Recognized for her groundbreaking leadership in Native American health service and tribal healthcare facilities, Whittney LaCroix, a Sicangu Lakota, is a patient-focused visionary who is transforming nursing staffing in Indian Country. As chief nursing officer for Tribal Health, which focuses on Indigenous healthcare staffing, LaCroix has consistently achieved safe staffing levels of over 95% — including at remote Native American health service facilities — by developing recruitment and retention strategies rooted in the feedback of nurses themselves. She has also worked to improve hiring within Tribal nations and to ensure that all staff work towards providing culturally appropriate care, resulting in increased trust between patients and providers.