Ruth BlackHawk

Ruth BlackHawk Cameron’s long career in the field of education began at Northern Illinois University in the 1980s and continued through a 20+ year track at the University of Colorado (CU) in Boulder, Colorado.  Ruth has a bachelor’s degree in Applied Anthropology with an emphasis in American Indian Education and a master’s degree in Education.  Her graduate studies focused on bilingual education (English to Lakota) and included best practices in education for Native students.  Ruth along with her sister, Violet Catches, have worked on developing curriculum for Lakota youth to learn their language.

Ruth’s professional and personal passion is to help native communities, especially in the area of providing a strong and solid education for Native youth.  She strongly believes that education is the key that opens the door to innumerable opportunities. “The youth are our future, and we must provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary to be the strong leaders of our nations.”  Her work at AISES helps her do just that.