Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum

Staff

Dr. Josh Bonde is a citizen of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone, he grew up on the family farm in Fallon, Nevada. Dr. Bonde received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno, his M.S. in Earth Sciences from Montana State University, Bozeman, and his Ph.D. from UNLV in Geoscience. After receiving his Ph.D.  Dr. Bonde worked as a professor in the geology department at UNLV for 6 years. After that he moved to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum as Director of Conservation and Research, in 2020 along with his wife Becky, they founded the Nevada Science Center. He has worked in museums his whole adult life starting with volunteering while in high school at the Churchill County Museum and as a student worker at the W.M. Keck Museum at UNR. Dr. Bonde served as the Director of the Nevada State Museum for nearly 3 years before transferring over to the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum. He is passionate about giving back to the community.

I am an enrolled tribal member of the Yomba Shoshone Tribe
located in the Reese River Valley in Nevada and a descendant of the Washoe Tribe.  In 1918 my grandmother, Alice Kawich Hooper, was the first in our family to attend Stewart Indian School. Being punished for speaking Newe daygwan, she spoke English in the home while my grandfather, Art Hooper, spoke Newe daygwan. My grandmother stressed the importance of education but also instilled knowing who I am and where I come from. I am a Humboldt State University alumnus where I was trained by the Indian Teacher Education Personnel Program, earned my BA degree, and completed my teaching credential program. I received a culturally rich education at HSU, and I am fortunate to continue to learn from my elders. I recently earned my certification as an iNaturalist through the California Tribal College. As the Education Curator, I assist with creating learning opportunities for guests who may not have known about the boarding school experience. I also work with community members who provide classes to help us to remember our past, and celebrate our future.

Chris Ann Gibbons began with the Nevada Indian Commission in 2005 and is currently the Curator for the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum. As Curator, Chris primarily works on organizing and preserving the archival documents, photographs, and artifacts that tell Stewart’s history and feels very fortunate to be part of the team responsible for opening the Cultural Center & Museum in December 2019. Chris is a graduate of Southern Oregon University with a degree in History and minors in both Native American Studies and Art History. In addition, she has a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma. Before coming to the Commission, Chris worked in educational outreach and programming for the Southern Oregon Historical Society.

Melissa Melero-Moose began her work with the Nevada Indian Commission (NIC) in 2014, speaking about the Great Basin Native Artists (GBNA) at the Nevada’s Indian Territory Conference. In 2019, NIC asked her to be a part of the design process for the formation of the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum (SISCCM).  Melissa is currently the Curator for the SISCCM’s  Great Basin Native Artists Gallery.
Melissa is a mixed-media visual artist, writer, and curator. She is a Northern Paiute enrolled with the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe with ties to Fort Bidwell Paiute, California. She lives in Hungry Valley, Nevada working as a professional artist and is the founder/curator of the Great Basin Native Artists. Melissa is also descendant of Stewart Indian School Alumni dating from 1911 – 1974.

 Volunteers

Kay Remington
Jody Coxon
Frank Joe
Dianne Williams
Beverly Mobley
Linda Hubbs
Edith Caufield
Michelle Bellard
Renee Kolvet
Patti Bennett
Ike Bennett
Lisa Callan
Sally Root
Angela Sullivan
Darly Crawford
Jay Martin
Honey Yezek
Carl Glazier 
Michele Gleitsmannz
Dale Bennett