Meet Our Staff

Kristy Pourier was born in Pine Ridge, SD and raised in Kyle, SD. Her husband’s name is Jeremy Pourier and they have four children together: DeShane (21), DeShawn (19), DeOntae (14), and DeJuan (12) and one step daughter Randee Jo (31). She went to school at Little Wound. She has worked in retail for the majority of her professional career and is excited to be the Cook at the Lakota Montessori here at Thunder Valley.

Wakinyan Luta is an Education Technician/Language Learner at Thunder Valley CDC. Wakinyan graduated from Red Cloud High School, and is currently pursuing his K-12 Lakota Studies degree from Oglala Lakota College.

Wakinyan has been working with the Lakota people for the past 5 years. Working in the childcare field, he helped develop a S.T.E.A.M classroom for toddlers on the reservation. Wakinyan has also worked as an alcohol and drug abuse counselor, using cultural psychiatry to help clients. Wakinyan is also a certified Fatherhood and Motherhood is Sacred facilitator, Generation Red Road facilitator, and Positive Indian Parenting facilitator.

Contact Wakinyan

Naomi Last Horse-Black Elk, “Waste Walakapi Win” Oglala Lakota, homegrown on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in a small community known as Pejuta Haka Oyanke. Naomi is a K-12 Lakota Studies Educator and is currently the Kindergarten-First Grade Lakota Immersion Teacher with Iyapi Glukinipi-Thunder Valley CDC. She is certified to teach in the state of South Dakota and will be teaching at Pine Ridge School in an Immersion setting. When asking Naomi about the language through liberation she replies with, “I became an educator to inspire, promote and contribute to the seventh generation, through language, culture and values. I promote indigenous education through speaking always, listening always and encouraging always to our young ones to learn our language whenever and wherever, the goal is to never stop.”

Martha Elizabeth American Horse was born in Pine Ridge, SD and raised in Wounded Knee with ties to Porcupine and American Horse creek. She is a mother of 7 children and the grandmother of 9, 1 granddaughter and 8 grandsons. Martha is very close with her father Dave American Horse, 87, who lives in Pine Ridge at the Veterans Shelter. Martha has 11 years experience working with USPS. Upon being recruited as a member of the Thunder Valley CDC team in 2017 she enjoys the work and spending time with the children.

Contact Martha

Ashley Woodard/Ta Cannunpa Luta Win, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe was raised on the Pine Ridge reservation and Rapid City, SD. She currently resides in Porcupine, SD in the community of Knife Chief with her spouse and their seven beautiful children. Ashley has six years experience in the field of education and is currently pursuing her Bachelor degree in Early Childhood Education at Oglala Lakota College. Ashley is a Language learner/provider at the Thunder Valley Montessori site. She has a passion for her Lakota culture, language, the wakanyeja and oyate. Ashley is committed to bettering her community through culture and education. She believes in putting the children first, for they are our future.

Contact Ashley

Anpetu waste, Lakol Chaze Wakiyan Awankapi Win na wasicu iya Jordan Carlow emaciyapi ksto. Good day, my name is Thunder Watches Over Her and my English name is Jordan Carlow. I come from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. My parents are Mike Carlow Jr. and Stephanie Red paint. I have two older brothers and a younger sister. I have 4 nephews and 5 nieces from my brothers. I am the current Miss Oglala Lakota Nation, and I recently got my Montessori 0-6 training certificate from the Montessori Center of Minnesota.

Contact Jordan

Emily Charging Crow-Nelson was born in Rapid City, South Dakota. She is an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe. Her mother is Michele Means and her father is Floyd Charging Crow. Her maternal grandparents are Russell Means and Betty Sinquah. Emily’s paternal grandparents are James Charging Crow and Eleanor Comes Out Holy. Emily grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation in Kyle, South Dakota. She is currently living in Slim Buttes, South Dakota in the Red Cloud community. Emily is married to Dallas Nelson and they have four wonderful children. Emily is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education at Black Hills State University. She is currently a Montessori Guide/ & Language learner at the Payabya Montessori site. She enjoys being in the children’s house and guiding them in their work.

