Career Journey Stories of Indigenous Professionals

Career Level: Basic-level career services, university relations and recruiting, and business affiliate professionals
Competency: Working with diverse populations
Fee: FREE (member); $89 (nonmember);

Summary

In honor of Native American History Month, the Tribal Colleges & Universities Affinity Group is inviting Indigenous professionals from various organizations to share their stories about their career journeys. Please join us to learn more about the unique strengths and challenges of our Indigenous guests as they share about their career pathways. We expect these stories will give you valuable insight as you plan career readiness programming for students, develop culturally relevant recruitment practices, and support Indigenous professionals in your organizations.
Presenters

Fedora Hunsaker, Sr. Talent Acquisition Analyst, The Vanguard Group
Fedora Hunsaker is a senior talent acquisition analyst leading Vanguard’s early talent sourcing strategy through virtual tools, analytics, and technologies, including Handshake. She manages Vanguard’s relationship with all Arizona universities and several key schools in the western United States. She supports engagement and partnerships that are aligned to attraction efforts with Indigenous communities. She is a member of the Navajo Nation (Near Water Clan, born for the Salt People Clan). She graduated from Grand Canyon University and currently pursuing her Master of Science in Leadership. Originally from New Mexico, she began her career in Real Estate Sales as an Associate Broker and then continued into the mortgage industry where she took an interest in personal finance and investments. Currently, she holds FINRA licenses in Series 7, 63, and 66. She transitioned to Human Resources due to her enjoyment of working with people and desiring to be a key driver in Vanguard’s emerging talent strategy and DEI initiatives. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, dog Luna, hot yoga, and exploring the outdoors (hiking, paddle boarding, national parks, spotting wildlife).

Tracey Franklin, Team Lead, The Vanguard Group
Tracey Franklin is a member of the Navajo Nation; her family comes from Rock Point, Arizona on the Navajo reservation. She currently leads a team in Vanguard’s inheritance services department. She graduated from Rice University with my degree in Economics and started her career working in the non-profit sector working with organizations in New Mexico and Texas. After gaining experience and finding stability, she started with Vanguard as a contractor. She was onboarded to a full-time employee in December 2019 and has been caring for Vanguard clients as they go through big life changes ever since.

Julian Garza, Administrator- Residential Programs for Youth, Gila River Indian Community
Julian George Garza is the Administrator of Residential Programs for Youth, a confidential placement for youth ages 5 - 17 in the Gila River Indian Community. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran, and an enrolled member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, born and raised in Fresno, California. He joined the Air Force a month after graduating from high school graduated because he had no idea how to get into college, let alone how to pay for it. After his enlistment and an additional 13-month extension, he was honorably discharged and settled in Mesa, Arizona. He immediately gained employment with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. He worked full time and attended MCC and SCC part time until he was able to transfer to ASU and graduate in 2005. He worked for Pascua Yaqui Tribe 2005 – 2008, Owens Valley Career Development Center Tribal TANF in California 2008 – 2014, earned his M.S.W. in 2015 from Fresno State, and moved back to Arizona. He has worked for Hospice of the Valley, ASU (co-instructor M.S.W. online 2020-2023, faculty associate in person M.S.W. currently), and Gila River Indian Community from 2016 – present.

Zachary Oxendine, Worklife: Microsoft, STEM Champion, Veteran, Microsoft Corporation
Zach Oxendine is an engineering technical program manager at Microsoft. His leadership extends to helping the U.S. Indigenous Employee Resource Group at the company. He also spearheads Strategic Initiatives at Natives Rising and is a pivotal member of the Cyber Defense Advisory Board at the University of North Carolina Pembroke as well as the computer science advisory board at Vanderbilt University. He pioneers STEM camps for high school students and consults on cybersecurity education and workforce development across tribal and rural communities, as well as collegiate programs. Notably, he has been a keynote speaker at various esteemed platforms, including the White House and several conferences and colleges.

Devon Seward Howland, Sr. Career Advisor, Student Employment, University of California - Davis - Internship & Career Center