Eric Pinto, MSW

Eric Pinto (Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Zuni), MSW, currently serves as Assistant Director for the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies where he supports Buder Scholars, recruits prospective Native American students, provides professional development opportunities, and collaborates with the Buder Center’s partners in Native American projects and events.

Eric earned his BS in Health Management from Southeast Missouri State University in 2010 and was a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist for nine years at two Gold’s Gym locations in the St. Louis area. In 2018, Eric was accepted into the Brown School’s Master of Social Work program and was awarded the G.A., Jr. Scholarship through the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies. Eric gained valuable educational experiences in research, assessment, evaluation, and program development. He also served on the Assessment Committee for the Annual WashU Powwow and co-chair for the American Indian Student Association.

After graduating in the summer of 2020, Eric began working for the Buder Center as a Project Coordinator where oversaw production of the Digital Indigenous Storytelling Project. In 2021, Eric became the Buder Center’s Research Assistant where he conducted historical and archaeological research to produce the Indigenous Peoples, Land and History of Missouri Brief. Later that year, he was promoted to Community Projects Coordinator where he was involved in numerous projects and programs such as the Trail Marker Tree Project and Hunt-Fish-Gather program. In addition, he has provided numerous educational presentations within the St. Louis community that focuses on Native people, cultures, and history. Eric has a deep passion for improving the visibility of Native people, Native American history, and Indigenous health and well-being.