Shelly Dreadfulwater

Shelly is a citizen of The Cherokee Nation and lifelong resident of Cherokee County, Oklahoma. Shelly comes to AISES with a wealth of knowledge, having worked in the Higher Education field for the past 20 years where she assisted thousands of students meet their educational goals. Her role in Higher Education began at Northeastern State University as a student financial counselor and prior to leaving the University Shelly directed the Native American Support Center (NASNTI Grant) on campus. She considers her time at the Native American Support Center a highlight of her career, under her leadership her team was able to build a lifelong community of peer-to-peer mentorship among those students served.

 In 2021, Shelly was recruited by her tribe to develop a holistic student support services center. While serving the Cherokee Nation Education Dept. she assisted regional colleges and universities strengthen their Native American Support systems for Native students. Many of her efforts within the tribe were focused on developing impactful and culturally sustaining programming. As a grant writer, with a 100% award rate she also sought out supplemental funding sources for Cherokee Nations Education department to assist in building capacity, strengthening resources, and increasing opportunity for Cherokee students. Shelly has sat on many panels over the years regarding the attainment and retention of Native American students within Higher Education as well as presented at numerous gatherings, she also served as an active board member for the Oklahoma Council for Indian Education from 2019 to 2022.

Shelly joins AISES to strengthen and advance partnerships in STEM with Tribal Colleges and Native Serving Institutions. She stands firm in her commitment to ensure Indigenous students have increased opportunities for growth and leadership development within STEM fields.

In her free time, she is an artist who loves to create out of natural products such as wood, leather, reed, clay, and textiles. Shelly loves gathering and laughing with her amazing family, which includes friends and former students. She is the proud mother of two amazing adult children (Kas and Tay) and has the keenest, most beautiful granddaughter (Ryleigh).