Finally after more than 11 years working in the local nonprofit sector doing community and program development, she felt prepared to share her skills with the Fond du Lac Band. She says that her gender did not really have an impact on her campaign for tribal chairperson.
“I think my professional background and education overshadowed the gender issues,” she says.
Diver’s governing philosophy encourages personal self-sufficiency for tribal members as the tribe emerges from a long period of dependency on federal and tribal programming. Job training and education are a big part of current tribal services, she notes. The tribe has a strong partnership with the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College; members are provided access to education from birth to the second year of college on or near the reservation; and the tribe has a tribal scholarship fund for postsecondary education.
Diver sees the struggles faced by American Indian women to be much like those faced by all women.
“Women are still playing catch-up in education and still trying to balance family pressures while investing in themselves,” she notes.
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