Fearless. That’s how one manager describes Nikki DuPuy in her role at General Motors (GM). From DuPuy’s point of view, she’s the proud product of a Navajo matriarchy that stressed the importance of higher learning, hard work, and self-sufficiency. “I knew early on that I would make my own way in life,” she says about growing up in Tuba City, Ariz., on the Navajo Reservation. “It’s never been about taking a traditional journey, but about finding the right path for me.”

People often ask Foreign Service Officer Tashina Cooper, “Why did you choose to move so far from home and pursue a career that does not benefit Native people?”

“That this career does not benefit Native people is inaccurate,” says Cooper, who is assigned to U.S. Consulate Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. That puts Cooper a long way from the Navajo Nation where she was raised.

All the companies on the Winds of Change Top 50 Workplaces for Indigenous STEM Professionals list are strong supporters of diversity. But what are these workplaces doing that sets them apart?

Inclusive workplaces benefit everyone