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 97-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 is 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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The Association's Board of Directors
President Frank Ettawageshik (Odawa)
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Vice President Jonathan Perry (Wampanoag)
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Treasurer
Joseph Daniels, Sr.
(Forest County Potawatomi)
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Secretary
DeeAnn DeRoin, MD
(Ioway)
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Board Member Alfred R. Ketzler, Sr. (Athabascan)
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Board Member
John Echohawk
(Pawnee)
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Board Member Brad Keeler
(Cherokee)
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Board Member Sandy White Hawk (Lakota)
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Board Member Rory Wheeler
(Seneca)
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The Association's 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 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.
Van Tran, Program Assistant, began her career working her way up in corporate America. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Accounting and a Master of Science in Psychology from the University of Phoenix. After eight years in the corporate field, Van decided that she wanted to concentrate on non-profit value driven efforts. Van has always been passionate about helping others and strives to make the world a better place in her personal life. At the Association, Van utilizes her knowledge and experience in business management to administer the Association’s scholarship and summer camp programs, public education, operations, office system strategies, donor management, and organization growth. Van plans on continuing her lifelong dream of working in the nonprofit field and helping protect Indian Nation sovereignty and culture.
The Association'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 Mary Kathryn Nagle, Cherokee
Lynn Taylor-Corbett 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 Mary Kathryn Nagle, Cherokee
Lynn Taylor-Corbett Curtis Zunigha, Delaware
