NICWA NEWS Quarterly Newsletter • Winter 2019
The
LATEST INSIDE
Sustaining a Movement of Many
National Indian Child Welfare Association 5100 SW Macadam Avenue, Suite 300 Portland, Oregon 97239 P (503) 222-4044 F (503) 222-4007 www.nicwa.org
The National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) is a private, nonprofit, membership-based organization dedicated to the well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native children and families. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, NICWA serves tribes, individuals, and private organizations throughout the United States and Canada by serving as the most comprehensive source of information on American Indian child welfare and acting as the only national Native organization focused on building tribal capacity to prevent child abuse and neglect.
Our Mission
The National Indian Child Welfare Association is dedicated to the well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native children and families.
Board of Directors
President Gil Vigil (Tesuque Pueblo) Vice President Rochelle Ettawageshik (Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians) Secretary W. Alex Wesaw (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi) Treasurer Gary Peterson (Skokomish) Members Mikah Carlos (Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community) Patricia Carter-Goodheart (Nez Perce) Angela Connor (Choctaw) Paul Day (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe) Jocelyn Formsma (Swampy Cree) Debra Foxcroft (Tseshaht First Nation) Luke Madrigal (Cahuilla Band of Indians) Aurene Martin (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) Robert McGhee (Poarch Band of Creek Indians) Lance Sanchez (Tohono O’odham Nation) Mary Tenorio (Santo Domingo Pueblo)
Board of Trustees
John Shagonaby (Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians) Brad Earl (Nez Perce descent) Sherry Salway Black (Oglala Lakota) Allard Teeple (Bay Mills Indian Community) Victor Rocha (Pechanga Band of LuiseĂąo Indians) Derek Valdo (Acoma Pueblo)
Founder and Senior Advisor Terry Cross (Seneca)
Executive Director
Sarah Kastelic (Alutiiq)
NICWA News is the quarterly newsletter for members and donors of the National Indian Child Welfare Association. Membership is available in multiple levels starting at $35. For reprint requests, additional copies, or other information, contact us at info@nicwa.org
Message from the Executive Director Dear NICWA Members, Sponsors, Donors, and Friends, Research shows that social movements take 10–30 years to create real change and achieve desired outcomes. That’s a long time to sustain a movement: to keep stakeholders engaged, maintain a coalition through the inevitable bumps in partnership, ensure funders stay on board, and hold our belief, not just in the possibility of seeing the change we are committed to, but in the eventuality that it will come to pass. As I think about the work ahead of us, to continue to educate the American public and policymakers about our tribal nations and their critical role in ensuring the best interests of children and the well-being of families, I consider the strength of our coalition and the contributions we each make. We fight together to defend the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)—to ensure the protections that have kept thousands of Native children out of the biased child welfare system and safely at home with their families are upheld—because we recognize what’s at stake: the identity, familial and community connections, and tribal cultural integrity of generations of Native children to come. While our opposition of anti-tribal sovereignty groups, private adoption interests, and religious organizations intent on “rescuing” our children is heavily resourced and well-organized, we have a strong and diverse coalition that is up to the task of protecting ICWA. We are local community-based organizations, tribal governments and intertribal organizations, national Indian organizations, states, mainstream child advocacy organizations, legal professionals, journalists, adult adoptees, and youth in and out of foster care. When we take a stand together, we formidably challenge the assertion that keeping Native children connected to family, community, and culture is not in their best interest. We all have a role to play in speaking up whenever we get the chance. I encourage you not to let a single opportunity to talk about the power of ICWA to nurture Native children go unrealized. In my Alutiiq traditions, winter is a time for community connection and celebration, for resting after all of the hard work to gather and store the necessary food for winter was accomplished. Families gathered in our large communal houses for singing, dancing, and feasting, thanking the spirits for providing for us. We repaired and prepared our equipment and played games indoors that sharpened our skills for the subsistence activities we would undertake in the spring. We tended to our spiritual connection and to our relationship to one another. To sustain our collective movement of many people and organizations, I encourage you to take time this season to think about what sustains you and to plan for how you will do those things this year. Consider investing in relationships by spending time with your relatives and your friends. Extend your circle to welcome others into relationship. Think about and plan for how you will dedicate yourself to this work and this social movement to defend ICWA for the benefit of our future generations. Whether this battle takes 10 years or 30 years, what will you contribute? How will you stand for the rights of Native children? It takes all of us. In strength and solidarity, Sarah Kastelic, PhD
CONTENTS
Message from the Executive Director ..1 Policy Updates ....................................2 Inside NICWA.....................................3 Youth Board Profiles ........................4-5 Community Asset Mapping .................6 Equine Therapy ...................................6 Suquamish Tribe .................................7 Racial Healing .....................................7 Member of the Year .............................8 Wisdom Circle Scholarship .................8 New and Renewing Members ..............9
Policy
Federal District Court in Texas Rules ICWA and Its Regulations Unconstitutional
Family First Prevention Services Act Guidelines Provide Tribes Flexibility
On October 4, 2018, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a decision in Brackeen (Texas) v. Zinke, declaring the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) unconstitutional, jeopardizing tribal children.
