Professor of Education Director, American Indian Leadership Program, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
Nominee: Gerald E. Gipp
John Tippeconnic is a Professor in the Educational Leadership Program and Director of the American Indian Leadership Program at Pennsylvania State University. He was the Director of Education for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in Washington, D.C. Also, he was the Director of the Office of Indian Education in the U.S. Department of Education. He was a Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and Director of the Center for Indian Education at Arizona State University.
Tippeconnic has been a classroom teacher in New Mexico and Arizona and a Vice President of Navajo Community College (now Dine College). He currently serves as the chair of the board for the Comanche Nation College. He has numerous publications including co-editing the book, Next Steps: Research and Practice to Advance Indian Education. His service includes two terms as president of the National Indian Education Association, chair of the American Educational Research Association American Indian Education Special Interest Group, and membership on the boards for the National Center for Family Literacy and the American Association for Higher Education. He has served as a consultant to numerous organizations, including the Native American Rights Fund, National Science Foundation, and the W.K Kellogg Foundation. Tippeconnic’s interests include studies in educational policy, Indian control of education, and educational leadership.
Tippeconnic received his B.S. in Secondary Education from Oklahoma State University and his M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Pennsylvania State University. He is a member of the Comanche Tribe of Oklahoma and is also part Cherokee.
