American Indian Business Leaders: Entrepreneurial inspiration

Vina Little Owl took center stage Thursday during the American Indian Business Leaders http://www.aibl.org/ annual fundraising luncheon where she stood – and later danced – as a shining example of how business education and tribal culture can be used for the economic good of the community.

“With a new generation of hybrid Indians who merge education with tradition, I believe change for the better is now a viable option in the foreseeable future,” said Little Owl, who joined AIBL, a Missoula-based national nonprofit organization, while she was a student at the University of Montana.

Dressed in traditional dance regalia, Little Owl spoke before a business-minded crowd of 240 people during the organization’s fifth annual fundraiser. The young woman shared her story of how AIBL leaders inspired her to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Her education and business ventures with AIBL helped her land a corporate auditor’s job with Nike Inc. in Oregon.

“This is an example of what AIBL can do,” said Dave Archambault of Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates, N.D., AIBL’s board president. “Now she can go back to her reservation and make a difference.”

By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2008/12/05/news/mtregional/news06.txt