In May, the Native Agriculture Education Fellowship Program appointed Nicole DeVon as executive director to oversee the Tribal Agriculture Fellowship for Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students studying agriculture and related fields. DeVon is a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe and was born and raised in Washington State.

DeVon previously held a tribal affairs manager role for the family support division of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. She also served as Native American affairs and tribal liaison to the president of Eastern Washington University. She has more than 20 years of experience working in Native education.

“As the Tribal Agriculture Fellowship develops, it is essential that it be embedded into our Indigenous communities. We are working to create sustainable networks and build pathways to pursue further education for diverse areas of study such as agribusiness, science, research, and land stewardship. We start by engaging with students to connect their educational endeavors to community, culture, and identity,” DeVon said in a statement.