Racing Magpie Team
Mary V. Bordeaux, Ed.D.
Co-Founder & Co-Director
Mary (Sicangu/Oglala Lakota) received her BA from the Institute of American Indian Arts and MFA from the University of the Arts both in museum studies with an emphasis on exhibition design and planning. She recently completed her educational doctorate at Saint Mary’s University researching Lakota epistemology. Bordeaux has held curatorial positions with The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School and The Indian Museum of North America at Crazy Horse Memorial where she led extensive revamping of collections, exhibitions, and other aspects of the organizations. She co-curated a Native art exhibition in Venice, Italy, during the Biennale, and has served on the organizing committee of Native POP: People of the Plains, the Sculpture Committee at Main Street Square in Rapid City, and in a governor-appointed position on the board of directors of the South Dakota Arts Council. mary <at> racingmagpie <dot> org
RaeAnne Schad
Program Curator
RaeAnne (Rae) Schad, Cheyenne River Lakota, was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. She received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2014 where she studied under Pamela Fry. After graduation, she returned to the Black Hills to work with her community. She has a comprehensive background working with students from elementary to post-secondary education through her time with RCAS Indian Education and the American Indian Education Fund, a program of Partnership With Native Americans. During her time at PWNA, she managed a national scholarship program, supported Indigenous scholarship students, and worked with high profile donors and organizations. In her spare time, RaeAnne enjoys spending time with her dog, attending concerts, and traveling.
Peter J. Strong
Co-Founder & Co-Director
Peter is the co-director and co-founder of Racing Magpie, where he is dedicated to supporting Native artists, arts, culture, and communities through creativity and being a good relative. He has held leadership positions at The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School and First Peoples Fund, and has played key roles in many projects around the region, including Native POP: People of the Plains cultural event, the National Folklife Network, and the Waterers. Peter also teaches as an adjunct instructor at Oglala Lakota College and the Institute of American Indian Arts. He earned a BA in US History from Marshall University, an MA in History and New Media with a focus in Museum Studies from George Mason University, and an MFA in Cultural Administration from the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Racing Magpie Partners, Past and Present
Golnesa AsheghAli
Born to Iranian parents in Arlington, Golnesa spent the majority of her life in Northern Virginia. A dedicated practitioner of Shotokan karate for the past 25 years, Golnesa followed her beloved master, Sensei Ahmad Ali Mazhari, and moved to occupied Oceti Sakowin Territory in 2014. Golnesa received a Bachelor of Arts in History from George Mason University (GMU) in 2007 and received a BA in Religious Studies in 2008. In 2015, she received her Master of Arts (GMU) in the field of Islamic Studies. Golnesa completed her second Masters degree in the field of secondary education from Black Hills State University in 2016 and after two wonderfully successful years in the classroom, made the very difficult decision to leave to push for equitable learning and growth opportunities for young people, outside of the colonial schooling system and the non-profit industrial complex. Golnesa’s harmful experience of xenophobia from co-workers and institutional resistance to change, coupled with her love and deep respect for young people and their families, drive her to work hard to offer truly youth centered spaces that encourage artistic expression and cultivate real critical thinking and a passion for literacy that will naturally lead to personal and collective liberation.
Golnesa worked as the Lead Facilitator for CCLI.
Clementine Bordeaux, Ph.D.
Clementine is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate and was raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation. From 2011-2017 she worked as the Academic Coordinator for the American Indian Studies Interdepartmental program at the University of California, Los Angeles, and is currently a University of California President’s and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at UC, Riverside, in the Department of English. Before moving to Los Angeles, Clementine earned her graduate degree from the University of Washington, Seattle, through the Native Voices Indigenous documentary film program.
Clementine works with Racing Magpie through Winter Camp, exhibition work, and supporting our community programming.
Dusty L. Nelson
Wi Pxehin Ži Win | Dusty L. Nelson, Oglala Lakota mother and relative was born and raised in her tribal community of Pine Ridge, were she continues her work in cultivating Lakota Language and Culture reclamation efforts. A graduate of Oglala Lakota College and the Montessori Center of Minnesota, Dusty combines her cultural heritage with contemporary best educational practices to create educational opportunities for her community.
Dusty worked with us as facilitator and evaluation lead for CCLI.
Tosa Two Heart
Tosa is an ikce winyan, an ordinary woman. She is Oglala/Hunkpapa Lakota and is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Tosa was born and raised in the Pine Ridge Reservation. She is a local artist to the He Sapa (Rapid City, South Dakota). She has been creative since her first memories. She has worked with various mediums and has won first-place awards multiple times in the Heard Museum Student Art Show as a high school student artist. Tosa has worked and continues to work in a Native-serving non-profit since 2008.
A UCLA alum, and a Bentley University Master of Business Administration graduate, she decided to pursue her fashion interests by opening an online shop in the summer of 2017. Her aesthetic is of Lakota traditional designs with bold colors and composition. Her fashion has been featured in various fashion shows throughout the years. Her designs have been modeled in Native Max Magazine and Hamiinat magazine. Tosa has participated in various local fashion shows and was honored to travel to Box Elder, Montana, to close the 2022 Honor Our Legacy Fashion Show.
Tosa has held studio space at Racing Magpie in the past, and she worked with us through the Sinew Fund and other projects.
Board of Directors
Racing Magpie is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in South Dakota. Our founding and current board members are listed below:
Molina Parker (Oglala Lakota) - President
Wade Patton (Oglala Lakota) - Vice President
Linda Anderson - Secretary/Treasurer
Mary V. Bordeaux (Sicangu Lakota)
Peter J. Strong
Supporters and Partners
Racing Magpie is supported in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, we are supported in part through an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the South Dakota Arts Council. South Dakota Arts Council support is provided with funds from the State of South Dakota, through the Department of Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
With support from the Rapid City Arts Council through the City of Rapid City.