Rick Smith, M.Ed
Elder in Residence
Rick J. Smith, M.Ed, is the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team Elder in Residence. Elder Smith is a teacher and knowledge keeper who provides guidance, insight, and spiritual understandings to faculty, staff, and students of the MK-MDT. He is currently providing guidance on the formation of an Indigenous Advisory Committee for MK-MDT.
Rick has been the Director of the American Indian Learning Resource Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth for over 30 years. He is a citizen of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He has a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Education degrees from the University of Minnesota. In addition, he has served as an Independent Consultant for the Blandin Foundation for 17 years, as a Cultural Liaison for the Blandin Reservation Community Leadership Program. He has been involved with Indian Education for over 35 years, regionally and nationally.
*Photo courtesy of Zulema Rosendahl. “Class has little to do with birth, wealth, or a formal education, class has to do with how you treat people.” John G. Murray