Valerie Red-Horse facts for kids

Valerie Red-Horse Mohl (born 1959) is an American investment banker, business owner, and filmmaker. She was the CEO of two companies, Native Nations Securities and Red-Horse Securities. These are believed to be the first investment firms owned by a Native American woman.

Valerie Red-Horse Mohl's Career Journey

Early Life and Education

Valerie Red-Horse Mohl graduated with honors from the UCLA's Theater Arts Department in 1981. She also studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. Before finishing college, she started working at Drexel Burnham Lambert in 1978. She worked there until 1985.

Valerie is married to Curt Mohl. They met when she was a cheerleader and he was a football player at UCLA. They have three children. She is a member of the Mount Tabor Indian Community, a Native American group in Texas.

Filmmaking with Red-Horse Native Productions

Valerie Red-Horse Mohl founded Red-Horse Native Productions, Inc. This company makes movies and TV shows. It also creates Native American herbal skincare and hair care products.

Her film Naturally Native (1998) was made by her company. Valerie was the writer, producer, co-director, and main actress in this movie. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation helped fund the film. It first showed at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. Naturally Native won several awards. In 2007, Red-Horse Native Productions released the film across the country in Wal-Mart stores.

Valerie also produced and directed a documentary for PBS called “True Whispers: The Story of The Navajo Code Talkers.” This film was about the brave Navajo Code Talkers from World War II. She then made another film, Choctaw Code Talkers, about the Code Talkers who served in World War I.

From 2014 to 2016, Valerie helped organize a special event. It was a tour of Native American films from the last 100 years. The UCLA Film and Archive sponsored this tour.

Financial Work with Native Nations and Red-Horse Financial Group

In 1998, Valerie Red-Horse started Native Nations Securities. This company was based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) licensed firm. It is thought to be the first investment bank owned by a Native American. The company offered financial help specifically for Native American tribes. This included tribal finance, economic growth for tribes, and training programs for young people.

In 2004, Valerie moved her office to California. She then started her own company, Red-Horse Financial Group, Inc. This company helps tribes with financial advice. Since 2004, Red-Horse Financial Group has helped many tribal clients. Valerie has become a top expert in tribal finance. During her career, she has helped Native American Tribal Nations raise over $3 billion in money for their projects.