On November 4, 2008, the Office of Head Start announced Nina McFadden as the new Regional Program Manager for the American Indian/Alaska Native Program Branch.

She is a graduate of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and holds a Masters of Social Work from Michigan State University in East Lansing.  Further, she has taken additional professional training such as Program on Negotiation for Senior Executives at the Harvard Law School, Fundamentals of Finance for the Technical Executive at the MIT/Sloan Management and Harvard University as well as the Executive Leadership Development Program with the DHHS/Indian Health Service.  She has been an Adjunct Professor, Bemidji State University in the Social Work Department and been on the Practitioners Advisory Council. 

Nina, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and affiliated with the Little Traverse Band of Odawa Indians, has been the Director of the Office of Self-Determination for the Bemidji Area Indian Health Service, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) since 1996.  Nina has extensive career experience in working with the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Tribal leadership served by the Bemidji Area.  In the capacity as Director of Self-Determination, she was responsible for a wide range of regional functions, including consultation, policy development and planning, administration, and the evaluation of all aspects in the implementation of the Indian Self-Determination & Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA), that are critical to the relationship HIS has with Tribal leaders, organizations and other American Indian and Alaska Native groups.  During her tenure, she administered and directed the Contracting, Acquisition and Grants, Statistical and Program Evaluation; Urban, Self-Governance and Title I Contracting programs including management of the contract support costs awarded to Tribes and Tribal Organizations.

Prior to joining IHS, she worked for many years in the social work field as a Clinical Social Worker for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Eastern Upper Peninsula Mental Health Agency as well as case manger for persons with mental illnesses.  Additionally, Nina also worked in the field of Indian Child Welfare, providing foster care, foster home licensing and adoption services, as a caseworker and caseworker supervisor for the Michigan Indian Child Welfare Agency, which was created shortly after the Indian Child Welfare Act was passed into law.

Throughout her tenure, Nina has been the recipient of numerous performance awards from IHS including the HHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service. 

As you can see, Nina has vast experience, skills, and talents to bring to the position when she starts on 17 November 2008.