Montana People - Denise Juneau

Denise Juneau grew up in Browning on the Blackfeet Reservation.  She earned her undergraduate degree in English at Montana State University, a Master’s Degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a law degree from the University of Montana.  In 2010, Carroll College awarded her with an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters.

Denise taught high school English in New Town, North Dakota, and Browning.  She was a Montana Supreme Court judicial clerk and worked briefly for a national law firm before serving as the Director of Indian Education at the Office of Public Instruction. In 2008, Juneau became the first American Indian woman elected to serve in a statewide elected position. 

• Would you believe me if I told you... that I set high score and top rebound records when I played high school basketball.

•  The best piece of advice I ever got was... leave your comfort zone and trust your gut.

• My Native American heritage has made me... appreciative of diverse perspectives and worldviews and cultures.  

• The one habit I need to break... is eating potato chips.

• The one thing about the Blackfeet reservation that most outsiders don’t know is... it is the best place to grow up and learn about life and families’ importance to success.

• Nothing makes me laugh harder than... watching young children laugh when they are telling a joke. 

• When I took office as the Superintendent of Public Instruction I promised myself that I would... wake up every day and ask whether we were doing everything possible to ensure every child receives a quality education.

• When I look for inspiration, I... visit with students. They are the most optimistic people about the future. 

• I can tell you right now that I will never... say never.

• Good. Better. Best. When I say those words it reminds me... of how my quality of life and confidence progressed as I got older.

• My favorite outdoor sport is... fishing.

• The best thing about Montana education is... our communities’ support of their schools and students.

• No one will ever convince me... that there is a child who can’t be successful in school and life if they have the support of one caring adult.

• At the end of a long day... I like sitting with friends and catching up on their lives.

• No one ever told me... my mother would be right about everything. It’s sort of annoying.