Shirley K. Sneve, Executive Director, Native American Public Telecommunications
Shirley Sneve is Executive Director of Native American Public Telecommunications. Prior to that she was director of Arts Extension Service in Amherst, MA. A member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Shirley was a founder of Northern Plains Tribal Arts Show, the Oyate Trail cultural tourism byway, and the Alliance of Tribal Tourism Advocates. She was director of the Visual Arts Center in Sioux Falls, assistant director of South Dakota Arts Council and a producer for South Dakota Public Broadcasting. She’s a board member of The Association of American Cultures, Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), Working Films, and Arts Extension Institute.
What drew you to this work?
I've known this organization for 34 years. My mother, Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve was a founding board member, and I served on the board in the 1980s. So when founding executive director Frank Blythe asked me to be his assistant director, I was thrilled. NAPT's impact on Native media is huge. But most of all, I get to work with great people. I've been honored to work with some great Native leaders over the years, and now--I get to help tell their stories. Learning about different Native cultures across the country has been an amazing journey.
What keeps you engaged with this work?
Anger. No really. I think most Indians are inherently angry about the way outsiders portray us. The only way to change this is by telling our own stories in a way that is truthful and enlightening. But it's challenging--we don't have a lot of depth in our producer base. Very few of Native filmmakers make it to the big time (whatever that means). That's why we focus much of our efforts on professional development. Working with our National Minority Consortia partners, PBS, CPB, NALIP, and others, we have been able to increase the skill set of many documentary filmmakers.
What was the most pivotal moment of your leadership journey?
I got fired. Well, they asked me to resign. It made me angry at first, but the more I thought about it, it was the best thing to do at the time. A door shut, but this window opened to a great new view and amazing opportunities.
What are your strengths as a leader?
For Christmas this year, I bought my staff the Strength Finders book by Buckingham and Clifton, and then we had a retreat to talk about the results of the tests. It's been a great to learn about how we can maximize our strengths and help each other compensate for our weaknesses. There's a few things that come to mind as strengths. One is relationships. If I don't know how to do something, or if I see that a colleague is doing something well, I call them. Second is inclusiveness. I think our collective knowledge leads to better decisions rather than an edict from me. Third would be humor. Indians are a very funny bunch of people. We have to be after what we've been though over the last 500 + years.
How do you stay on top of your game?
My staff keeps me on the top of my game. NAPT has a great staff. I've never worked anywhere else where there's such an absolute commitment to the work we do. We truly believe that our work makes a difference in people's lives. It's an honor to work with these folks.
What are you working on that gets you excited and inspired?
Oh where do I start? We have a series for radio and one for TV that we're developing with some partners. They will get to the heart of what we as Native people are proud of, and at the same time, address issues that we're not so proud of--like obesity, diabetes, substance abuse, teen suicide and domestic violence. We're working on expanding the impact NAPT-funded documentaries have through the development of web-based resources for viewers, educators and students. We're refining the business plan for our on-line sales catalog--VisionMaker Video. And we're implementing a fellowship program this summer to support two multimedia journalists. Together with NAJA, we're producing the Native Nations Media Conference in St. Paul, MN, July 21-24. It will bring together, Natives in all forms of media--print, web, graphics, video, radio, poetry--you name it.
--
Back to Featured Leader Main Page
