About Us

The Association on American Indian Affairs is the oldest non-profit serving Indian 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 96-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 Tribes to support the implementation of programs that affect lives on the ground.

The Association is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland and are governed by an all-Native American Board of Directors from across Indian 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.

Annual Reports and Financials

Staff

Shannon Keller O’Loughlin, Executive Director, 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 18 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​.

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​​Jessica Lee, Cultural Sovereignty Fellow, 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, Cultural Sovereignty Fellow, 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

President Frank Ettawageshik (Odawa)

Treasurer and Secretary DeeAnn DeRoin, MD (Ioway)

Vice President Jonathan Perry (Wampanoag)

Board Member John Echohawk (Pawnee)

Board Member Alfred R. Ketzler, Sr. (Athabascan)

Board Member Joseph Daniels, Sr. (Forest County Potawatomi)

Board Member Brad Keeler (Cherokee)

Not Pictured
Sandy White Hawk
(Lakota)

Rory Wheeler
​(Seneca)

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AAIA's Council of Advisors

​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.  

     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   Jody Naranjo
     Gloria Steinem                          Martha Redbone                        Lynn Taylor-Corbett
     Mary Kathryn Nagle, Cherokee                                                            Curtis Zunigha, Delaware