First female president of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College

By Andrea Busche

OnNov. 20, 2019, Cloquet resident Stephanie Hammitt made history when she was named the first female president of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College

(FDLTCC), and only the fourth president in its history. The college’s previous president, Larry Anderson, recently retired after serving 10 years in that role.

Interestingly, Hammitt’s late father, who served on the Tribal Council for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (as both secretary/treasurer and chairman), was a member of a task force set up in the mid-1980s to determine the viability of, and need for, a college in Cloquet. FDLTCC later opened its doors in 1987.

Hammitt’s father would no doubt be proud to see his daughter at the helm of a college he helped launch.

Lifelong Cloquet resident

Hammitt and with her younger sister, Michelle, were born and raised in Cloquet. Their mother was an Indian home school liaison, and their dad served on the Tribal Council. Their mother was an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, while their father was an enrolled member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Hammitt’s parents made the decision to enroll both of their children in the Fond du Lac Band.

Hammitt explained a little about her childhood.

“Our family grew up both near, and on, the reservation. We didn’t go to powwows, but we did enjoy Indian foods like wild rice and fry bread. Our family wasn’t as traditional as many on the reservation. In the last 11 or 12 years, though, I’ve been learning more about our traditions, and learning the Ojibwe language.”

In her youth, Hammitt played clarinet in the school band and worked for her high school newspaper and yearbook committee. After graduating from Cloquet High School, Hammitt attended the University of MinnesotaDuluth, and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Career trajectory

Hammitt’s career progression has followed a steady trajectory of increased responsibility, beginning with a job in the Fond du Lac Reservation’s program accounting department, where she remained for two years. Another career highlight includes five years at Fonddu-Luth Casino, where she worked as the lead accountant/comptroller.

She later was hired as chief financial officer for FDLTCC. In 1996, however, she returned to the Fond du Lac reservation, where she worked as an internal auditor, and later, comptroller.

In 2008, she returned to FDLTCC; first as chief financial officer, then, as vice president of finance and administration. Hammitt was named interim president in July 2018, and president Nov. 20, 2019.

In addition to her professional achievements, Hammitt served three years as treasurer for the Cloquet women’s hockey auxiliary and served five years on the Cloquet School Board. She has also served on the tribal college’s board of directors, including several years as chair.

Goals as president

Hammitt has ambitious goals for her new role as president.

“I’d like us to get more involved in the community,” Hammitt said. The

Continued on page 8 pursuit of this goal will be multifaceted.

“We need to be responsive to what employers need, and think about different workshops we can host. I’d also like to continue to develop new programming to keep traditions alive, such as our 13 Moons initiative, where we host discussions on a different topic every month. The most recent one was ‘harvesting in a respectful way.’”

“And we will continue working well with the Tribe. Right now, for instance, we are working with the Tribe’s resource management division, on reservation-owned land, to teach students and others from the reservation how to garden. They then learn to preserve and cook the foods, as well as save the seeds.”

Family

Hammitt and her husband, Brian, an electrical engineer, were married in 1986, and have four adult children: Matthew (32), Christopher (30), Jon (28), and Annika (22). The Hammitts also have three grandchildren and a family dog named Brutus.

When she isn’t working, Hammitt enjoys doing cross-stitch and needlepoint. She also loves to read and watch sporting events. The Hammitt family roots for the Minnesota Vikings, and has season tickets for Vikings games.

Remarks from the chancellor

In a recent press release, Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State, a system which includes 30 community and technical colleges and seven state universities, shared some remarks about Hammitt’s promotion.

“Stephanie Hammitt has performed admirably as interim president. She has continued to build on the legacy of Larry Anderson and the solid foundation of accreditation by the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC). She is navigating the college through reaccreditation by the Higher Learning Commission and the initial accreditation of the college’s Associate of Science Degree nursing program.

“She has earned overwhelmingly positive support from key partners and constituents including the Tribal Board of Education, the Tribal Business Council, and internal stakeholders of the college,” he continued. “She has emphasized to me that the best days of the college are ahead, and I have come to the conclusion that our students and the communities served by the college will be best served by the continuation of Stephanie Hammitt as president.”

Legacy

When it comes to leaving a legacy, Hammitt’s philosophy is both forward- and backward-looking.

“Indian people talk about the seventh generation,” she said. “Meaning, the decisions you make today can have longlasting consequences affecting people seven generations out. But it’s also about honoring the past, and the people who came before us.”

“At the college, there is an eagle feather stick in the president’s office, with a feather representing each president. I was given my feather to remind me to think about how I act; how to make decisions in the right way, and how to listen,” explained Hammitt.

“It’s not about me. Our work is only possible due to the Tribe, the state, our faculty and our students.” D

Andrea Busche is a Duluth freelance writer.