About UsThe Association on American Indian Affairs is the oldest non-profit serving Native Country protecting sovereignty, preserving culture, educating youth and building capacity. The Association was formed in 1922 to change the destructive path of federal policy from assimilation, termination and allotment, to sovereignty, self-determination and self-sufficiency. Throughout its over 100-year history, the Association has provided national advocacy on watershed issues that support sovereignty and culture, while working on the ground at a grassroots level with Native Nations to support the implementation of programs that affect lives on the ground.
The Association is governed by an all-Native American Board of Directors from across Native Country. As a membership organization, the Association speaks with unified voices from all over the country, both Native and non-Native together, to protect sovereignty, preserve culture, educate youth and build capacity. |
Board of Directors
Staff
Shannon O’Loughlin, Chief Executive and Attorney, is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Shannon has been practicing law for more than 23 years and is a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University. Shannon serves as Vice Chair of the Board at Native Ways Federation, which educates about informed giving to Native-led nonprofits. She also serves on the Board of Potawatomi Ventures, the economic development corporation of the Forest County Potawatomi Nation, and serves as their Governance Committe Chair. She is a former Chief of Staff to the National Indian Gaming Commission, where she assisted in the development and implementation of national gaming policy, and oversaw the agency’s public affairs, technology, compliance and finance divisions. Shannon has also served Native Country in the private sector as an attorney, leading a large national firm’s Native Nations law practice group that worked to strengthen, maintain and protect sovereignty, self-determination and culture. Shannon was appointed by Secretary of the Department of the Interior, Sally Jewell to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Review Committee in 2013, and was appointed by President Barack Obama as the first Native American to the Cultural Property Advisory Committee within the State Department in 2015; she was fired by President Trump in 2019. Shannon received a B.A. in American Indian Studies from California State University, Long Beach and joint M.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Arizona in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy.
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Kim Mettler, Next Generations Director, is a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. Beginning her diverse service in Native Country with the Indigenous Women’s Network, Kim has served as legal counsel for a Native Nation, focusing on Tribal law, intergovernmental relations and cultural resources protections; serves as a board member for the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center, providing advocacy on the regional, national and international levels on domestic violence, sexual assault, reproductive and environmental justice; provided training and co-advocacy with court appointed special advocates; and directed Tribal STAR, an ICWA training and technical assistance program, and the development of California’s Common Core ICWA curriculum for social workers. Kim is a skilled coach, facilitator and mediator and brings more than 25 years of advocacy and bridge building with and on behalf of Native women, youth and Native Nations. Kim received her BA in Social Justice from Fairhaven College, and her law degree from the University of Arizona in Indigenous Peoples’ Law and Policy. |
Ericca "CC" Hovie, Public Affairs & Communications Director, is a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. As a marketing and communications professional, CC has worked and volunteered for several non-profit organizations over the past two decades. As a former Traverse City Roller Derby Board Member, Northwest Michigan Association of Volunteer Administrators Board Member, and Bay Area Senior Advocates Senior Expo Co-Chair she worked to expand each organization's reach and impact in the community. A lifelong learner, she attended Lake Superior State University and Ferris State University where she received leadership and management training. Prior to her position at the Association, she served as the communications manager for StrongHearts Native Helpline. Finding and supporting Native creators on social media is one of CC's favorite things to do. A self-described reconnecting Native, participating in pow wows and sharing her culture brings her joy and fulfills her spirit. |
Cassie Gilgenbach, Office Manager, is a citizen of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Minnesota State University, Mankato and a master’s degree in Library and Information Studies from University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Cassie started her career working with digital materials at an educational services company. She then spent nearly a decade as a public librarian at her hometown public library. Although she found joy in serving her southeastern Minnesota community, she felt a bigger call to action and began to look for a way to honor her Ancestors and relatives through her work. That and her family’s own commitment to Native Country has heavily influenced her new career path change and guided her to find the Association. Cassie continues to be an advocate for Native Nations in her personal life and looks forward to supporting Native Country in her professional life as well. |
Julie Hamilton, Operations Associate, is an ally. Julie has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and attended graduate school for Counseling at Loyola University. She began her career as a Psychiatric Rehabilitation Specialist with a local non-profit and then became the Director of Business Development for a private research organization. Julie resigned from her position to raise her two beautiful boys. In time, she began working for several nonprofit organizations, including two dog rescues, as the Volunteer Coordinator and as a foster. Julie loves animals, has fostered nearly 50 rescue dogs and works in a local horse barn. She also loves being outdoors - hiking, kayaking, stargazing, camping - anything that brings her closer to nature. When not working, she relishes time with her husband and children. Julie is proud to be joining the Association and serving Native Country. |
Kay Kakendasot Mattena, Auction Monitor, is a citizen of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation with matriarchal ancestors among the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi. Kay received her master's in archaeology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 2021. She is pursuing her doctorate in archaeology, braiding Indigenous community-based research methodologies and conducting archaeological research in collaboration with the Potawatomi Nation Tattoo Society, aiding in the reawakening of traditional Potawatomi body modifications. Alongside her work with the Association, she is a Research Assistant with the Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science and a Language Apprentice with the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Language Department. |
Megan Kleeschulte is the Association’s Project Manager facilitating our Exercising Cultural Sovereignty Education Project, funded by the Mellon Foundation. This comprehensive curriculum development project will develop interactive curriculum in the areas of NAGPRA, domestic and international repatriation, and protection of sacred places for in-person and online training. Megan has extensive expertise developing and facilitating curriculum development for numerous grants funded by the National Institute of Justice, and worked as the primary investigator on a Tribal Researcher Capacity Building Grant that was a collaborative endeavor between Native Nations, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK), and the medical examiner’s office in Pima County, Arizona. The National Institute of Justice grant focused on providing in-person and online training opportunities to medicolegal practitioners on NAGPRA. As a doctoral candidate at the UTK and through her work at the Forensic Anthropology Center at UTK, Megan provides training for domestic and international law enforcement and federal agencies on forensic anthropological and field recovery methodologies.
