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Gerald L. Hill (Oneida), President: is former Special Counsel to the Council of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropological linguistics from California State University – Northridge and a law degree from the University of California – Davis. An Advisor and Reader for the Administration for Native Americans’ Language Program, he is committed to acquiring and perpetuating the Oneida language. He served as ILI’s Board President, from 2001 to early 2004, and was unanimously reelected to that position in Fall 2004.
Joel Frank (Seminole, Florida), Vice-president: is Director of Grants and Intergovernmental Relations for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. He is a founding member and former President of the National Indian Gaming Association. He assists tribal economic development, nationally, as a volunteer with the National Center for Tribal Economic Development. He became Chairman of the Board of AMERIND Risk Management, a Native Corporation, in November 2004.
Robert Craig, Treasurer: is a Napa Valley Vintner. After receiving an undergraduate degree in economics and a Master of Business Administration degree, he held top management positions before he founded his own winery, Robert Craig Wine Cellars, in 1992. He is a professional member of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture. His involvement with ILI is an extension of a life-long interest in Native American culture.
Maura Dhu Studie, Secretary: actor/singer/producer has been in the entertainment industry all her life. Her work in Indigenous language preservation is shared with her husband, Wes Studi, to ensure their son carries forth his Cherokee language and culture. She is a founding Trustee of First Americans in the Arts, and served on that board for eight years.
Barney Bush (Shawnee) is a poet and writer and a former Institute of American Indian Arts Professor. He is a member of SACEM- the Society of Authors, Composers, and Editors of Music based in Paris, France, and a recording artist with nato records. Mr. Bush taught at Rough Rock High School, Chinle, AZ. He is the principal spokesman for the College of the REDWINDS.
John Echohawk (Pawnee of Oklahoma) is Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund for over 30 years. Having received his law degree from the University of New Mexico, he is a member of the Colorado Indian Bar Association and the Native American Bar Association. He serves on the boards of American India Resources Institute, Association on American Indian Affairs, Natural Resource Defense Council, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Environmental and Energy Study Institute, and Keystone Center.
Joe Garcia (Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) is currently serving as Chairman of the All Indian Pueblo Council of New Mexico, and is currently president of the National Congress of American Indians. He is President of his company Misty Lake Consulting, Inc. Governor Garcia is a fluent speaker of the Tewa language, and a dedicated advocate for the revitalization of Native languages for his people and for all Native nations.
Richard Littlebear, Ed.D. (Northern Cheyenne Nation) President of Dull Knife Memorial College in Lame Deer, Montana, is one of the Nation’s most knowledgeable experts on bilingual education in American Indian and Alaskan Native communities. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Bethel College, a Master of Education degree from Montana State University, and an Educational Doctorate from Boston University.
Patricia Ningewance Nadeau (Lac Seul, Ojibwe) of Ontario, Canada has worked in Ojibwe language development for 30 years in Ontario and in Manitoba, self-publishing her own language textbook, “Survival Ojibwe.” She believes that Native languages need to be learned in classrooms and in the community. She has worked in Native language television production at Wawatay Communications Society in Sioux Lookout, Ontario.
Rosita Worl (Tlingit): is currently Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau and President of Sealaska Heritage Institute. Dr. Worl earned her MA and PhD in Anthropology from Harvard University. She is a member of several Board of Directors: Alaska Federation of Natives, National Museum of American Indians, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee, Sealaska Corporation.
Honorary Board Members
Oren R. Lyons (Onondaga): honorary Board Member, is a traditional Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan and a Member of the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, or the Haudenosaunee. Chief Lyons is well-known as a leading advocate for Native American causes, and he lectures internationally on Native American traditions, Indian Law and history, human rights, environment and interfaith dialogue.
Joanna Hess, ex-officio Board Member and IPOLA Founder, was co-founder and director of the Napa Contemporary Arts Foundation (NACA). As presented by the American Indian Law Alliance on behalf of IPOLA at the United Nations (United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, Geneva, Switzerland, July, 1993), Ms. Hess stated that: “It is the human right of all indigenous peoples to have the option to learn their Native language within the existing school systems.”
Wes Studi (Cherokee), Honorary Chair of the National Endowment Campaign, is an actor best known for his leading roles in films including Last of the Mohicans and Geronimo. Mr. Studi is a fluent speaker of Cherokee, a former language teacher in his community, and the author of two bilingual Cherokee-English children's books. He is a national spokesperson for the Indigenous Language Institute and serves as ILI's National Endowment Campaign.
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