Maka Akan Najin Black Elk is an alumnus and the Executive Director for Truth and Healing at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, a K-12 Jesuit school on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In this role, Maka works to address historical trauma and racial justice through the impact of former Indian boarding schools as well as deepen the intercultural and interfaith dialogue between his indigenous community and the Catholic church. Maka has spent seven years in education prior to this role as an administrator, educator, and teaching coach. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of San Francisco and master’s degrees from Teacher’s College, Columbia University, and the University of Notre Dame.