Terri Lee Medina, M.B.A., Community Programs Manager & Community Impact & Engagement, HoChunk Inc.
Volunteer:
Native Governance Center – Native Nation Rebuilder Participant, expected completion December 2027
Winnebago Tribal Housing Board – Chairwoman (2024-2026)
Winnebago Tribal Enrollment Committee – Vice-Chairwoman (2024-2026)
Winnebago Indian Child Welfare Association – Member (2025-present)
Winnebago Water Quality Committee – Member (2025-present)
Winnebago Homecoming Celebration Pow-wow Committee – Member (2024-2026)
Winnebago Tribal Election Board – Member (2024-2026)
What are you passionate about, and how do you use your voice or talent to make a difference?
I am passionate about uplifting youth and strengthening the systems that shape their futures. As an enrolled member of the Winnebago Tribe and a descendant of the Santee Sioux Nation, I use my voice at work and in the community to advocate for culturally grounded workforce pathways, mentorship, and opportunity. My work centers on expanding access, building stability, and ensuring that young people, especially tribal youth, envision themselves in careers, leadership roles, and spaces where we have historically been underrepresented.
As a single mother, my lived experience informs my commitment to creating environments where young people feel supported, valued, and capable. When our youth thrive, our Nations thrive. My leadership is rooted in service, sovereignty, and the understanding that our communities grow stronger when we invest in the next generation.
What is your vision for the future of Siouxland?
My vision is for every young person to have access to meaningful careers, mentorship, internships, and intergenerational knowledge sharing. This vision is grounded in Seventh Generation thinking, a long-term approach that prioritizes sustainable development and community strength. I imagine a region where Tribal and non-Tribal communities collaborate to build opportunities to strengthen the local economy.
Through Ho-Chunk, Inc. and its enterprises, this vision is already taking shape. With our WarHorse Gaming expansion into the Siouxland area, employment, infrastructure, and economic growth opportunities will have a social impact across the region. From my perspective, leadership is relational. It is built through trust, shared engagement, and accountability. In Tribal communities, leadership extends beyond interpersonal interaction to include responsibility to ancestors, future generations, culture, and sovereignty. It is a communal obligation grounded in service and reciprocity, not individual authority.
What are you doing to make that vision happen?
I have been with the company for nearly 8 years; I oversee our youth and workforce development programs, including the Internship. My team supports students from junior high through college and into early careers. These programs place interns across our diverse portfolio (construction, marketing, finance, government contracting, gaming, and more), giving students hands-on work experience and a foundation for leadership growth.
Beyond my role at Ho-Chunk, Inc., I am a doctoral candidate at Creighton University’s EdD Interdisciplinary Leadership program, a graduate of Leadership Siouxland (21-22), and a member of the Native Governance Center’s Native Nation Rebuilders Leadership Cohort 15. I serve on multiple boards in my community, including Tribal Housing, Tribal Enrollment, Indian Child Welfare Association, Homecoming Celebration Pow-wow Planning, Water Quality, and assist with State, Federal, and Tribal Elections.
How can people help you make that vision a reality?
Building a stronger Siouxland requires collective action. Community members, educators, and business leaders can support this work by supporting Tribal Priorities of youth, education, jobs, elders, and housing; championing workforce development; engaging in mentorship; and sharing intergenerational knowledge. When we invest in youth and pass wisdom forward, Siouxland becomes stronger, more connected, and prepared for the future.
What quote inspires you?
“Nothing changes unless someone is made to feel uncomfortable & nothing changes unless you make yourself uncomfortable.” — Frank LaMere