The Family First Prevention Services Act opens the Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance program for reimbursement for broad prevention services that are trauma informed and evidence-based. Both tribes and states are eligible to apply for and operate the Title IV-E program. Approximately 10 tribes are approved to operate the Title IV-E program directly, and over 100 tribes operate the program through an agreement with a state.
To reach this decision, the court ignored decades of federal court precedent that affirmed inherent tribal sovereignty and the government-to-government relationship. The lawsuit was filed on October 25, 2017, by the state of Texas and a non-Indian foster family in Texas who had an American Indian child placed with them. The foster family is represented by an attorney that also represented clients challenging ICWA in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl (2013) and Natl. Council for Adoption v. Jewell (2017). The foster family, the Brackeens, petitioned to adopt the child, but their petition was denied. Soon after, the attorney general of Texas filed a federal lawsuit alleging ICWA was unconstitutional and the 2016 ICWA regulations were unlawful. In December 2017, the complaint was amended to include the States of Louisiana and Indiana as plaintiffs and additional individuals (birth parent, adoptive and pre-adoptive parents) in different states (Nevada and Minnesota). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was also added as a defendant for the federal government with the U.S. Department of Interior. Tribal intervenors named as defendants include the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Quinault Indian Nation, Cherokee Nation, and Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. Following the district court’s ruling, the tribal defendants filed for a stay of the decision (suspend implementation) with the district court. Judge O’Connor denied the request for the stay. Later in November, the tribal defendants and the federal government filed for a stay pending appeal of the district court’s decision with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (which presides over the states of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas). The stay was granted the first week of December 2018, and a briefing schedule set by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals with oral argument tentatively set for the week of March 11, 2019. NICWA is working with our litigation partners to support an effective amicus brief strategy (friend of the court brief that informs the court on specific issues that the primary litigants are not briefing) and helping lead the strategic communications efforts and educate tribes, state and federal policymakers, and non-Indian allies. 2 | Winter 2019
The law requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to establish requirements for evidencebased prevention services and programs applicable to tribes. DHHS must develop tribal requirements that are consistent with those applicable to states as much as is practicable, but also permit services that are adapted to the culture and context of the tribal community served. DHHS released guidelines specifying tribal requirements on November 30, 2018 (ACYF-CB-PI-18-10). The guidelines provide flexibility for tribes that operate the Title IV-E program directly through DHHS, but do not provide this flexibility to tribes that are operating the Title IV-E program through an agreement with a state. Tribes can explore contracting with state child welfare agencies to provide Title IV-E prevention services to eligible Native children and caregivers under state jurisdiction. This does not require tribes to operate the Title IV-E program but does assist states in providing culturally appropriate prevention services and help reduce disproportionality of Native children in state foster care. One other key issue is how much latitude DHHS will provide states and tribes that want to culturally adapt mainstream evidence-based services. Other federal programs like the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program allow tribes to culturally adapt required evidenced-based services, and this has been very successful. NICWA will continue our work to help tribes understand the new law and opportunities within it.
Want to keep in touch with our policy efforts? Contact David Simmons Email: desimmons@nicwa.org Phone: 503-222-4044, ext. 119 National Indian Child Welfare Association | NICWA News
Inside NIC WA
Welcome Betty to NICWA! Betty Nelson
Project Coordinator
Betty is of Mayan descent from Costa Rica. The last four years, Betty worked for Portland Parks and Recreation at three community center sites at the front desk, as a rental coordinator, with marketing and outreach, and assisting with the children in the preschool, afterschool, and summer camp programs. While with the City of Portland, she was a part of the Latinx PDX affinity group and the Diverse and Empowered Employees of the City of Portland (DEEP) Executive Committee, which sponsors cultural events and advocates for equity within the city. Betty has her bachelor’s degree from Portland State University in cultural anthropology with a focus on Indigenous people of the Americas. She is honored to join NICWA. Besides having a strong passion for the well-being of youth, human rights, and preservation of culture, Betty loves to practice yoga, try new foods, and travel.
February 5–7, 2019 Palm Springs, California Understanding ICWA Tribal Customary Adoption In-Home Services April 3–5, 2019 Albuquerque, New Mexico Positive Indian Parenting Understanding ICWA June 18–20, 2019 Portland, Oregon Topics coming soon
Year-End Thank You Thanks to all who gave in our year-end fundraising efforts. We are proud to report that as of the third of January, we have raised $42,202 of a $40,000 goal in honor of ICWA’s 40th anniversary! Together, we have helped children stay connected to their families, identities, and cultures.
