About Patina

Patina Park is Cheyenne River Sioux and an adult-adoptee, and the Director of Tribal State Relations for the Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. She is former Executive Director at the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, a 30 year old nonprofit dedicated to providing culturally-appropriate holistic programming to heal, preserve, and strengthen Native American women and their families.

Ms. Park has enjoyed working throughout Indian Country and with state and county government agencies nation-wide, training on topics including: Federal Indian Law; working with Native Communities; historical trauma; and poverty and the impact on families, and is co-author of Best Outcomes for Indian Children, Child Welfare Volume 91(3)(2012). Patina lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two kids, three cats, and an easy-going dog. She is also fond of cake.