Alumna Monica Buckle explores all paths to discover her true calling

Monica Buckle ’07, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation from Greenwich, Connecticut faced unexpected trials and tribulations throughout her life. Thanks to her daring spirit and drive, she found ways to overcome and find her purpose.

As a young girl, Buckle spent her summers in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. Raised by a single mother who sacrificed everything for her and her brother—teaching them that “love” is an action. Once Buckle reached high school, Sacred Heart Academy taught her that service to others was more important than service to herself. This lesson inevitably set the foundation for her role as a future leader.

As a teenager, Buckle traveled the world and fell in love with art, diverse societies and engaging cultures—it was through these experiences that Buckle developed a passion for working with the public. This passion inspired her to plot a clear career path when she arrived at Lynn University in 2003 to pursue a Bachelor of Science in hospitality administration.

“What I remember most fondly about Lynn was the entrepreneurial atmosphere it fostered,” said Buckle. “Through the guidance of my professors, my peers and I were taught how to apply what we learned in class to the real world.”

Mainly through demographics, Buckle and her classmates broke down public relations and marketing statistics and learned how to reach various audiences. To this day, Buckle considers the practical lessons she learned on campus among the most essential tools she has applied throughout her career.

To further her personal development, Buckle sought on-campus and off-campus opportunities. Through Lynn, she worked at the Miami Food and Wine Festival, where she honed her communication skills and public persona by working with celebrities from the wine and culinary world. She attended a Lynn trip to the mystical ruins of Machu Picchu, perched high on the slopes of the Andes mountains in Peru, where she had the unique opportunity to hike the Inca Trail.

Outside of Lynn, Buckle took full advantage of South Florida’s vibrant environment. She picked up seasonal jobs, gigs, worked at a local Italian restaurant, and continued to prioritize service work when she volunteered at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.

“There was so much freedom and availability. If you were interested in something, you could try it or add to what you were already doing,” said Buckle. “It was a dynamic time in my life.”

But everything that was dynamic at the time soon turned static when Buckle faced a drastic shift in her life.

Less than two weeks before graduating from Lynn, Buckle was in the middle of a run and suffered a severe hip fracture that forced her to undergo emergency surgery. Tragically, Buckle’s surgery was botched, and suffered from bleeding complications throughout the surgery. She was unable to partake in Lynn’s Commencement ceremony and once she was released from the hospital, Buckle was unable to walk for a year.

“I always remind myself that I’m breathing,” said Buckle. “That mindset can get you through anything.”

David Schapiro, associate dean of the College of Business and Management, was kind and understanding of the challenges affecting her academic performance. Schapiro helped manage Buckle’s workload as she healed from her injury.

“At Lynn, I wasn’t just a number, I had relationships with faculty,” said Buckle. “The personal environment at Lynn made it possible for me to finish my degree on time. The small class sizes and my close relationship with my professors helped me get through those harsh times.”

Buckle moved back home to Connecticut and went to Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, where she fortunately received life-changing care. It took three additional hip surgeries to correct the issues she encountered in her original operation.

Now came a crucial moment in Buckle’s life. A career in hospitality now seemed impossible—the extent of her injury did not allow her to keep up with the physical demands required by the job. Despite this adversity, Buckle stayed grounded and harked back to the experiences she garnered growing up with her family. She pivoted her focus to her love of art.

“I had always loved art. I took art history classes, I visited museums, galleries and art fairs,” said Buckle. “Even while I was a hospitality student at Lynn, I was doing all these things.”

What began as a hobby turned into a new career path. Buckle pursued her M.A. in art business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York City.

“I now had a real-world approach to art. You must welcome the public into your space; you must anticipate social trends, what people appreciate and what appeals to them,” said Buckle. “That knowledge came from my hospitality background at Lynn.”

After graduating from Sotheby’s, Buckle began her career by serving as a docent at The Brant Foundation Art Study Center in Greenwich, Connecticut. It wasn’t long until she founded Monica Buckle Gallery LLC—an online art gallery exhibiting at New York art fairs, representing contemporary emerging artists. Buckle also ran her private consultation business and volunteered at Pegasus Therapeutic Riding in New York—her favorite place in the world—where she oversaw riding and horsemanship sessions for individuals with disabilities and special needs. At this time, Buckle began to reflect on what was important in her life.

As a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, she developed a passion for creating respectful representation for Native Americans and Indigenous peoples.

“If I’m going to spend seven days a week working, I should do something meaningful,” said Buckle. “I realized what’s most meaningful to me is helping and promoting native artists and archaeology. People think these tribes no longer exist, but they indeed are in existence and thriving in the United States.”

There are currently 574 federally recognized tribes and 63 state-recognized tribes.

Buckle worked with indigenous artists and became the visual arts coordinator and public relations specialist for the American Indian Community House in New York City. Much of Buckle’s work took her to the American Southwest, where she did public relations and curatorial work. It was through these journeys that she came to know Ken Zoll, the executive director of the Verde Valley Archaeology Center and Museum.

Seeking someone to oversee the renovations of their new museum facility, Zoll offered her the position of deputy director. After the remodeling was completed, Zoll retired and nominated Buckle to be his successor—a position she holds today. At the museum, Buckle works with both the Hopi tribe and the Yavapai-Apache Nation of Arizona, sharing their artifacts, cultural items, and heritage with the public and incorporating contemporary voices from members and community leaders of the tribe.

In 2023, Buckle was appointed by Governor Hobbs of Arizona as a Commissioner to serve on the Arizona Commission on the Arts. In this role, she helps make art accessible throughout the state of Arizona. She is also a board member of the Mesa Verde Foundation, the philanthropic partner to the Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado—a heritage site with 5,000 known archaeological sites. Other highlights of her career include a filmed interview with the former chief of the Cherokee Nation and being invited by West Point Military Academy to speak as their Native American speaker in 2019. Buckle still has engagements in South Florida and was a guest speaker at The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach.

Buckle refers to herself as a “student of life” and attributes her success to her entrepreneurial spirit, self-motivation and innovation. As for her advice to Lynn students:

“You have to be your own promoter,” said Buckle. “No one is going to promote you. Don’t be afraid to take a risk. Send that email, make that call—even if nothing happens instantaneously, something may come around in a few months, and in my professional experience, it could take a few years. Just put the energy out there.”

A Cherokee proverb that resonates with Buckle:

“When you were born, you cried, and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.”