Katherine E. Hunter was born in Pine Ridge, SD on August 26th, 1986. She grew up in the small town of Martin, SD and graduated from Bennett County High School. She continued her education at South Dakota State University and obtained her bachelor’s degree in the college of family and consumer sciences. She then married her husband, Derek Hunter on June 12th, 2010. They moved to Kyle, SD and started their family. Derek and Katie have four daughters: Kaia (9), Deim (7), Karson (4), Dusti (1). Katherine worked for five years at Lakota Waldorf School as the Donor Relations Associate and Office Assistant. In July of 2021 she joined the Thunder Valley team as the Montessori Manager.

Contact Katie

Shawnta’ Jones, was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. She is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Shawnta’ graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder in Sociology with double minors in Ethnic Studies and Education. She has recently completed the Master’s of Science in Education Program at Johns Hopkins University, and has returned home back to Thunder Valley after teaching 9th grade Social Studies on the Leeward coast of Oahu, Hawai’i. Shawnta’ is excited to be working alongside the Thunder Valley CDC team and has a deep commitment to creating systemic change for our community by supporting our youth in retracing their ancestry, relearning their history, and reclaiming their Lakȟóta language and lifeways.

Contact Shawnta’

Dallas Nelson is a citizen of the Oglála Lakȟóta Nation. He was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation. His wife Emily Charging Crow-Nelson and him have four children and reside within the Red Cloud Community near Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He holds a Bachelors in both Sociology and American Indian Studies from Black Hills State University along with a Masters in Lakota Leadership & Management at Oglala Lakota College. He is an advocate for Indigenous Education, Language & Lifeways Reclamation, and the ongoing movement to create systemic change within all Indigenous Communities.

Contact Dallas

Verine S. White (English name) Tasina Wastewin (Lakota Name Her Pretty Shawl Woman). Member of the Oglala SiouxTribe From the Wakpamni District. Verine is Director of Curriculum Development for the Lakota Language Initiative. Verine has a Bachelor of Science In Elementary Education Degree and a Master Science In Education Degree. Her first language is Lakota and English is her second. She has many philosophies about the Lakota, but the Lakota Language is the main one as it is a sacred language.

Contact Verine

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Kristy Pourier was born in Pine Ridge, SD and raised in Kyle, SD. Her husband’s name is Jeremy Pourier and they have four children together: DeShane (21), DeShawn (19), DeOntae (14), and DeJuan (12) and one step daughter Randee Jo (31). She went to school at Little Wound. She has worked in retail for the majority of her professional career and is excited to be the Cook at the Lakota Montessori here at Thunder Valley.

Wakinyan Luta is an Education Technician/Language Learner at Thunder Valley CDC. Wakinyan graduated from Red Cloud High School, and is currently pursuing his K-12 Lakota Studies degree from Oglala Lakota College.

Wakinyan has been working with the Lakota people for the past 5 years. Working in the childcare field, he helped develop a S.T.E.A.M classroom for toddlers on the reservation. Wakinyan has also worked as an alcohol and drug abuse counselor, using cultural psychiatry to help clients. Wakinyan is also a certified Fatherhood and Motherhood is Sacred facilitator, Generation Red Road facilitator, and Positive Indian Parenting facilitator.

Contact Wakinyan

Naomi Last Horse-Black Elk, “Waste Walakapi Win” Oglala Lakota, homegrown on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in a small community known as Pejuta Haka Oyanke. Naomi is a K-12 Lakota Studies Educator and is currently the Kindergarten-First Grade Lakota Immersion Teacher with Iyapi Glukinipi-Thunder Valley CDC. She is certified to teach in the state of South Dakota and will be teaching at Pine Ridge School in an Immersion setting. When asking Naomi about the language through liberation she replies with, “I became an educator to inspire, promote and contribute to the seventh generation, through language, culture and values. I promote indigenous education through speaking always, listening always and encouraging always to our young ones to learn our language whenever and wherever, the goal is to never stop.”

Martha Elizabeth American Horse was born in Pine Ridge, SD and raised in Wounded Knee with ties to Porcupine and American Horse creek. She is a mother of 7 children and the grandmother of 9, 1 granddaughter and 8 grandsons. Martha is very close with her father Dave American Horse, 87, who lives in Pine Ridge at the Veterans Shelter. Martha has 11 years experience working with USPS. Upon being recruited as a member of the Thunder Valley CDC team in 2017 she enjoys the work and spending time with the children.

