Billy Mills is Running Strong’s National Spokesperson. He is an Olympic Gold Medalist and Oglala Lakota (Sioux) from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Billy Mills travels throughout the country speaking to American Indian children and their families. His goal is to inspire youth and encourage dignity, character, and pride through their American Indian heritage.

Highlights from 2007:

• Billy Mills spoke to the Wambli Wiconi Tipi Juvenile Detention Center on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, SD. His speech was part of an ongoing effort to combat the high rates of youth suicide that Rosebud has experienced in recent years.

• Billy Mills spoke at the 100 Year Anniversary Celebration of the Cortina Band of Wintun Indians of the Cortina Reservation, CA.

• Billy Mills participated in a Community Health Walk on the Tule River Reservation, CA.

• Billy Mills participated in a charity golf tournament in Chickasha, OK which benefited a feeding, clothing, and counseling program for American Indian youth in the area.

• Billy Mills was featured in an episode of Indian Pride, a 13-part cultural magazine airing on PBS stations nationwide, about heroes.

• Billy Mills was an honored guest at the event “An Evening with KU Track Legends,” benefiting the Bert Nash Center (a community provider of mental health services in Douglas County, KS).

• Billy Mills gave an interview for First Talk, a 35-part show airing nationally in Canada on APTN and OMNI, about health and total wellness in the American Indian Community.

• Billy Mills made an appearance at the North American Indigenous Games in Colorado to encourage Native athletes from 900 nations and two countries.

• Billy Mills made an appearance at the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) Conference in Phoenix, AZ and the National Congress of the American Indian (NCAI) Conference in Sacramento, CA, where he shared Running Strong’s mission with Tribal and other American Indian leaders.

• Billy Mills awarded Honor Roll certificates for the 7th and 8th grades at the Browning Middle School in Montana.

I recently met Billy Mills when he came down to Oklahoma...I would love to thank him for his words. It was the best thing I could have heard. -Anissa Angelosante, Oklahoma State University student and runner