MSU grad named head of Indian education initiative

HELENA, Mont. (AP) – Montana State University says one of its graduates has been named the head of the new White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education.

The university says William Mendoza will lead the initiative created by an executive order signed by President Barack Obama this month. It is aimed at expanding educational opportunities for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Mendoza had been the acting director of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities.

He is an enrolled Oglala Sioux tribal member who grew up on South Dakota's Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian reservations.

Mendoza received a master's degree in educational leadership from MSU last year.