Donnie Wetzel, Jr. 

BOARD MEMBER

Donnie Wetzel Jr. is Blackfeet (Amskapi Pikuni). He is a husband and father to three powerful children. He has worked on positive efforts with youth and tribes at the national and state levels for 20-plus years as an educator, advocate, and coach. He worked for the MT-WY Tribal Leaders Council for over a decade on health efforts and technology initiatives with an emphasis on tribal youth leadership.

Donnie has a master’s degree in communications/public relations from Montana State University-Billings. Congruently, he has lived and continually absorbed traditional understandings and teachings from Tribal Elders and knowledge keepers from across the country. Donnie has focused on youth development and promotes purpose initiatives for career and life. He worked 13 years in Indian education as the state Tribal Student Achievement, Relations, and Resiliency Director, working across the state with American Indian youth in schools. He also runs his non-profit, Identity Inc., where they promote positive energy and respectful acknowledgement, as seen in the Montana Indian Athletic Hall of Fame work, film, and music initiatives. Donnie encourages resiliency, believes in the power of the people, and works persistently to create opportunities with a purpose that is tied to the gifts and strengths they hold. He was hired as the first-ever Tribal Liaison for the Department of Labor and Industry in 2023 and is knocking down walls and bringing people together as best he can for the good of Montana.