Sunny Day Real Bird, Director of American Indian Outreach, Montana State University | Yellowstone Conference 2025

Panelist | Strengthening Native American Partnerships

Sunny Day Real Bird, Akbaaiiwishe-Itchish (Raises Good Children), serves as the Director of American Indian Outreach at Montana State University Billings (MSUB). She is an enrolled member of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation and a Gros Ventre descendant. Sunny brings over 15 years of experience in teaching, administration, and advocacy for Native student success across K–12 and higher education.

She holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Montana State University Bozeman, a Master’s in Education: Curriculum and Teaching (Secondary Mathematics) from the University of Oregon, and a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education with a Mathematics minor from MSU Billings. She is licensed in Montana to teach both elementary education and secondary mathematics.

Before her role at MSUB, Sunny taught mathematics at Ronan Middle School, where she was also selected as Educator of the Year by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Education Committee. She later served as the Director of Indian Education for Ronan School District, where she secured major grants, created new partnerships, and raised graduation and attendance rates for Native students. Her teaching career has included positions at Riverside Indian School, Northern Cheyenne Tribal School, St. Labre Indian School, and St. Charles Mission School.

At MSUB, Sunny provides advocacy and support for Native students, leads outreach and retention efforts, and forges partnerships with tribal colleges, communities, and schools. She is active in multiple statewide initiatives, including the American Indian Minority Achievement Council, the City of Billings Chamber Advisory Board, and the Crow Language Club.

Sunny’s leadership and service have been recognized widely, including the University of Oregon’s 2022 Sapsik’ʷałá Outstanding Community Service Award. She is deeply committed to data-driven, culturally responsive education and to strengthening opportunities for Native students.

Sunny Day Real Bird’s Role at the 2025 Yellowstone Conference

At the 2025 Yellowstone Conference, Sunny Day Real Bird will join the Strengthening Native American Partnerships panel, where she’ll share her expertise in leveraging community partnerships for collective impact.

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