ILI Staff Members

Inée Yang Slaughter, Executive Director, has been with the Indigenous Language Institute since 1995. She has a BA in French Literature from the University of California Berkeley and an Associate Degree in Interior and Graphic Design from UCLA. Of Korean heritage born and raised in Japan, she is fluent in Japanese, Korean, English and has working knowledge of French. Before moving to Santa Fe, Inée was at the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles as Special Projects Coordinator for international cultural heritage conservation projects and Assistant to the Director managing the Director’s office. Inée brings to ILI 25 years of non-profit management experience, lifetime work in international cultural exchange, foreign language instruction and interpretation.

Laura Benavidez (Nambé Pueblo), Executive Assistant to the Executive Director has been with ILI since 2006. Her immediate past work has been Executive Assistant to the Governor of Nambé Pueblo (2004-2006). She has 15 years of experience working for a law firm in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Laura works to ensure the smooth operation of the ILI. She is studying her heritage language, Tewa, in order to pass this legacy on to her children and future generations.

Chris Harvey, Program Manager of Research and Development, is a Canadian of multiple heritages and has received his Master’s in Linguistics from University of Manitoba, Canada. He is a language and computer “geek”: an ideal combination for the Technical Coordinator position he is contracted for. Chris has developed keyboard layouts and Unicode fonts specifically for the Native languages of North America. He is a speaker of English, French and Welsh; is actively learning Irish Gaelic, Mohawk, and Korean; and has studied Spanish, Cherokee, Ancient Greek, Cree, Ojibway, Dinka, Latin, and Innu among others. He developed the Regional Tech-Knowledge Training Workshops of the Language Materials Development Center (LMDC), instructs some of the courses, and designed and maintains ILI’s web site.

Bonita Baxter (Cherokee ancestry), Project Coordinator, Community Language Projects joined ILI in 2007. She recently graduated from the University of New Mexico with a M.A. in Language, Literacy & Sociocultural Studies with an American Indian Education emphasis. She holds a B.A. in Ethnic Studies with a Native American emphasis. Her past experiences have been with the Native American Sports Council and Indian education where she developed a passion for preserving culture and promoting wellness through traditional Native American games. A longtime goal is to become a fluent speaker of the Cherokee language.

Rachael Nez (Navajo), Workshop Coordinator for the Tech-knowledge training projects joined ILI in 2007. She grew up in the community of Nazlini which is located on the Navajo reservation. Rachael earned her Master’s Degree in Communications & Film from the University of Washington. While in Seattle, she worked on several documentaries as director, producer, editor and videographer. Rachael also volunteered her time to numerous youth and Native organizations. Prior to Seattle, she lived in Tucson, Arizona where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Media Arts from the University of Arizona. Her passions are documentary filmmaking, working with Native communities, and language preservation.

Candace Martinez (San Ildefonso), part-time Project Coordinator for “Telling the Stories”, is a lifelong resident of San Ildefonso Pueblo (Powogeh Owingeh – Where the Water Cuts Through). She is born into a legacy of her Gonzales-Tse Pé family of potters and has been continually active with her art. Candace has 10 years experience as a concierge in Santa Fe’s finest hotels. She is president of the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council, Headstart Parent Policy Council, and the San Ildefonso Pueblo Headstart Parent Committee, and serves on the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Arts and Crafts Committee as a year-round advisor and volunteer.