Director
Dr. Charlotte E. Davidson
(pronouns: she/her/hers)
Diné/Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation
- Email: drchar@illinois.edu
- Phone: 217-333-9294
Dr. Charlotte E. Davidson is Diné and a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. She is the daughter of Nora (Yazzie) Wilkinson and the late Wilbur D. Wilkinson, Sr. Her maternal grandparents are Sally (Manygoats) Yazzie and Kee Horseherder-Yazzie. Her paternal grandparents are Molly (Wolf) Wilkinson and Ernest P. Wilkinson. Concerning kinship relations, she is of the Tó'aheedlíinii (Water Flows Together People), born for the Waterbuster People. Her maternal grandfather’s clan is Kinłichíi’nii (Red House People), and her paternal grandfather is the Flint Knife clan.
She earned her B.A. degree in American Indian Studies from Haskell Indian Nations University, followed by both an M.Ed degree and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As Director of the Native American House at Illinois, she provides visionary leadership that fosters meaningful partnerships across academic institutions, tribal communities, and organizations. Her work informs national best practices and advances student success through culturally grounded, community-centered approaches.
Dr. Davidson presents nationally on Indigenous higher education, matrilineal pedagogies, and place-based relationalities. She has written and co-authored chapters in several influential texts, including Beyond the Asterisk: Understanding Native Students in Higher Education, Indigenous Leadership in Higher Education, Reclaiming Indigenous Research in Higher Education, A Better Future: The Role of Higher Education for Displaced and Marginalised People, Indigenous Motherhood in the Academy, and Developments Beyond the Asterisk: New Scholarship and Frameworks for Understanding Native Students in Higher Education.
Dr. Davidson is the recipient of the 2025 Student Affairs Outstanding New Staff Award and the 2025 Student Affairs Inclusive Excellence Staff Award. She has also designed and led two programs recognized by Student Affairs: the Native American House Ambassador Program, which received the 2025 Outstanding Program Social Justice Award, and the Indigenous Modality Making Collective, honored with the 2024 Student Affairs Outstanding Assessment Program Award. She was recently recognized as a 2026 NASPA Pillar of the Profession, an honor that recognizes distinguished leaders in student affairs who exemplify enduring professional excellence and meaningful service contributions, including engagement in knowledge creation.
Assistant Director
Morgan Bear, M.Ed.
(pronouns: she/her/hers)
Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi Tribe in Iowa (Meskwaki)
Morgan Bear is from Tama, Iowa, and grew up within the Meskwaki Settlement, the only federally recognized tribe in the state of Iowa. Her lived experiences contribute greatly to who she is today; in her words, “my culture comes with me everywhere I go.”
As a first-generation, low-income student, Morgan is familiar with the sacrifices, barriers, and challenges of pursuing higher education goals. Her academic path began in her tribe’s K–12 education system, followed by community college and then the University of Northern Iowa, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She went on to complete a Master of Education in Post-Secondary Student Affairs at Iowa State University and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies at the University of Iowa.
Professionally, Morgan is passionate about closing degree gaps for Indigenous and Native American students in higher education. Since earning her master’s, she has worked with TRIO Student Support Services, a program especially meaningful to her as a TRIO alumna. Grateful for the support TRIO provided her as a student, she now looks forward to bringing her experience, passion, and commitment to her new role at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Office Support Specialist
Patricia Rosario
(pronouns: she/her/hers)
- Email: rosario1@illinois.edu
- Phone: 217-244-2385
Patricia Rosario received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa, where she completed majors in Russian, Linguistics, Classics, Religion, and Art History. She received her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science, with a Graduate Certificate in Special Collections from the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is a candidate for a Certificate of Advanced Study from the iSchool at Illinois.
Headshot Photo Credit: Bryan E. Hebeler