#  Patrice Kunesh (MC/MPA 2010) Receives HKS Alumni Public Service Award 

 





This award, established in 1997 and formerly known as the Alumni Achievement Award, recognizes alumni who have significantly improved the human condition at the local, state, provincial, national, or international level. Recipients will have made a substantial difference for people, organizations, or governments through a single influential act or a series of steps that produced positive societal change. Nominations come from HKS alumni, faculty, and staff.



 

May 20, 2026

 

 

   ![Photo of Patrice Kunesh receiving award](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-05/Patrice%20Kunesh_0.png?itok=o5WDV-2p) 

 

We were absolutely thrilled to welcome Patrice Kunesh to the “Public Service Hall of Fame” last week at a stirring ceremony at the Kennedy School. Patrice joined a select number of other honorees with a unique perspective on how Native governance is defining good governance — governance that non-Native leaders in the United States and abroad can and should emulate.

Her HKS Alumni Award nomination noted that “Her work with tribal governments has resulted in significant social, cultural, and economic development gains for Native people, created pathways to building homes and community facilities, supported establishment of essential governing institutions, such as tribal codes and courts, as well as securing enduring federal-state-tribal agreements on critical issues such as gaming, taxation, and child welfare.”

It was also stated that “Patrice’s lifelong commitment is deeply rooted in her Native heritage. When her grandfather was born in 1902 on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, Native people were not considered citizens of the United States. It wasn’t until 1924, when Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act, that her grandfather and all

   ![Speakers at HKS Alumni Awards Ceremony](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-05/Copy%20of%20Patrice%20Kunesh.png?itok=7ftU3hKX) 

 

 Native people were recognized as full citizens of the United States. How remarkable it is that his granddaughter, Patrice, would go on to lead three federal agencies, two of which focus on the rights and welfare of Native people, and while at the other she was able to target significant federal funding for housing and infrastructure in Native communities.”

Finally, we all think that Patrice has a ‘wow factor’ that is rare and beautiful… “The cumulative ‘wow factor’ is that Patrice not only ‘talks the talk,’ she ‘walks the walk.’ Her dedication to protecting Native rights and in doing so, honoring her Native family and community inspires all who cross her path. Patrice shared a glimpse of this in an article she wrote for the Harvard Gazette during her time at the Kennedy School entitled, ‘Living the Lessons We have Learned,’ dated April 29, 2010. We hope you will read it.”



 

 

 

 Learn More

 



 [ HKS Alumni Awards arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.hks.harvard.edu/alumni/connect/alumni-awards#alumni-public-service-award) 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

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