Joe Nayquonabe, Jr. is an American Indian business professional that has spent his career reimagining and reinventing how American Indian tribal economies grow and prosper. He spent over a decade as a marketing executive with Grand Casino before founding Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures, a company that manages the entire business portfolio of the Mille Lacs Band. He also founded Maadaadizi Holdings, Makwa Global, and Lake Leaf Cultivation. He is now the Chief Strategy Officer for Blue Stone Strategy Partners.

Nayquonabe has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from St. Cloud State University, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management and a master of tribal administration and governance degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth.