Dr. Shelly Valdez a Hispanic descent is a member of Pueblo at Laguna Tribe, located in central New Mexico. Shelly’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education, Master of Arts in Bilingual Education, and Ph.D. in Multicultural Teacher Education focusing on research in the area of Science Education.
Shelly has worked in the area of education for 30+ years and currently owns & manages an educational consulting business, Native Pathways, (NaPs), located in central New Mexico. An important component of NaPs focuses is in the area of world views in science education, primarily focusing on indigenous science. Shelly’s interest and passion for indigenous science has influenced her approaches in the field of education, evaluation and partnerships she works with. As part of her work, she is honored to attend various educational boards, committees. She supports educational programs at local, state and national levels. Her greatest moments in life are spending time with her son, Shpeyiah (Kyle) Swimmer, who ignites the inspiration for the work she does.
Shelly’s vision for the future is to continue to be an active participant and an advocate for influencing Worldviews in evaluation and educational opportunities for indigenous people