Two CLA Alumni Named 2025 Bush Fellows
Two CLA alumni have been named 2025 Bush Fellows. The Bush Foundation has long worked on inspiring and supporting creative problem solving by investing in great ideas and the people behind them. One way they do this is through the fellowship program, celebrating leaders who are working towards making meaningful, lasting change.
Congratulations to Nate Gibbs and John Little on this achievement. Learn more about them below.
As a K-12 education leader, principal coach, and champion for Black male educators, Nate Gibbs is reimagining what educational leadership can look like in Minnesota’s school systems. Leading at the forefront of large-scale efforts focused on equity-centered initiatives, restorative practices, and trauma-responsive care, Gibbs aims to help transform school systems into places where all students feel seen, heard, and cared for.
As a Bush Fellow, Gibbs plans to pursue graduate study and explore new ways to build and sustain research-based systems that better support and elevate school leaders from underrepresented backgrounds.
As a Native student advocate, higher education equity leader, and systems shifter, John Little is reshaping what higher education can mean for Native students. A citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Little has built his career at the intersection of advocacy, mentorship, and systemic change. Little believes in the power of education as a tool for healing, empowerment, and narrative reclamation.
As a Bush Fellow, Little seeks to deepen his skills in leadership, fundraising, and organizational design to launch the Tokahe Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to higher education and advancement for Native students in South Dakota.
