LEADERSHIP & GOVERNANCE
NAFSA’S Leadership Council (Board of Directors) is comprised of 16 activists that have been working on Native food sovereignty issues for many years. Their combined wisdom and experience have provided the organization with a firm foundation on which to build and sustain a movement that will affect Native communities now and in the years to come.
The Leadership Council has guided the ongoing activities and the formation of the organization. In 2016, the current board of directors was elected from the Leadership Council to serve five-year terms with staggered elections for continuity and smooth transitions. The board meets quarterly by conference call and meets in person annually.
Boards have 3 and 5-year terms that are up for re-election. Seven members from the Leadership Council serve on the Executive Committee for renewable 1-year terms. Selection of new Leadership Council members take place through a transparent and inclusive nomination, review and evaluation process.
Our dedicated Leadership and Governance guides NAFSA to success!
Staff and Consultants
Diane Wilson, Lakota
Executive Director
diane@nativefoodalliance.org
Rowen White, Mohawk
Program Director – Indigenous Seed Keeper’s Network
rowen@nativefoodalliance.org
Nicole Yanes, OPATA
Supervisor – Food and Culinary Mentorship Program
nicole@nativefoodalliance.org
Elena Terry, Ho-chunk
Lead Mentor – Food and Culinary Mentorship Program
elena@nativefoodalliance.org
KAYLEIGH WARREN, SANTA CLARA PUEBLO / ISLETA PUEBLO
Communications Coordinator
kayleigh@nativefoodalliance.org
DR. JESSICA DOLAN, advocate + academic ally
Grant Writer
grants@nativefoodalliance.org
KRISTINE PIASECKI, COUCHICHING First nation
Human Resources + Finance Specialist
kristine@nativefoodalliance.org
Shiloh Maples, OJIBWE / ODAWA
Upper Midwest Regional Seed Network Coordinator
shiloh@nativefoodalliance.org
2020 – 2021 Executive Committee
Julie Garreau, Cheyenne River Sioux
Committee President
Executive Director, Cheyenne River Youth Project
Edward H Hall III, Arikara / Hidatsa
Committee Vice President
Transportation Specialist/Tourism Coordinator, Bureau of Indian Affairs
ehhh3d@verizon.net
Elizabeth Hoover, Mohawk
Committee Secretary
Associate Professor, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley
elizabeth_m_hoover@brown.edu
Jon Matthews, Nez Perce (Nimiipuu)
Committee Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer, Colombia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
matj@critfc.org
dr. Josie Chase, Mandan / Hidatsa Ihunktawanna / Hunkpapa
Consultant /Director Horse Nation Healing
jozc@wescomm.com
Dan Cornelius, Oneida
Technical Assistance Specialist for the Great Lakes Region, Intertribal Ag. Council
dan@IndianAgLink.com
Roy Kady, DinÉ
Navajo-Churro Sheep Presidium
roykady@outlook.com
Gloria Skeet, DinÉ
2016 – 2021 Leadership Council
Clayton Brascoupe, Mohawk
Executive Director, Native American Traditional Farmers Association
tnafa_org@yahoo.com
Loretta Barrett Oden, Potawatomi
Chef
shedreams2@me.com
Terrol Johnson, Tohono O’odham
Executive Director, Tohono O’odham Community Action
tdewj@yahoo.com
Les Brown
villageevents@gmail.com
Elvera Sargent, Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne
Manager, Friends of the Akwesasne Freedom School
bela@westelcom.com
Tristan Reader
Assistant Professor of Practice American Indian Studies, University of Arizona
treader@email.arizona.edu
Advisory and Ex-Officio Leadership Council Members
Adae Romero, Cochiti pueblo / Kiowa
Associate Director of Research, First Nations Development Institute
vena.adae@gmail.com
Winona LaDuke, Anishinaabe
Executive Director, Honor the Earth
winonaladuke1@gmail.com
Terrie Bad Hand, Italian / Cherokee
Co-Founder, Woksapé
tbadhand@newmex.com
Pati Martinson, French / Lakota
Co-Founder, Woksapé
wowoki@taosnet.com