William (Bill) Mendoza, an Oglala-Sicangu Lakota grew up on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Sioux reservations.  He is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Mendoza is a graduate of Todd County High School and received his Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from Fort Lewis College (FLC) in 2005. Currently, Bill is concluding the first year of his Masters of Education in Education Leadership at Montana State University (MSU). He is an educator and taught at Pine Ridge High School in Pine Ridge, SD before continuing is education at MSU. 2008 for Bill included serving as a field organizer for Kevin Killer for SD District 27 State Representative and Barack Obama for America. In 2004, Bill served as a Native American Outreach coordinator for the Democratic National Committee and the Kerry-Edwards campaign in Durango, CO. Mendoza has worked closely with professional and community organizations that are dedicated to the leadership development and civic engagement of Native American people. He includes among his closest friends, colleagues, and advisors the people of: Wellstone Action-Native American Leadership Program, Thunder Valley Tiospaye, Defenders of the Black Hills, Owe Aku, Teca Wacipi Okolakiciye, He Sapa Leadership Academy Advisory Board, Tusweca Tiospaye, and Wakanyeja Pawicayapi Inc.