Serving Her People

Andrea Clifford, a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe from Fort Washakie, earned her bachelor’s degree in social science (’03) and Master’s of Public Administration (’05) from UW and went on to serve her community in key roles.

After graduate school, she accepted a job with the Wind River Hotel & Casino, soon becoming human relations manager and then assistant general manager. She worked at the casino from 2005–2018. The job was much more than just enforcing policies and regulations, and Clifford relished the relationships she built and the positive influence the casino’s programs had on tribal members.

“We created a wellness program because a lot of our people suffer from addictions and unresolved grief and anger problems because of historical trauma that needs to be healed,” she says. “Instead of disciplining, we were requiring a lot of our people to go to the wellness center.”

They collaborated with White Buffalo Recovery Center, and wellness programming included peer-support recovery meetings, counseling and peer workout groups. Trainings in conflict resolution, domestic violence avoidance, and budgeting and finance were also offered.  

In 2018, Clifford opened her own consulting business and shares the success of the wellness program and other initiatives throughout the region.

Wanting to give back further, she joined the wave of strong indigenous women running for office in 2018 and is now a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives for District 33. Clifford says she’s working on issues including the opiate crises, addressing voter ID requirements for tribal members, and bringing attention and resources to missing and murdered indigenous people.

During her time at UW, she appreciated the support of fellow Native American students and professors. Clifford aims to give back by supporting current students. She stays connected to the university and spoke at the 2018 Shepard Symposium on Social Justice. 

She says, “My goal is to share my story and to help people.”