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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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2024-01-01 |
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| Name | Benny Shendo, Jr. |
| Address | 027 Pumpkin St
Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
Unknown
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Modifed | BrentinCO
Mar 13, 2024 02:31pm |
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| Info | Benny Shendo, Jr., (43), was born at his family home in Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico. His father, Benny Shendo Sr., a lifelong resident of Jemez Pueblo, is a military veteran who worked as a maintenance man for Bureau of Indian Affairs schools until his retirement. His mother, Mary Margaret Shendo, also raised in Jemez Pueblo, retired after 30+ years as a catholic school teacher at the San Diego Mission School that later became the San Diego Riverside Charter School.
One of eight children, Benny’s first language was his native Towa, and his formative years were deeply rooted in his community’s spiritual and ceremonial life. His family’s farming background helped him develop a strong work ethic and fully discover the value of education. He learned the significance of respect, integrity, discipline, responsibility, stewardship of land and natural resources, and sacrifice for the good of the community from his parents and grandparents.
After completing San Diego Mission School in Jemez Pueblo, he then enrolled at St. Catherine’s Indian School (High School) in Santa Fe.
Benny attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs his freshman year and transferred to the University of Colorado at Boulder as a sophomore. With support from academic scholarships and financial aid, he earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Organizational Management from the UC-Boulder College of Business. During his senior year, Benny was awarded the Chancellor’s Equity and Excellence Award by the institution for his contribution to the University Community. He also made the cross country team as a walk-on. He attended the University of Colorado, School of Law in 1988-89, but made the difficult decision to withdraw due to family circumstances. Benny lost his paternal grandfather during his first semester of law school. While in college, his daughter, Eileen was born, followed by his son Benjamin, during his first year of Law School.
Benny has served in various capacities of management and leadership in tribal, university, and state government.
In 2004, Governor Bill Richardson appointed him to serve as Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department. As New Mexico’s first Cabinet Secretary for Indian Affairs, Benny became part of Governor Bill Richardson’s fulfilled campaign promise to make New Mexico the first – and only – state in the nation to elevate the Indian Affairs Department to a Cabinet level position. As cabinet secretary, Benny chaired the state’s Tribal Infrastructure Fund board (TIF) which is responsible for distributing capital funds to tribal communities in the state, and the Native American Behavior Health Subcommittee. He was also a member of the Governor’s Finance Council and the New Mexico Martin Luther King Commission.
In 1998 and 2002, he served as 2nd and 1st Lieutenant Governor, respectively, for the Pueblo of Jemez. From 1994 to 1997, he was Assistant Dean of Students and Director of American Indian and Alaska Native Programs at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. He returned to New Mexico in 1997 as the Senior Manager of Native American Programs at the University of New Mexico. Earlier positions include Director of College Programs at the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and American Indian Upward Bound at University of Colorado at Boulder.
Benny served as a member of the New Mexico Statuary Hall Commission; and as a board member of the National Dance Institute (NDI), National Institute for Native Leadership in Higher Education (NINLHE), First Tee of Central New Mexico; and the Community Advisory Panel for the Intel Corporation in Rio Rancho. He currently sits on the Board of Director for the Pueblo Insurance Agency (PIA) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Policy Center Advisory Board.
He was a member of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Native American Higher Education Advisory Committee, which guided the foundation’s $30 million investment in tribal colleges. Benny also co-founded the San Diego Riverside Charter School in Jemez Pueblo in 1999; the first Charter School established on an Indian reservation in New Mexico.
Fellow of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation National Leadership Program from 1997-2000. Benny was one of 40 individuals selected in the United States for this prestigious three-year fellowship; his leadership travel took him to China, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia as well as cities across the U.S. to study issues in education, health, leadership, enviroment, technology, social systems, politics, and economic development.
The 2004 Mary G. Ross Award from the Council of Energy Resource Tribes for professional achievements.
The National Center for American Indian Enterprises Development’s 2007 First American Public Advocate Award in recognition of Outstanding Leadership and Contributions made to American Indian Economics and Business Development.
Member and graduate of the 2006 Leadership New Mexico cohort.
Benny considers himself an avid outdoorsman who enjoys running, hunting, fishing, skiing, archery, and golf. Proud achievement: raising his son and daughter as a single father. Eileen graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 2005, and Benjamin is a freshman at New Mexico State University.
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