Dr. Joshua Bonde, a Churchill County High School graduate and citizen of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone, has been appointed director of the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum in Carson City. Raised in Fallon, Bonde brings both deep local roots and more than 15 years of experience in Nevada museums and nonprofit leadership to his new role.
“The Stewart Indian Boarding School has had an impact on every single Indigenous family in the Great Basin,” Bonde said. “It is a big responsibility to caretake the story of this campus, honor the past and reclaim these 110 acres and 64 historic structures into a community space, but I am ready for the challenge.”
The Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum is a division of the Nevada Department of Native American Affairs (DNAA), which became a stand-alone state agency in July 2024. DNAA is charged with improving the quality of life for Nevada’s 28 Tribal governments, Colonies, and Bands, as well as for more than 62,000 urban Indians across the state. The department works to strengthen relationships between Tribal Nations and state and local governments, with a focus on advancing education, health, employment, and Tribal sovereignty.
“The Stewart Museum plays a key role in that mission,” said DNAA Executive Director Stacey Montooth. “It provides a powerful platform for outreach and education about the first people of this land, using exhibits, oral histories, and multimedia tools to preserve the history of Indian boarding schools in America.”
Montooth praised Bonde’s qualifications, adding, “Dr. Bonde’s convivial personality, his curiosity, and his previous professional credentials blends perfectly with his Native American experience. He is already a trusted voice in our Tribal communities, so he will be a strong leader as a conduit between our Tribal Nations and Nevada’s executive government.”
Bonde’s résumé includes faculty work at UNLV, leadership at the Nevada State Museum and Las Vegas Natural History Museum, and co-founding the Nevada Science Center. He holds degrees from the University of Nevada, Reno, Montana State University, and earned his Ph.D. in geoscience from UNLV.
Alongside his wife, Becky Hall, Bonde co-named Nevada’s first dinosaur species, Nevadadromeus schmitti, discovered in Valley of Fire State Park.
The Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum is located at 1 Jacobsen Way in Carson City and is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission and the self-guided campus walking tour are free. More information is available at www.stewartindianschool.com.
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