About me
Micker (Mike) Richardson (Haliwa-Saponi), MBA, serves as the Director of the National American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Collaboration Office. NAIANHSCO is committed to assisting Head Start grantees in developing collaborative partnerships to improve the quality of life for American Indian and Alaska Native children and families. The NAIANHSCO serves 154 AIAN Head Start programs in 26 different states and over 300 tribes across the country. During his tenure as collaboration director, he has worked with Tribal programs and language partners to increase and expand Language/Culture Revitalization throughout Tribal communities, with the goal that all Tribal Head Start Programs and their communities have language programs for their youngest speakers and work toward restoring language for future generations. He is also the lead advocate on disabilities and mental health for AIAN Head Start families. This work involves collaborating with local, Tribal, state, and federal entities to ensure all Tribal children are receiving the appropriate services needed. In supporting professional development for early childhood staff, he works with Tribal and Non-Tribal Colleges and Universities across the country to be inclusive of a cultural learning environment that can support Tribal classrooms in early childhood.
