Helen Maynor Scheirbeck
Encyclopedia
Helen Maynor Scheirbeck was a Native American
educator and activist. Born in Lumberton, North Carolina
, she was Assistant Director for Public Programs at the Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of the American Indian
. Scheirbeck was best known for her work with young Native Americans, training them to work with the United States Congress
and other federal agencies in the United States to promote policies that help Indian communities.
Before her work with the Smithsonian Institution, Scheirbeck was the national director for Head Start programs serving American Indian and Alaskan Natives. She has served as a human resources
administrator for Save the Children Federation, chairwoman of the U.S. Department of Education Indian Education Task Force, and as a staffer in the U.S. Senate where she helped develop the American Indian Civil Rights Act.
. Scheirbeck earned her bachelors degree in 1957 in education from Berea College
in Kentucky
. In 1980 she earned her doctorate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Virginia State University
.
for the National Congress of American Indians
, assisting in the founding of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which lobbies for tribal colleges and universities on the federal level. She then worked for the Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights. Here she organized the Capitol Conference on Poverty in 1962, where Native American leaders first advocated for Indian participation in the War on Poverty
.
She helped establish the Coalition of Indian Controlled School Boards in 1972. She was appointed by President Jimmy Carter
to chair the Indian Education Task Force. This body helped define the Indian-controlled schools movement. Scheirbeck was appointed director of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Office of Indian Education. Here, she developed strategy in 1973 to enable tribal colleges and universities to obtain start-up funds as developing institutions through Title III of the Higher Education Act
.
In 1978, Scheirbeck assisted in the development of the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act, and guided it to passage in Congress. This legislation formed the foundation of the tribal college movement in the United States. Scheirbeck was appointed head of the Indian Head Start Program in 1991, where she managed the American Indian and Alaskan Native Head Start Bureau and improving its efficiency nationwide.
From 1987 to 1995, she served on the Board of Trustees of the National Museum of the American Indian, key to its founding. After her term as a trustee ended, she became director of the museum's public programs.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
educator and activist. Born in Lumberton, North Carolina
Lumberton, North Carolina
Lumberton is a city in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 20,795 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Robeson County. Lumberton, located in southern North Carolina's Inner Banks region, is located on the Lumber River...
, she was Assistant Director for Public Programs at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum operated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution that is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the native Americans of the Western Hemisphere...
. Scheirbeck was best known for her work with young Native Americans, training them to work with the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and other federal agencies in the United States to promote policies that help Indian communities.
Before her work with the Smithsonian Institution, Scheirbeck was the national director for Head Start programs serving American Indian and Alaskan Natives. She has served as a human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
administrator for Save the Children Federation, chairwoman of the U.S. Department of Education Indian Education Task Force, and as a staffer in the U.S. Senate where she helped develop the American Indian Civil Rights Act.
Early life and education
Helen Maynor was born into the Lumbee TribeLumbee
The Lumbee belong to a state recognized Native American tribe in North Carolina. The Lumbee are concentrated in Robeson County and named for the primary waterway traversing the county...
. Scheirbeck earned her bachelors degree in 1957 in education from Berea College
Berea College
Berea College is a liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky , founded in 1855. Current full-time enrollment is 1,514 students...
in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. In 1980 she earned her doctorate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Virginia State University
Virginia State University
Virginia State University is a historically black and land-grant university located north of the Appomattox River in Chesterfield, in the Richmond area. Founded on , Virginia State was the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of higher learning for black Americans...
.
Career
Scheirbeck began her professional career as an internIntern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
for the National Congress of American Indians
National Congress of American Indians
The National Congress of American Indians is a American Indian and Alaska Native indigenous rights organization. It was founded in 1944 in response to termination and assimilation policies that the U.S. government forced upon the tribal governments in contradiction of their treaty rights and...
, assisting in the founding of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which lobbies for tribal colleges and universities on the federal level. She then worked for the Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights. Here she organized the Capitol Conference on Poverty in 1962, where Native American leaders first advocated for Indian participation in the War on Poverty
War on Poverty
The War on Poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent...
.
She helped establish the Coalition of Indian Controlled School Boards in 1972. She was appointed by President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
to chair the Indian Education Task Force. This body helped define the Indian-controlled schools movement. Scheirbeck was appointed director of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Office of Indian Education. Here, she developed strategy in 1973 to enable tribal colleges and universities to obtain start-up funds as developing institutions through Title III of the Higher Education Act
Higher Education Act
The Higher Education Act may refer to an Act of either the Congress of the United States or of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.*The Higher Education Act of 1965, an Act of the Congress of the United States that was intended to strengthen the resources of colleges and universities, and to...
.
In 1978, Scheirbeck assisted in the development of the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act, and guided it to passage in Congress. This legislation formed the foundation of the tribal college movement in the United States. Scheirbeck was appointed head of the Indian Head Start Program in 1991, where she managed the American Indian and Alaskan Native Head Start Bureau and improving its efficiency nationwide.
From 1987 to 1995, she served on the Board of Trustees of the National Museum of the American Indian, key to its founding. After her term as a trustee ended, she became director of the museum's public programs.