Bukata Hayes

Bukata serves as executive director of the Greater Mankato Diversity Council, which has provided diversity education to approximately 15,000 adults and youth in the greater Mankato area.

He previously served as the diversity support services program coordinator for Mankato Area Public Schools, and as multi-ethnic center coordinator, admissions counselor and instructor of sociology at Bethany Lutheran College, where he created the first-ever, multi-ethnic center on campus.

He is the founder of Love & Struggle, a consulting company that works with organizations and communities on issues of race, inclusion and equity. He also developed WRITE on RACE, a two-year curriculum and process designed to raise community awareness of racism.

Bukata earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from The College of St. Scholastica. He also serves on the boards of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, the Mankato chapter of the NAACP, the Mayo Clinic Health System – Mankato Hospital, and is a member of the City of Mankato Race, Equity and Leadership Team.