Kalle Benallie
ICT
LAS VEGAS — The Native American 40 Under 40 ceremony brought numerous Indigenous leaders in their fields to celebrate their accomplishments at the Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
The award is given to 40 emerging American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian leaders who have “demonstrated leadership, initiative and dedication and made significant contributions in business and/or in their community.”
“The 2023 Native American 40 Under 40 awardees showcase the hard work, perseverance, and dedication that have come to define this prestigious award,” Chris James, president and CEO of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, said. “This year’s class includes leaders in a variety of fields from across the country, showcasing the depth and breadth of the current generation of Native leaders. They are truly making a difference in every aspect of American life.”
The award first started in 2009. This year’s awardees range from Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren and activist and model Quannah Rose Chasinghorse, Hän Gwich’in and Sicangu-Oglala Lakota.
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Nikki Santos, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, an executive director at the Center for Native American Youth, said she was proud to see who she was nominated alongside.
“Being a young professional, especially working in D.C., comes with a lot of armor that I have to put on everyday — strong imposter syndrome that I have to navigate and to an extent this recognition serves as validation and means more because it’s coming from our people,” Santos said.
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She’s been working with the Center for Native American Youth for five years, starting as a program manager, to associate director, to acting director then eventually executive director for nearly three years.
She describes she initially didn’t feel she deserved the award and how her imposter syndrome is hard to describe. It’s a feeling that can come in the form of silence, anxiety and can be debilitating enough where she can’t show up somewhere physically.
“It’s a voice inside of me that says ‘maybe I’m not worthy to be in this space,’ to a certain extent I believe it’s my own self and to another extent it’s a perception that I believe people see of me. How I navigate it is through a lot of prayer, a lot of grounding and centering myself, calling my mom, sister and family back home,” she said.
Ultimately, Santos sees the award as a reminder that she’s on the right path and the work that she’s doing.
Krystalyn Kinsel, Navajo, an associate at Jenner & Block, also feels that she’s in very good company with the other recipients and is honored to be in the group. Two other employees from Jenner & Block are also recipients of the Native American 40 under 40 Award, Craig Williams, Mississippi Choctaw and Leonard Powell, Hopland Band of Pomo Indians.
“I’m fortunate that I actually know quite a few folks. I’ve been working in Indian Country for a little while now. I consider a lot of the other awardees good friends, I’ve always been impressed with the work they’ve done,” she said.
Kinsel said the ceremonies and receptions like the 40 under 40, allow the opportunity to see a lot of friends and other people from Indian Country.
“It’s like a big reunion. These types of things are a lot of fun,” she said.
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