Contact Martha

Ashley Woodard/Ta Cannunpa Luta Win, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe was raised on the Pine Ridge reservation and Rapid City, SD. She currently resides in Porcupine, SD in the community of Knife Chief with her spouse and their seven beautiful children. Ashley has six years experience in the field of education and is currently pursuing her Bachelor degree in Early Childhood Education at Oglala Lakota College. Ashley is a Language learner/provider at the Thunder Valley Montessori site. She has a passion for her Lakota culture, language, the wakanyeja and oyate. Ashley is committed to bettering her community through culture and education. She believes in putting the children first, for they are our future.

Contact Ashley

Anpetu waste, Lakol Chaze Wakiyan Awankapi Win na wasicu iya Jordan Carlow emaciyapi ksto. Good day, my name is Thunder Watches Over Her and my English name is Jordan Carlow. I come from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. My parents are Mike Carlow Jr. and Stephanie Red paint. I have two older brothers and a younger sister. I have 4 nephews and 5 nieces from my brothers. I am the current Miss Oglala Lakota Nation, and I recently got my Montessori 0-6 training certificate from the Montessori Center of Minnesota.

Contact Jordan

Emily Charging Crow-Nelson was born in Rapid City, South Dakota. She is an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe. Her mother is Michele Means and her father is Floyd Charging Crow. Her maternal grandparents are Russell Means and Betty Sinquah. Emily’s paternal grandparents are James Charging Crow and Eleanor Comes Out Holy. Emily grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation in Kyle, South Dakota. She is currently living in Slim Buttes, South Dakota in the Red Cloud community. Emily is married to Dallas Nelson and they have four wonderful children. Emily is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education at Black Hills State University. She is currently a Montessori Guide/ & Language learner at the Payabya Montessori site. She enjoys being in the children’s house and guiding them in their work.

Katherine E. Hunter was born in Pine Ridge, SD on August 26th, 1986. She grew up in the small town of Martin, SD and graduated from Bennett County High School. She continued her education at South Dakota State University and obtained her bachelor’s degree in the college of family and consumer sciences. She then married her husband, Derek Hunter on June 12th, 2010. They moved to Kyle, SD and started their family. Derek and Katie have four daughters: Kaia (9), Deim (7), Karson (4), Dusti (1). Katherine worked for five years at Lakota Waldorf School as the Donor Relations Associate and Office Assistant. In July of 2021 she joined the Thunder Valley team as the Montessori Manager.

Contact Katie

Shawnta’ Jones, was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. She is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Shawnta’ graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder in Sociology with double minors in Ethnic Studies and Education. She has recently completed the Master’s of Science in Education Program at Johns Hopkins University, and has returned home back to Thunder Valley after teaching 9th grade Social Studies on the Leeward coast of Oahu, Hawai’i. Shawnta’ is excited to be working alongside the Thunder Valley CDC team and has a deep commitment to creating systemic change for our community by supporting our youth in retracing their ancestry, relearning their history, and reclaiming their Lakȟóta language and lifeways.

Contact Shawnta’

Dallas Nelson is a citizen of the Oglála Lakȟóta Nation. He was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation. His wife Emily Charging Crow-Nelson and him have four children and reside within the Red Cloud Community near Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He holds a Bachelors in both Sociology and American Indian Studies from Black Hills State University along with a Masters in Lakota Leadership & Management at Oglala Lakota College. He is an advocate for Indigenous Education, Language & Lifeways Reclamation, and the ongoing movement to create systemic change within all Indigenous Communities.

Contact Dallas

Verine S. White (English name) Tasina Wastewin (Lakota Name Her Pretty Shawl Woman). Member of the Oglala SiouxTribe From the Wakpamni District. Verine is Director of Curriculum Development for the Lakota Language Initiative. Verine has a Bachelor of Science In Elementary Education Degree and a Master Science In Education Degree. Her first language is Lakota and English is her second. She has many philosophies about the Lakota, but the Lakota Language is the main one as it is a sacred language.

Contact Verine

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