Left to right: Steven Davis, Zach Oxendine, Latrell Hendrickson, and Tristan Running Crane in the Empower Student Center in the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering.

November 16, 2023

By Christina Henderson

The Montana High Tech Business Alliance partnered with Misty Kuhl, Director of the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs, in welcoming Zach Oxendine, Engineering Technical Program Manager and Co-Chair of the U.S. Indigenous Employee Resource Group at Microsoft, to Bozeman on November 2, 2023.

Oxendine shared his story as an indigenous, rural, Air Force veteran in technical and leadership roles at Microsoft and a STEM champion with Natives Rising on campus at Montana State University. Natives Rising is a national nonprofit career accelerator for indigenous in tech and entrepreneurship.

Oxendine, a member of the Lumbee tribe from South Carolina, earned an associate's degree in Information Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. He now serves as a community colleges ambassador and advisor for the Microsoft TEALS program and leads STEM camps for Native youth.

Christina Henderson, Executive Director of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance, organized meetings for Oxendine to speak to MSU students and staff about tech careers and fellowship opportunities for indigenous tech majors in fields like computer science, IT, cybersecurity, data science, robotics, and computer engineering.

Oxendine met with Dr. John Paxton, director of the Gianforte School of Computing at MSU, and faculty and staff in Computer Science. He also held an info session for students in the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering Empower Center with Dr. Brett Gunnink, Dean of the College of Engineering, and Steven Davis, Assistant Dean of the Honors College and an enrolled member of the Blackfeet tribe of Montana and the Lower Brule Lakota of South Dakota. The Montana High Tech Business Alliance provided food and drinks.

Dr. Virginia Bratton and the American Indigenous Business Leaders at MSU also welcomed Oxendine to say a few words during the panel “Art and Entrepreneurship: A Native Take” sponsored by the MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship and the Blackstone Launchpad at MSU.

Oxendine was in Montana to speak at the Scaling Montana Summit hosted by Early Stage Montana on Friday, Nov. 3, along with Natives Rising co-founder and CEO Danielle Forward.

Thank you to Dean Brett Gunnink, Dr. Susan Kelly and the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, Dr. John Paxton and the Gianforte School of Computing, Dean Stephanie Gray and Gallatin College, Dr. Virginia Bratton and the MSU AIBL chapter, Dean Dan Miller and Mariah Stopplecamp and the Jabs College of Business, and Nick Ross-Dick and the office of American Indian/Alaska Native Student Success for your support and warm hospitality in helping us welcome Zach Oxendine and Natives Rising to Montana.

About the Publisher: Launched in 2014, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance is a nonpartisan nonprofit association of more than 200 high tech and manufacturing companies and affiliates creating high-paying jobs in Montana. For more information, visit MTHighTech.org or subscribe to our newsletter.

About the Author: Christina Henderson has served as executive director of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance since its launch in April 2014. She holds an English/Education degree from the University of Iowa and an MBA from the University of Montana.