Excellence and Expertise

Myaamia Center sees record number of students, leadership changes

A $12 million capital campaign will expand, renovate historic Bonham House

by Margo Rutledge Kissell, University Communications and Marketing • Published 8/27/26

Excellence and Expertise

Myaamia Center sees record number of students, leadership changes

A $12 million capital campaign will expand, renovate historic Bonham House

by Margo Rutledge Kissell, University Communications and Marketing • Published 8/27/26

It’s a record year for Miami University students enrolled in the Myaamia Heritage Award Program, with 22 first-year students and 55 overall now on campus.

“All but a couple of those students have a sibling or first cousin who've come through this program, so I think that it really is just a signal that families believe in this. They see the importance of this, and they trust us to send their students — sometimes across the country — to come to Miami and be a part of this,” said Kara Strass, Van Zant Director of Miami Tribe Relations.

A citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, Strass will become executive director of the Myaamia Center in January. Daryl Baldwin, executive director since the center’s inception in 2001, will step into a temporary role as mentor and advisor. He will provide strategic guidance and support to Strass and the Myaamia Center team until his formal retirement in fall 2027.

Baldwin also will step down as co-director with the National Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous Languages, based at the Myaamia Center in Bonham House. Under his leadership, the work of National Breath of Life (NBoL) has grown significantly.

“We're working with 25 different tribes across the United States,” Baldwin said, adding that he will work with the new NBoL director, expected to be named in December.