2024 Alumni Honors: Dr. Monica Mayer
Dr. Mayer was the first female ever to serve the MHA Nation Tribal Council, and first female physician to serve a tribal council in the U.S.
Hometown: New Town, N.D.
Area of Study: Medicine
Dr. Monica Mayer, ’95, points to four “profound experiences” that have shaped her: being selected twice to the North Dakota Girls Basketball All-State team, after which New Town (N.D.) High School retired her jersey; graduating as an M.D. from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences; being selected to represent all 574 Native American tribes in testimony to the United Nations; and now, receiving the Sioux Award for Distinguished Achievement & Leadership from her alma mater.
Monica earned a basketball scholarship to Williston State College. However, a career-ending knee injury after transferring to Northern Arizona University forced her to rethink her future. “It was an epiphany. Basketball taught me valuable lessons: discipline, sacrifice, commitment, working together as a team, but I couldn’t live off it,” she said. “Education was going to be the only guarantee in my life.”
She completed a degree in science education and briefly taught before feeling a pull toward medicine. She joined the Army, serving as a medic and medical supply specialist. This path provided her with the experience and financial aid needed for medical school.
After earning her medical degree, Dr. Mayer returned to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. She became the chief medical officer for the Indian Health Service’s Great Plains Area, managing 19 medical facilities across four states.
As a child, Dr. Monica Mayer was given the name Good Medicine – “Xubaari Cagi” – by her grandmother, a namesake reflecting her caregiving nature.
Monica’s commitment to service led her to run for the Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Tribal Business Council in 2016, representing the North Segment of the reservation. She became the first female physician to serve on a tribal council in the United States. Since her term began, law enforcement has increased from two officers to nine tribal and three city officers, plus 15 drug enforcement agents; Main Street has been revitalized with a new laundromat and daycare center; and the $85 million North Segment Community Center is slated to open in December 2025, featuring an indoor pool, track, and elders' meal site.
She has also poured herself into supporting the tribal youth, providing school supplies and regularly speaking in classrooms. From 2016-20, the New Town school had graduation rate increased from 52% to 90%.
Throughout her career, she has confronted public health crises, including diabetes, heart disease, and COVID-19. However, she says the real crisis in her community is addiction. She helped open The Door Resource & Recovery Lodge but acknowledges that the real work lies in prevention. “We can address the alcohol and drug addictions, but we have to spend our time and money on prevention – every activity we do has an anti-drug campaign behind it.”
Monica's advocacy extended to the global stage when she testified before the United Nations on violence against Indigenous women, which drew significant international attention.
Throughout her journey, Dr. Monica Mayer has been a steadfast advocate for the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. As she gears up to run for a third term on the tribal council, her message of the importance of education and health remains, along with a lesson passed on by her mother: “Serve the Lord first, your family second, and your community third.”
