TSAILE, Ariz. – Diné College Board of Regents announced today the finalists for the presidency of the College following an extensive two month nationwide search to fill this important leadership post in the Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) world.  Three finalists were selected by a seven-member Presidential Search Committee comprised of representatives from the College’s Board of Regents, faculty, staff, student body—and from the community.  The finalists are:  

• Dr. LeManuel Bitsóí:  Dr. Bitsóí is the Director of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at Rush University Medical Center, where he also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the College of Health Sciences and the College of Nursing.  Prior to joining Rush University Medical Center, Dr. Bitsóí was a research associate at Harvard University where his research interests included examining the ethical, legal and social implications of genetic/genomic research within Native American communities.  Dr. Bitsóí graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Science degree and went on to receive a Master of Education from Harvard University.  He also earned a Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.

•  Dr. Monty Roessel:  Dr. Roessel is the former Director of the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). Prior to becoming Director, Dr. Roessel was the Bureau’s Associate Deputy Director for Navajo Schools, where he was responsible for overseeing 66 BIE-funded schools on the Navajo Nation reservation in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.  Dr. Roessel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Photo-Communication/Industrial Arts from the University of Northern Colorado-Greeley, a Master of Arts degree in Journalism from Prescott College and a Doctorate of Education degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Arizona State University in Tempe.

•  Dr. Henry Fowler:  Dr. Henry Fowler is the Interim Provost at Diné College.   Dr. Fowler came to Diné College as a math teacher and is a co-founder of the Navajo Math Circles project—a successful method to teach math to students on the Navajo Nation.  Dr. Fowler graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Math Education and went on to earn a Doctorate of Education in Education Leadership & Change from Fielding Graduate University. 

The President of the Diné College Board of Regents, Greg Bigman, said “The quality of the candidates speaks volumes about Diné College. We had many inquiries about the future President of our College, so the board is taking all measures possible to ensure we select the candidate who makes the best “fit” with the institution.  I am grateful for the many applicants because the Search Committee had a wide array of high quality candidates to recommend to the board.”

The final candidates will visit Diné College’s campuses in late October. The visits will enable them to meet with each of the College’s constituencies.  Open forums will be held so that all members of the Diné College community can come together and get to know the candidates better. The Board of Regents and the Presidential Search Committee encourages your participation. More detailed information about each of these visits (schedules, logistics, etc.) will be provided on the Presidential Search  page.