Della Warrior was born on 1946 and is the first and only woman to date to serve as chairperson and chief executive officer for the Otoe-Missouria Tribe.
15 Facts About Della Warrior
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Della Warrior later served as the president of the Institute of American Indian Arts, finding a permanent home for the institution as well as helping to raise more than one hundred million dollars for the institution over 12 years.
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Della Warrior Cheryl Hopper was born in 1946 in Pawnee, Oklahoma, and grew up in Red Rock, Oklahoma, with her mother and stepfather.
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The family moved around frequently, allowing Della Warrior to have the opportunity to live in cities such as Shawnee, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Enid, Ponca City, Dallas, Wichita, and Los Angeles.
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Della Warrior began her education at Pawnee Indian School and averaged approximately two schools per year up until about sixth grade.
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The summer before her junior year, Della Warrior attended a workshop at the University of Colorado.
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Della Warrior received her master's degree in education from Harvard University in 1971.
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Directly out of college, Della Warrior became the director of social services for Head Start for six counties in Kansas.
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From 1993 to 1998, Della Warrior served the Institute of American Indian Arts first, as Acting Director of Development, and then as Director of Development.
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In 1998, Della Warrior became the President of the Institute of American Indian Arts and served in this role until 2006.
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Della Warrior established a permanent campus for the institution after a 38-year period of temporary housing.
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Della Warrior increased funding by three hundred percent, helping to raise over one hundred million dollars over a 12-year time period.
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In June 2013, Della Warrior was selected as the Director of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico, becoming the first woman and the first Native American to serve as the museum's director.
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Della Warrior retired in 2021, having created a significant expansion of the Museum's education department and its remote programs, and having overseen more than 30 exhibitions, including the revision of the Museum's core exhibit, Here, Now and Always which opened in 2022.
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Della Warrior has three daughters: Mary Martha Warrior, Andrea Immogene Warrior and Gabriella Kathleen Honahni.