Meet the Tipi Raiser's Team

HOUSING REPAIR TEAM
AIMEE WHITE PIPE | JAMIE GHOST 

These Tribal members work year-round as a part of our team to help mitigate conditions of poverty on Pine Ridge.  The team repairs and replaces roofs and siding, puts up trailer skirting, builds and repairs wheel chair ramps, mills logs for new home construction, replaces windows and other miscellaneous home repair needs that arise in their communities.  In addition to home repair and construction, the team also helps to deliver needed supplies across Pine Ridge as well as cuts and delivers firewood. 

GAYLA WEASEL BEAR
Pine Ridge Field COORDINATOR

Gayla lives in the #4/Payabya community of Pine Ridge and has become an integral part of Tipi Raiser's volunteer groups and Gen7 events. Gayla has worked with young people in the child care setting on Pine Ridge for several years.

Gayla oversees our food, supply boxes and material donations on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. She also distributes donations, cooks for volunteer groups and supervises Gen7 trips. 

LORETTA CHARLEY
​NAVAJO FIELD COORDINATOR

Loretta is a liaison between our services and the families in need in her community. As the Navajo Field Coordinator she oversees our food, supply and material donations on the Navajo reservation. Loretta shares about herself below:

Ya’a’teeh (Hello).
I am a survivor. I have three adult children and four grandchildren. I am a proud mother; my 2nd child, who proudly served our country for many, many years.

My maternal clans; Na’toh Dine’e (Tobacco People) and Tse’n’ji’kini (Cliff Dweller People) and my paternal clans; Kinyaa’a’anii (Towering House People) and Ayahkinii (Hopi People).
I grew up on the Navajo reservation. Life was simple living with my grandparents growing up, we planted every spring, harvested in the fall, and we’d prepare a meal, included the cornmeal cake, alkaan to celebrate our harvest. 

I spend my time working where support is needed whether it’d be with family or community member. I am living life a little; experienced Navajo rug weaver, endurance trail riding, and love to travel, to see the beauty in everything with hopeful and happy thoughts always. With a goal of a bigger smile when it’s all said and done.

LORI VENTIMIGLIA
DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT

Lori supported the Executive Director (and husband) in growing the Tipi Raisers before she joined formally as the Director of Advancement in 2018. While most of Lori's work is "behind the scenes", she makes a point of going into the field often as she is inspired by the work and cherishes her relationships with her friends on Pine Ridge and the volunteers. In addition to managing communications and the overall grant and fundraising activities, Lori co-manages events, Gen7 Youth Leadership and day to day administration and program strategy and development.

Lori currently sits on the Board of Directors of the American Indian Academy of Denver. Prior to joining The Tipi Raisers, Lori opened an elementary school in her community and worked as Director of New School Development at the Colorado League of Charter Schools. There she worked for over six years, assisted over 50 new schools in opening their doors and wrote, received and managed over 1.5 million dollars in grant funding.

Together, Lori and Dave have raised three inspiring young adults who care about social justice and love connecting into the Tipi Raiser's work both on and off Pine Ridge. The couple's three nearly grown children have been visiting and volunteering on Pine Ridge since they were toddlers and the three contribute and believe deeply in the work and the mission of the organization.

​MACKENZIE TILTON
PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Mackenzie is a previous Tipi Raiser's "Featured Volunteer"! She joined service trips and took on remote projects for the organization for several years before joining the team.

Formerly a Teach for America teacher, Mackenzie has quickly become a critical member of our team supporting the advancement of all programs of the organization as well as assisting with grant seeking, donor platform management and communications.

Oliver Miner
Field Assistant

​Oliver was one of our original Gen7 youth leaders. He is a Lakota Tribal member from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Oliver believes in the importance of giving back to the community he is from. He is a student at the Oglala Lakota College and shares that he is excited to be apart of this organization to uplift communities that have been left behind.

Oliver supports the organization in a wide variety of ways including volunteer group assistance, curating stories for our HearHere collaboration and miscellaneous administrative and "front line" responsibilitie

​SHARON NEWHOF
​ACCOUNTANT

​Sharon Newhof has been working in the accounting field for many years.  She is also a counselor and previously worked in the faith community as a minster.  Sharon joined the Tipi Raisers team in early 2020 and is enjoying the process of setting up a great system "so that the rest of the team can concentrate on doing what they do best"! ​

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dave Ventimiglia

Dave has been working, playing, praying and building relationships with the Lakota People on Pine Ridge since 1990. He became the Executive Director of Ti Ikciya Pa Slata Pi/The Tipi Raisers in 2011.  Dave grew the organization from its humble beginnings, and now is often found on Pine Ridge working with the Lakota People, running volunteer trips and overseeing housing repairs and other projects across the vast reservation. 

​Prior to joining the Tipi Raisers, Dave spent over 15 years running a wilderness therapy program for at-risk youth in which service trips to Pine Ridge and other Native communities were often incorporated. 

Dave is the father of three amazing young adults, who all enjoy engaging with volunteer groups and working on projects on the reservation as their schedules allow.

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​TOKALA SOCIETY
Norbert (Nobby) Bell
​Pansy Weasel Bear

In many Indigenous cultures there are systems established for those members of the tribe who were known to sacrifice for the good of others, putting their people before themselves. In the Lakota culture this is known as a Tokala Society. The Tipi Raiser's Tokalas recieve a stable wage in exchange for their  service and responsiveness to needs that arise among the most vulnerable in their communities. 

Norbert (Nobby) Bell is the "Keeper of the Firewood". Nobby tells a story that while sharing a meal with Tipi Raisers volunteers on Pine Ridge in 2017, he overheard a conversation about the need for a place to store and distribute firewood to families on the Pine Ridge reservation. A tribal elder dedicated to the concept of Tokala, Nobby chimed in: “If you’re looking for someone to help get the wood out to the people, I live right next door.”
To this day, Nobby still oversees our firewood program on Pine Ridge. He shared with us that his traditional ways inspire him to help us get firewood to those who need it, and we are grateful every day for his selfless spirit and the humble leadership with which he chops, organizes, and directs firewood to families in need of warmth. Thanks to Nobby's efforts, the Tipi Raisers has regularly provided firewood and wood bricks for over 75 families and individuals - many of them elders.

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Pansy has been a part of our Tipi Raiser's family since 2018. She works full time on Pine Ridge but in her spare time, has always selflessly and joyfully volunteered with the Tipi Raisers. In 2020 and 21 she regularly helped to pack food and supplies for our COVID response efforts and always helps with cooking and cleaning when we have volunteer groups visiting our base camp on Pine Ridge. But it is Pansy's mere presence that we are most grateful for.  When Pansy joins Gen7 gatherings or volunteer groups, she shows up as a valued Lakota elder; through her storytelling, her teachings around Lakota wisdom and values, her openness to meet new friends and visit new places, her quick wit and sense of humor and through her love for family and for the young people, Pansy is a true gift in our community and we count ourselves blessed to work and play alongside of her!