Gene Thin Elk, MA
Member of the Lakota Nation in South Dakota

Gene Thin Elk, MA, Lakota Sioux, is a spiritual leader and healer to the "Wase Wakpa" Sioux community in Vermillion, South Dakota, as well as to the thousands of individuals and communities he has worked with across America. Noted in a wide variety of publications for his exceptional leadership in the field of Native American drug and alcohol rehabilitation and cross-cultural training, Gene was listed among Time magazine’s top 100 people of the year, as well as a prominent contributor to the healing of Sioux people in the book, "Vision Quest".

Gene’s work has spanned the spectrum of health and healing to include cultural training for groups as diverse as nursing associations, psychiatrist, universities, banks, hospitals and prisons. Rooted in his spiritual leadership in the central prairies, Gene has traveled and worked extensively across the United States and into Canada as a healer, cultural advisor and program developer. Founder of the Medicine Wheel, Inc., Gene continues to be involved in the development of community-based initiatives for wellness and healing both locally and nationally. Gene, also a frequent speaker for the Center for Nursing Leadership.