Wayne Ducheneaux
Native Governance Center
Eagle Butte, SD USA
"It’s okay to be different and it’s okay to be wrong."
Career Roadmap
Wayne's work combines: Government, Non-Profit Organizations, and Working with Others
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I used to feel like I was an outsider in my community because I didn't grow up speaking the language or practicing our cultural traditions. It created a sense of imposter syndrome. I've since learned that it's okay to feel and be different. Even if you feel different, you're exactly who you're meant to be.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
I grew up on the plains of South Dakota.
2.
I went to college to pursue political science and government but left and came home to run my family’s ranch when my brother got elected to the Tribe’s Tribal Council.
3.
I spent eight years running my family’s ranch, stewarding the land and animals.
4.
After that, I got a job running my Tribe’s, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, hotel enterprise.
5.
I worked as my Tribe’s administrative officer, where I was in charge of the Tribe’s 70 programs.
6.
I was eventually elected to serve on my Tribe’s Tribal Council—I served two years as the vice-chairman and then three years as a Tribal Council representative.
7.
I decided to run for Tribal Chairman but unfortunately lost. However, my name came up to serve as the executive director for the new Native Governance Center.
8.
I’ve been working as the executive director for the Native Governance Center for the past seven years now, since the center’s inauguration.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I feel like an outsider. I don't fit in.
How I responded:
I used to feel like I was an outsider in my community because I didn't grow up speaking the language or practicing our cultural traditions. It created a sense of imposter syndrome. I've since learned that it's okay to feel and be different. Even if you feel different, you're exactly who you're meant to be.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I left college to help run my family's ranch. While not having a degree set me behind a lot of my peers, I've relied on hard work and life-long learning to get me to where I am today.