About Me

Greetings!

I am currently a visiting scholar in the political science department at the University of New Mexico. I study Indigenous politics in the U.S. and Latin America, focusing on Indigenous wellbeing, sovereignty and autonomy, and political participation and civic engagement.

I also currently serve as Vice President of First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) headquartered in Longmont, Colorado. At First Nations, I directly oversee the organization’s fundraising, grantmaking and external communications.  Moreover, I lead the organization’s research and advocacy efforts largely focused on documenting social inequities in Native American communities, elevating models for community change and advocating for greater representation and responsiveness by philanthropy and the federal government.

I hold a PhD and MA in political science from the University of Colorado, Boulder. I received my BA in political science from Metropolitan State University in Denver, CO. I am a first-generation college student and started my undergraduate education at Haskell Indian Nations University.

I am a citizen of the Navajo nation and my family is from Tuba City, Arizona.