceived threats (e.g., peer aggression/bullying, injustice, racism) and resource barriers in school, and 2) to advance culturally sustaining/revitalizing educational research specific to Native American tribes/villages and peoples.