Meet the Leadership Team
Teresia Paul
BIE Program Lead
Oglala Sioux Tribe
Teresia M. Paul, a proud member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, serves as the Student Health Program Specialist for the Bureau of Indian Education under the Office of the Director. She primarily focuses on issues relating to behavioral health and wellness policy, programming, crisis support and partnerships for the BIE. She is also the national program lead for BIE’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Program. Before joining BIE, Teresia served as a Mental Health Therapist for an Indian Health Service substance use treatment center for Native youth and has over 15 years of behavioral health experience. Teresia has a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling with a Certificate in Behavioral Addictions.
BIE COR
Evonne Wilson-Hight
Diné(Navajo) Nation
Evonne Wilson-Hight is the Contracting Officer Representative for the BIE BHWP contract and is also the Special Assistant for the Associate Deputy Director, Bureau Operated Schools with the Bureau of Indian Education. Evonne has served as the Special Assistant since 2019. Evonne earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from San Jose State University. Her duty location and office are located in Albuquerque, NM. She is an enrolled member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation.
Lori King
Med, PMP
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
BIE BHWP Senior Project Director
Lori’s expertise includes classroom management, project management, and educational administration. Lori has a Bachelor’s in Secondary Education in Mathematics and a master’s in educational administration. With over 14 years of experience in the classroom, she has also served as a Principal and an Assistant Principal. Since 2004, Lori has been working on a national level by administrating federal contracts from a variety of agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Indian Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Native Americans and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Education. She is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. She is actively involved in her Tribal community, served as a foster family provider, and has sat on the Tribal Indian Child Welfare Committee for her Tribe. She truly understands the importance of implementing supportive services for students, educators, and administrators.
Marisa Mendoza
MSW
Wakpá Wašté Oyáte (Lakota-Cheyenne River Sioux)
BIE BHWP Project Manager
Marisa is a member of the Wakpá Wašté Oyáte (Lakota-Cheyenne River Sioux), born and raised in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. She has worked for over 25 years within Native communities. Her experience includes management in mental wellness, addiction, and education. She has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Kansas, a Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Oglala Lakota College, and an Associate of Arts degree from Haskell Indian Nations University.
BIE BHWP Deputy Project Manager of Clinical and Crisis Response
LCSW
Mitzi Pope
Euchee and Muscogee
Mitzi is Euchee and a citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation from Oklahoma. She is a licensed clinical social worker and certified Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapist. Serving as the Deputy Project Manager of Clinical and Crisis Response, she brings over 12 years of experience serving Tribal communities. She is skilled in trauma-informed counseling and has conducted suicide crisis intervention. She has also facilitated both substance abuse and women’s trauma groups. Prior to her work as a mental health professional, she was a youth advocate and educator on teen-dating violence for the Muscogee Nation.
Cherrah Giles
BIE BHWP Deputy Project Manager of Training and Technical Assistance
MSW
