Executive Director

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Shannon Keller O’Loughlin is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of ​Oklahoma. Shannon was the former Chief of Staff to the National Indian Gaming Commission, where she assisted in the development and implementation of national policy throughout the agency, and oversaw the agency’s public affairs, technology, compliance and finance divisions.  Shannon has also served Indian Country in the private sector​ as an attorney​, leading a large national firm’s Indian law practice group ​and ​bringing more than 16 years of Indian Country legal and policy work to strengthen, maintain and protect Indian nation 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 recently appointed by President Barack Obama to the Cultural Property Advisory Committee within the State Department. ​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​.

Cultural Sovereignty Fellows

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​Jessica Lee is a member of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes and descendant of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma. She is a direct descendant of Okemah, a head man of the Mexican Kickapoo. A first-generation college graduate, Jessica received her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Central Oklahoma in May 2018. She was recognized as "College Student of the Year" at the Wichita and Affiliated Tribe’s Higher Education Banquet.  Jessica served as an intern funded by the National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative. The position allowed her to serve her Tribe by surveying Native American elders that utilize the Wichita’s Administration on Aging building and services. The surveys were used as part of an initiative to improve elder social programs within the Tribe.  Jessica is planning on applying to law school!
​Eldred D. Lesansee is a member of the Pueblo of Jemez and descendent of the Zuni and Hopi Tribes. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at Stanford University in 2014. Eldred received a Fulbright Scholarship to attend the Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs and in June 2018,  graduated with a Master of Arts in International Development with concentrations in Human Rights and Latin American studies. In conjunction with his graduate research regarding the illicit sale of Hopi and Pueblo cultural heritage in Paris’ auction houses, Eldred recently completed an internship with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. In this position, he worked closely with the Section for Moveable Heritage and Museums’ Program Specialist on the implementation and enforcement of UNESCO’s Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970). 

AAIA's Board of Directors

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President Frank Ettawageshik (Odawa)
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Vice President Jonathan Perry (Wampanoag)
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Treasurer and Secretary DeeAnn DeRoin, MD (Ioway)
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Chair of the Nominating Committee Sarah Kastelic (Alutiiq)
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Board Member John Echohawk (Pawnee)
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Board Member Brad Keeler (Cherokee)
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Board Member Alfred R. Ketzler, Sr. (Athabascan)
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Board Member Joseph Daniels, Sr. (Forest County Potawatomi)

AAIA's Council of Advisors

​In 2013, AAIA was pleased to expand its Advisory Board into a Council of Advisors.  The Council 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 AAIA's work, assisting in planning our fundraising events, and supporting AAIA to network with individuals who can assist AAIA programmatically and financially.  AAIA is grateful for the support of its Council of Advisors.

  • Howard B. Teich, Chair
  • Nadema Agard, Cherokee
  • Gail Bruce
  • Kimberly Guerrero, Colville/Salish-Kootenai/Cherokee
  • John Haworth, Cherokee
  • Dennis Hirschfelder
  • Peter Johnson
  • Alli Joseph, Shinnecock
  • Hattie Kauffman, Nez Perce
  • Kerry Kennedy
  • Dr. Francesca Kress
  • Mary Kathryn Nagle, Cherokee
  • Jody Naranjo
  • Martha Redbone
  • Gloria Steinem
  • Lynn Taylor-Corbett
  • Curtis Zunigha, Delaware