We are honored to announce a final keynote speaker to our virtual conference lineup this year, former Superintendent of Public Instruction for Montana, Denise Juneau. Join Denise, MNA, and leaders from across the state as we resolve to recognize and honor the diversity in Montana.
Superintendent Denise Juneau has championed equitable access to education throughout her career. An enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa tribes, she grew up on the Blackfeet Indian reservation. She has worked in classrooms, state agencies, and in law; and in 2008, she became the first American Indian woman to be elected to a statewide office, when she became the Superintendent of Public Instruction in the state of Montana.
After graduating from Browning High School, Denise received her bachelor’s degree in English from Montana State University. She continued her education and earned a master’s in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Learning how closely tied public education and social justice were, and after teaching and working at the state education agency, Denise set her sights on a legal education and received her juris doctorate from the University of Montana School of Law.
Denise has continually brought schools, business leaders, community members, students, and families together to work toward a common goal – that every student graduate from high school ready to succeed. Throughout her career Denise has valued student-centered decision making and acted on her belief that great things can happen in public education when they are steeped in community.
