School Board
Photo: Left to Right Chairman: Ben Ridgley Member: Marion Old Man Secretary: Frances Blackburn Treasurer: Elsie Charging Crow Vice Chairwoman: Sandra C’Bearing
Chairman - Ben Ridgley
307.851.1147 | Benridgley007@gmail.com
Vice-Chairman - Sandra C’ Bearing
307.438.3787 | cbears54@yahoo.com
Treasurer - Elise Charging Crow
307.855.5608 | Elsie.chargingcrow@windrivercares.com
Secretary - Frances Blackburn
307.438.0663 | fbburn61@gmail.com
Member - Marion Oldman
307.438.3984 | Oldmanmarion6@gmail.com
School Board Meetings, Minutes and Agendas
Our Members
Frances Blackburn – Secretary, St. Stephens Indian School Board
Frances Blackburn is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe. She currently serves as Secretary of the St. Stephens Indian School Board. Frances is a dedicated advocate for families and communities, with a lifelong commitment to public service and justice.
She holds an associate degree in Criminal Justice and has extensive professional experience in law enforcement and social services. Frances began her career as the first female police officer on the Wind River Reservation and was the first woman from the reservation to graduate from the Indian Police Academy. Over the years, she has served as an Adult and Juvenile Probation Officer and worked for seven years as an investigator with the Department of Family Services.
Frances is currently employed as a victim advocate with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. Her training includes the Indian Police Academy, Wyoming State Investigator’s Training, Forensic Child Victim Interviewing, and Victim Advocacy.
Her passion for advocacy deepened through personal experience. When her oldest son faced challenges in school, she worked tirelessly to support him, navigating mental health services, medications, and traditional healing practices. This journey led her to become a Native American Parent Advocate with an intertribal organization. She later served on the Board of Directors for the Administration for Children and Families in Washington, D.C., where she helped develop policies to support children with behavioral, emotional, and mental health needs. She was the first Native parent to hold that position.
All six of Frances’s children attended St. Stephens Indian School, and she is a proud alumna. Her deep connection to the school, which began when she enrolled in third grade, continues to inspire her service. Frances is committed to helping St. Stephens grow into a school in which students, families, and the community can take pride.
