About Us
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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. |
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Meet Our Summer Interns!
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Jacob Wilentz is a rising junior at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He is majoring in Economics, Law, History, and Society, and Anthropology and minoring in Business. While he is really passionate about the many issues facing Native Americans today, Jacob is especially interested in those concerning climate change, sacred sites, and economic development. He hopes that this internship will not only benefit himself but also make his family, friends, and peers more aware and better allies. In his free time, Jacob loves to read, explore local coffee shops, and listen to music.
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Amanda Cassano is a rising sophomore at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine where she is an Asian Studies Major. She is from the Akwesasne, Mohawk tribe of Quebec and lives in Rockville, Maryland. This summer, Amanda hopes to contribute to the Association by compiling a database of Native American Studies programs across the United States, and developing materials to support the Association's grant-writing efforts. Amanda is also a violinist, composer, and amateur photographer.
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Misael Yanes is a senior at the University of Maryland studying English. He is a self-proclaimed nerd who loves writing, drawing, and video games. As a Salvadoran-American, he wants to be more involved in learning about the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a focus on Latin America. He's excited to be involved in the Association's Public Education program and aiding in the preservation of Indigenous cultures.
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Olivia Round completed her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Loyola Marymount University in May 2019. Olivia was a Trustee Scholar at LMU and graduated with both University and Departmental Honors. For her Honors Thesis, she wrote a paper on New Zealand and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She hopes to go on to get her M.A. in Political Science and to continue to study Indigenous rights.
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Staff
Shannon Keller O’Loughlin, Executive Director and Attorney, is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Shannon is a 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 appointed by President Barack Obama to the Cultural Property Advisory Committee within the State Department in 2015. 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.
Eldred D. Lesansee, Cultural Sovereignty Fellow, is from the Pueblos of Jemez and Zuni as well as Hopi Tribe. 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).
Nancy Deere-Turney, Cultural Sovereignty Fellow, is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is from the bear clan and the Quassarte Tribal Town. Nancy has received several Associates degrees relating to Pre-Education and Tribal Services and completed her Bachelor’s in Political Science from Oklahoma State University in December of 2018, where she served on the President’s Leadership Society. Nancy’s experience includes working for her Nation in the Community and Human Services Department and Citizenship Office. Nancy also served in the Jenks Public Schools, and interning with the U.S. Department of Energy, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and with Senator Brian Schatz (D: HI). She also completed a human rights fellowship in Copenhagen, Denmark. Nancy was recognized by the United National Indian Tribal Youth organization as a 25 under 25 awardee, the Marguerite Casey Foundation as a Sargent Shriver Youth Warrior Against Poverty, and by the Center for Native American Youth as a Champion for Change, where she currently serves as the Chairwoman of the Youth Advisory Board.
Benjamin Cornelius, Cultural Sovereignty Fellow, is a citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and was born and raised in Milwaukee. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Michigan Law School in May 2019. While in law school he served as the treasurer of the Native American Law Students Association and performed pro bono legal work for the Navajo Nation Department of Justice. In 2018, Ben clerked for the Honorable Chief Judge Allie Greenleaf Maldonado of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa. The previous summer Ben interned with Michigan Indian Legal Services providing family law and criminal defense services to Native American clients. Prior to law school, Ben was a realty specialist at the headquarters of the Indian Health Service in Rockville, Maryland. In 2013, Ben earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon.
AAIA's Board of Directors
President Frank Ettawageshik (Odawa)
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Treasurer and Secretary
DeeAnn DeRoin, MD
(Ioway)
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Vice President Jonathan Perry (Wampanoag)
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Board Member
John Echohawk
(Pawnee)
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Board Member Alfred R. Ketzler, Sr. (Athabascan)
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Board Member
Joseph Daniels, Sr.
(Forest County Potawatomi)
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Board Member Brad Keeler
(Cherokee)
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Not Pictured Sandy White Hawk (Lakota) Rory Wheeler (Seneca) |
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
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
