Twyla Baker

Twyla Baker, PhD is an enrolled citizen of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation and resides in New Town, North Dakota. She serves as President of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, where she advances Indigenous higher education grounded in Tribal values and community growth. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Geology and Technology, an M.S. in Education, and a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning/Research Methodology from the University of North Dakota. Her work bridges education, research, leadership, and nation-building. 

Dr. Baker is a Bush Foundation Native Nation Rebuilder and serves on the Executive Committee of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the American Indian College Fund, and the National Indian Education Association. She previously directed the National Resource Center on Native American Aging and co-founded the National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative. 

A published scholar and national voice on Indigenous issues, Dr. Baker has contributed commentary to MSNBC, SiriusXM, Australia’s Seven Network, CNN, and BBC One. She has served as Board Chair of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society and the Native Governance Center, and as Vice Chair of the North Dakota State Historical Society Foundation. She also supports youth development through leadership in her Tribal Nation’s Boys & Girls Club chapter. Grounded in deep Indigenous values and a commitment to stewardship of Tribal homelands, 

Dr. Baker is dedicated to strengthening communities and expanding opportunities for future generations. She is the proud mother of seven children and remains active in community service and her traditional Hidatsa cultural lifeways.