Superintendent Juneau announces key new staff

Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau (left) selected Mandy Smoker Broaddus to be the Director of Indian Education in the Office of Public Instruction. (courtesy photo)

HELENA — Today, Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau announced the selection of Mandy Smoker Broaddus to the position of Director of Indian Education in the Office of Public Instruction.

The Indian Education Division provides support, resources and services for the implementation of Indian Education for All and for increasing academic achievement of American Indian students in Montana.

Smoker Broaddus belongs to the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation in northeastern Montana.

On the selection of Mandy Smoker Broaddus, Superintendent Juneau said, “Mandy brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will serve the people of Montana well. She shares my commitment to making sure Montana’s public schools classrooms meet the needs of all Montana kids.”

Prior to her hiring, Smoker Broaddus served the Office of Public Instruction in the Indian Education Division as the Indian Student Achievement Specialist. She has worked at OPI for four years in this capacity and her focus has been on closing the achievement gap that exists in Montana through the effective use of data and research, identifying promising practices and programs, and providing numerous professional development presentations to educators in the field. She was formerly an administrator for three years for the Frazer School District and has taught courses at Fort Peck Community College and the University of Montana.

Mandy holds an MFA from the University of Montana in Missoula, where she was the recipient of the Richard Hugo Fellowship. She is also a graduate of Pepperdine University, and attended UCLA and the University of Colorado.

She has also published one collection of poems entitled Another Attempt at Rescue, published by Hanging Loose Press in the spring of 2005 and is the co-editor of I Go to the Ruined Place, an anthology of human rights poetry set to be published in November.
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