Jesse L. Renteria is a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He earned his B.A. in history from Creighton University. During his undergraduate years, Jesse spent time abroad teaching English in Haitian refugee camps and worked at a school for handicapped children in the Dominican Republic. He immediately pursued advanced studies at the University of Notre Dame following his time at Creighton University. During his graduate studies Jesse served as a middle school teacher on the Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation in Tucson, Arizona.

Jesse also provided research and writings on a Smithsonian sponsored project at the Center of Southwest Studies in Durango, Colorado. The project titled, “The Jewelry of Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell” was displayed at the National Museum of the American Indian during the museum’s opening and is currently on tour. Some of Jesse’s honors include the Alan M. Schleich Award for the top history major and the Spirit of Creighton Award conferred upon the top graduate at commencement.

Jesse was a Public Policy Fellow for Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute where he worked at the Library of Congress in the Office of Workforce Diversity and in the Congressional Research Service (CRS) division. Jesse also served as the acting Public Relations Director for the National Indian Gaming Association prior to joining Ietan Consulting, LLC.