Shelley BuckShelley Buck

EMILYs List recruits, trains and supports Democratic pro-choice women candidates at every level of the ballot. By helping to elect these women to office in 2025 and 2026, we’re not only building a foundation for the future, but we’re also putting strong women in charge of decisions that affect women and families every day — from the legislators who write laws to the attorneys general who defend and enforce them to the secretaries of state who ensure access to the ballot.

Shelley Buck is President of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi, a Dakota-led nonprofit in Minneapolis. Buck is an enrolled member of the Prairie Island Indian Community and served 12 years on the Prairie Island Tribal Council, including six years as president.

Buck has a Bachelor of Science in business accounting from Indiana University, a Master of Art in sports management from Concordia University, and a Master of Jurisprudence in federal Indian law from the University of Tulsa.

Buck currently serves on the boards of the Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi in St. Paul; Meet Minneapolis, Metropolitan Council American Indian Advisory Board, Minneapolis Park & Rec American Indian Advisory Council and Board of Regents for Augsburg University in Minneapolis. She also held the position of Alternate Regional VP for the National Congress of American Indians.

Buck was awarded the Minnesota Lynx Inspiring Women’s Award (2019), Goodhue County Citizen of the Year Award (group award 2019), Minnesota 500 The Most Powerful Business Leaders in Minnesota (2020), Minnesota Indian Education Association’s Tribal Leader of the Year Award (2022), and Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s Women in Business Honoree (2025).