Denise Juneau Speaker & Booking Information

Denise Juneau is the principal of Blue Cloud Consulting. She is an educator with a legal education who has a compelling record of accomplishment and extensive leadership experience that she can put to work for you. Denise served as a statewide elected official and was recognized by O, The Oprah Magazine, as a policy maker who “gets things done.” Denise also served as an Aspen-Rodel Fellow for her “outstanding ability to work responsibly across partisan divisions and bring greater civility to public discourse.”

Denise attended Head Start in Billings while her parents worked their way through college. By 2nd grade, her family moved to Browning where Denise’s grandmother was a school cook and mother to eight children, her grandfather was a medal-awarded veteran, police officer and drove school buses, and her parents were educators. Denise’s first job was alongside her grandma in the school kitchen.

She experienced first-hand the value of education and public service and recognizes they can change the course of someone’s life.

After graduating from Browning High School, Denise received her bachelor’s degree in English from Montana State University. She continued her education and earned a master’s from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. After teaching in North Dakota and Montana and working at the state education agency, Denise set her sights on the legal profession and received her juris doctorate from the University of Montana School of Law.

Denise has been honored to receive distinguished alumna awards from the University of Montana, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Montana State University. She has also received prominent achievement awards from the Harvard Law School, the National Education Association, Montana State University – Billings, College of Education, the National Indian Education Association, and Carroll College.

Denise is an enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa Tribes and a descendant of the Blackfeet tribe. In 2008, she became the first American Indian woman in the country ever elected to an executive statewide office. In 2012, she was reelected to a second term as Montana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction.

As Superintendent, Denise launched an unprecedented effort to make sure all Montana students who graduate from high school are prepared for college or military and civilian careers. She developed a statewide initiative, Graduation Matters Montana, which has made a positive difference in 58 communities. Graduation Matters Montana brought together school, business leaders, community members, students and families to work toward a common goal – that every student graduates from high school ready to succeed. Since the start of Graduation Matters, Montana’s graduation rate has increased to its highest level ever recorded.

She was also on the leading edge of implementing Indian Education for All, guiding the creation of culturally-relevant curriculum and professional development and training for Montana educators. Her work is always steeped in community and is inclusive of all voices.

In her tenure as superintendent, Denise has raised academic standards, expanded college and career readiness opportunities and advocated for policies to improve the quality of education in our state and nation. Denise believes that we all have a stake in our public education system, and when our students succeed, we all benefit.

Denise also sat on Montana’s Land Board, which has a constitutional duty to manage the state’s natural resources in a way that has the largest financial benefit to public schools. Denise has advocated for responsible natural resource development in a way that benefits Montana’s schools, keeps the state’s resource economy moving forward, and preserves access to public lands.

Denise is a nationally-recognized speaker and has given keynotes that engage diverse audiences in a meaningful and inspirational way. She has given speeches on the national stage, at state, regional and national conferences and at numerous commencement celebrations.