Duane Bedell is a Bay Mills Indian Community tribal member who resides in Gnoozhekaaning (the place of the pike), Bay Mills Indian Community, located in Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula.. Duane has worked in tribal communities for more than 20 years. He served as an information technology director for the Intertribal Council of Michigan, an adjunct faculty member for Bay Mills Community College, and a full-time faculty and computer information systems department chair. Bedell also served as Bay Mills Indian Community’s tribal manager for two years before being named by BMCC’s board of regents as Bay Mills Community College’s president and CEO in 2020. While serving tribal communities in various capacities, he also has provided 23 years of service to tribal colleges and education in general.

Duane attended Haskell Indian Junior College in Lawrence, Kansas, in the early '90s, then moved to Michigan in 1998 to complete his studies at Bay Mills Community College. He graduated with an Associate of Applied Science degree in computer information systems. After entering the workforce, Duane continued attending college. In 2013, he earned a bachelor’s degree in information technology and security from Baker College. Duane graduated with a Master of Art in education technology from the University of Michigan-Flint in 2015 and in 2018, he completed an education specialist degree from UM-Flint. In 2020, he earned the status of doctoral candidate in education administration and expects to complete his doctorate in December 2024.

In his spare time, Duane enjoys traveling with his family, fishing, golfing, watching college football, and learning about his culture.