Dr. Carmaleta Monteith has dedicated her life to supporting the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She is an EBCI Beloved Woman, the highest honor a Cherokee woman can receive for exemplifying Cherokee core values. After a career in education, she became a founding board member of the Cherokee Indian Hospital Foundation and has remained a tireless advocate for her community.

In 2024, CIHF honored Monteith by establishing the Carmaleta Monteith Endowment for Cherokee Hospital Foundation with the North Carolina Community Foundation. The fund supports continuing education opportunities for hospital staff, helping them advance their careers and strengthen health care services for the Cherokee people. Monteith and the hospital aim to grow the endowment to $1 million.

Dr. Monteith, who turned 90 in June 2025, spoke with NCCF about her vision for the fund.

What does it mean to you that this endowment is named in your honor?
It was a wonderful surprise. I’ve always been involved in education and community work. I was especially pleased because many of our Tribal members are non-traditional students. They may have raised a family or worked for years and then gone back to school. This endowment is another resource to help with their professional development. I take it personally and feel that it is a huge responsibility that I’m anxious to assume.

How do you hope this fund will impact Cherokee Indian Hospital staff and Tribal members?
It’s another resource. As I mentioned, many Tribal members are non-traditional students, for the most part. You can find funding for degrees, but not always for enhancing skills at any stage. Whether it is certification, like for a certified nursing assistant, or other training, this may be the tipping point for them to provide more services to grow in their careers.

How does the partnership with the North Carolina Community Foundation help?
It is extremely important. By including us in your materials and highlighting our focus, you’re helping raise awareness.

What would you like people who support this fund to know?
Supporting this fund helps people build skills in their profession, which directly impacts their families by providing additional income.

Can you tell us about your fundraising goals?
We want to grow the endowment to $1 million. We’ve seen success with the Yogi Crowe Scholarship Fund that my mother founded, on whose board I serve. That started with a $100,000 goal and grew significantly with an estate gift. Now we’re building that endowment slowly, by $25 or $50 at a time. We have seen success in that, and we’re confident we can reach the goal with this endowment.

What drives you to stay so active at 90 years old?
When you have interests and experiences as a young person and things you enjoy, you just naturally want to continue.