Dr. Christopher Caldwell, Ph.D.

Dr. Christopher Caldwell, Ph.D., President of the College of Menominee Nation, is an enrolled member of the Menominee Nation. He resides on the reservation in the Keshena area with his wife, Toni, and daughters, Brooke and Trinaty.

His academic journey in higher education started with an Associate Degree in Sustainable Development from CMN. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resources from UW-Madison and a Master’s in Environmental Science and Policy from UW-Green Bay.  He earned his Ph.D. in Environment and Resources through the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Caldwell is the third president of CMN and has led the College since February 2020, serving first as Interim President before being officially installed by the Board of Directors in June 2021. Before becoming President, he served as the Director of the Sustainable Development Institute at CMN for seven years. Dr. Caldwell served in management and administrative roles within tribal sustainable forestry and natural resource management for over 20 years before CMN. 

About Dr. Christopher M. Caldwell, Ph.D,

Dr. Christopher M. Caldwell is a dedicated scholar with a strong background in

Indigenous sustainability is rooted in the Menominee sustainable forestry experience. His

professional career spanned time with Menominee Tribal Enterprises, USDA Forest

Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the College. During his time as Director of CMN

SDI, he began his doctoral program at UW Madison. In February 2020, the CMN

Board of Directors asked him to step in as interim President. He and his team navigated

the College through the pandemic, supporting the campus community as well as

surrounding Tribal nations and rural communities.

His focus has been prioritizing the CMN charter obligations to preserve, protect, and advance the Menominee way of life, and learning is learning by doing. This strategy builds on

high-quality academics and administration, which allows students to pursue their

individual goals while supporting the broader interests of the Menominee people while

supporting other Tribal nations and rural communities.

Dr. Caldwell’s dissertation, titled Indigenous Sustainability Thinking: A Menominee

Perspective, focused on Indigenous approaches to research, language revitalization,

and sustainability. The majority of this work is built from his experiences on the

Menominee reservation, and as part of the CMN Sustainable Development Institute

(SDI).