Press Release
For Immediate Release
From Recipient to Leader: Hopi Education Endowment Fund Names Former Scholarship Recipient as New Executive Director
Contact: 928-734-2275 | luannleonard@hopieducationfund.org
Kykotsmovi, AZ – May 30, 2025 – In a powerful story of community investment coming full circle, the Hopi Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) proudly announces the appointment of Alexandra “Alex” Hoyungowa as its new Executive Director. A former HEEF scholarship recipient, Hoyungowa now returns to lead the very organization that helped shape her educational journey.
HEEF, established in 2000 to ensure long-term educational support for the Hopi people, has awarded scholarships to hundreds of Hopi students pursuing higher education. Hoyungowa is among its early success stories—a Hopi youth who, with HEEF’s support, earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University (NAU) and went on to build a career dedicated to community empowerment and education that included a stint as the Marketing and Special Events Manager at HEEF.
“We are thrilled to welcome Alex as Executive Director. Her personal journey is the embodiment of HEEF’s mission—to support Hopi students in becoming future leaders of our people,” said Dr. Wayne Taylor Jr., President of the HEEF Board of Directors. “It’s incredibly meaningful to have someone lead our organization who understands the impact of our work firsthand.”
Before joining HEEF in this leadership role, Hoyungowa held positions with NAU, where she focused on supporting Native American students fulfill their educational goals and objectives. She brings a deep understanding of student development at higher educational institutions, community engagement, and cultural responsibility.
“Receiving support from HEEF was life-changing for me,” said Hoyungowa. “It’s a profound honor to return as Executive Director and give back to the fund that invested in my future. I’m committed to ensuring that every Hopi student knows their dreams are possible—and that they have a community that believes in them.”
As Executive Director, Hoyungowa will guide HEEF in growing its endowment, expanding partnerships, building the future home for HEEF, and enhancing its programs—all while remaining grounded in Hopi values and traditions.
About the Hopi Education Endowment Fund (HEEF)
The Hopi Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) was established in 2000 as a segregated fund of the Hopi Tribe. It operates under a Hopi tribal ordinance as a public benefit program for exclusively educational and charitable purposes. Under Section 7871 of the Internal Revenue Code, tribal government instrumentalities, such as HEEF, may receive tax deductible donations from individuals and corporations, qualified charitable distributions from individual retirement accounts, and grants that count as qualifying distributions from private foundations. For more than 24 years, the HEEF has been building a fund that ensures opportunities for education will always be available for Hopi students.