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Amy Shakespeare is an International Repatriation Specialist providing research, outreach and expertise for our Exercising Cultural Sovereignty Education Project, funded by the Mellon Foundation. As an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded PhD Researcher and Postgraduate Teaching Associate at the University of Exeter, her research aims to enable more European museums to undertake repatriation through more anticolonial processes. She has worked in the museums and heritage sector in the UK for over a decade, for organizations such as the National Trust and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Following a Smithsonian Fellowship at the National Museum of the American Indian in 2023, Amy founded Routes to Return - a website that aims to open up global networks, share information, and enable international repatriation. She also sits on the board of the Museum Ethnographers Group as their Repatriation Officer, working to support members to build their skills and confidence in undertaking international repatriation. Amy is based in Cornwall, England. |
Jennifer Robin, Red Hoop Talk Host, is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation with matrilineal connections to the Cherokee Nation. Jennifer is an award-winning producer, and her broadcasting career is marked by five awards for excellence and her acclaimed program, Resilience Radio on KVMR-FM 89.5, which features Native voices and music. Jennifer is active in her Nation’s ceremonies bringing unique insights into Native issues of the day – not to mention her vivacious personality - allow her to delve deeply into subjects that resonate with Native Peoples. Jennifer’s commitment to her heritage and passion for storytelling make her a powerful advocate for Indigenous voices, shining a light on the rich and diverse narratives that shape our shared world. |
Hannah Norberto, Native Youth Justice Researcher, is a citizen of the Navajo Nation. A first-generation college graduate from the University of New Mexico, Hannah earned her bachelor’s degree in Population Health (BSPH) with a minor in Community Health Education. Graduating Summa Cum Laude, she was recognized as an Inspiring Graduate and named a Top BSPH Student by the College of Population Health. Hannah has served the New Mexico Department of Health’s Emerging Infections Program through an internship where she brought Native perspectives to the study of how diseases and health conditions affect Native Nations. Born and raised on the Navajo reservation, Hannah is a proud Diné Asdzáán (Navajo woman) deeply rooted in Navajo heritage and traditional values. She is driven by a passion to empower Native youth and address health challenges within Native Nations. Her aspirations include earning a graduate degree in public health or medicine, dismantling generational trauma, and advancing Native health to ensure the resilience and success of future generations. Hannah’s work reflects her dedication to preserving the Navajo way of life and combating the erasure of Native identities in today’s world. |
Council of Advisors
Allies and Ambassadors for Native Country
The Council of Advisors is comprised of individuals who are interested in furthering the work of the Association. They hold a wealth of knowledge and various interests, and are prominent in their own fields. The Council’s primary initiatives consist of raising the profile of the the Association's work, assisting in planning our fundraising events, and supporting the Association to network with individuals who can assist programmatically and financially.
Nadema Agard, Cherokee, Lakota, Powhatan Gail Bruce Kimberly Guerrero, Colville, Salish-Kootenai, Cherokee
John Haworth, Cherokee Dennis Hirschfelder Alli Joseph, Shinnecock
Hattie Kauffman, Nez Perce Kerry Kennedy Dr. Francesca Kress
Jody Naranjo, Santa Clara Pueblo Jane Safer George Stonefish, Lenape
Tommy Orange, Cheyenne, Arapaho Martha Redbone, Cherokee, Choctaw Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Blackfeet
Josh Spear Robert Saunooke, Cherokee Gloria Steinem
DeLanna Studi, Cherokee Lynn Taylor-Corbett Howard B. Teich
Kathleen Wall, Jemez Pueblo
Nadema Agard, Cherokee, Lakota, Powhatan Gail Bruce Kimberly Guerrero, Colville, Salish-Kootenai, Cherokee
John Haworth, Cherokee Dennis Hirschfelder Alli Joseph, Shinnecock
Hattie Kauffman, Nez Perce Kerry Kennedy Dr. Francesca Kress
Jody Naranjo, Santa Clara Pueblo Jane Safer George Stonefish, Lenape
Tommy Orange, Cheyenne, Arapaho Martha Redbone, Cherokee, Choctaw Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Blackfeet
Josh Spear Robert Saunooke, Cherokee Gloria Steinem
DeLanna Studi, Cherokee Lynn Taylor-Corbett Howard B. Teich
Kathleen Wall, Jemez Pueblo