NICWA is excited to provide an opportunity for artists to showcase their talents in support of the Protecting Our Children Conference in Denver, Colorado. NICWA invites American Indian and Alaska Native artists to participate in our call for artists. The selected artist will be awarded a cash prize of $1,500 for the use of their work in promotional materials for our 2020 conference. Artists also receive a free arts and crafts vendor spot if they notify NICWA by February 2020. The image will be published on NICWA’s website and on printed materials reaching thousands, as well as being the visual centerpiece throughout the event. This is a can’tmiss opportunity for any Native artist looking to achieve exposure on a national scale.
Training Institutes
National Indian Child Welfare Association | NICWA News
Call for Artists
Send artwork and a submission form to Lauren Shapiro, director of events and training, at Lauren@ nicwa.org, no later than May 3, 2019. For information on the call for artists competition including deadlines, requirements, submission forms, and the announcement of winners, please visit www. nicwa.org/call-for-artists.
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Introducing NIC WA’s New Youth Board with to find their identity and culture and really encourage that they stay connected to it. And I didn’t understand all of what they were going through, but I understood a great deal about what they were going through. I really encouraged them that our culture and traditions will be there for them—even if they spend so much time away from the community, that dancing is always there for them, and they can go back to that and rely on that. My grandparents played a really big role in encouraging me to be involved in leadership. My great uncle, who I call my grandfather, was a tribal chairman, and I lived with him for four to five years after my grandmother passed away. Being taught, hearing the lessons, stories, and history of our tribe from his leadership style, which is along the lines of our traditional leadership style, taught me how to be humble and to focus on the betterment of our people. His leadership always has inspired me to fight on behalf of our people and be someone that our youth can look up to.
Mikah Carlos
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
Motivated from Within
I
T STARTED WHEN I WAS WORKING AS A RESPITE care provider for a foster care agency that was contracted with my tribe, that’s where my interest in ICWA began. I saw youth from my community that were placed outside and saw just how important that connection to culture was for them. As I started my schooling, I’m pursuing a bachelor of science in American Indian studies, I started to learn more about the legal precedent of ICWA. It fuels more of a fire for me to advocate for youth, to serve on NICWA’s board, and the opportunity to make a difference. My parents divorced when i was young, and I grew up in the city with my mom who is not Native American, and we kind of lost that connection to our culture. It wasn’t until I returned to the school on our reservation where I was reintroduced to our language, songs, dances, and being part of the community again. For a long time, even though I was young, I really struggled with my identity, who I was, and what it meant to be Native American. Being reconnected was not only important to me, but it was vital in forming my identity. It was fun to learn through mentors and other cultural teachers about what it means to be an O’odham and Piipaash woman, the different roles, our values, and the way we are supposed to conduct ourselves. As I got older, I really started to value that connection to my culture. When I had the opportunity to work for this foster care agency, it was important to encourage the Native youth that I worked 4 | Winter 2019
I think it’s important that we have people who are good examples, who step up and say it’s okay to be involved and care about our people, and who actively advocate on behalf of our youth. I hope we can create and build on partnerships with organizations focused on serving Native youth. We hear a lot about ICWA from tribal leaders, but we don’t really hear about it from the youth perspective. I would like to see more youth perspectives about the importance of ICWA, especially because it is about protecting our Native youth. Mikah Carlos is from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Community in Arizona. She is Onk Akimel O’odham, Tohono O’odham, and Piipaash. She is currently a senior at Arizona State University majoring in American Indian studies with a minor in psychology. She serves as a member of the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) Youth Advisory Board and as a board member for NICWA. In both positions, she has the opportunity to advocate on behalf of Native youth across the country in areas such as mental health, language revitalization, and cultural preservation. After finishing her undergraduate degree, Mikah wants to pursue graduate studies in the field of federal Indian policy. In her free time, Mikah enjoys working with youth and encouraging them to pursue higher education, get involved, and give back to the community. National Indian Child Welfare Association | NICWA News
Youth Perspectives on ICWA Advocacy
Q: What inspires you to take a leadership role at NICWA? A: The youth. Ever since I joined my youth council when I was younger, they have always been the reason why I do what I do. If I can somehow help create a positive and bright future for American Indian and Alaska Native youth, then that is my goal.
Q: What are you hearing from your peers about the need for ICWA?
A: From attending the National Congress of American Indians annual [convention] in Denver, the youth’s perspective on ICWA was inspiring. They felt that ICWA was extremely valuable and that its mission is to help children grow up with the values and teachings of families, communities, and tribes. A sense of identity lies within a community.
Q: Who is your inspiration in the work you do? A: My nieces and nephews and the youth from my
community. I think of their futures, and I want them to have many opportunities that will allow them to be inspired.
Q: What is a message you would like to send to people working in the field of Indian child welfare?
A: The job may be difficult at times, but it is what is best for
the child. As long as you keep them within their families or communities, it will allow them to be connected to their culture, because as Native Americans we know our culture is part of our identity.
Lance Sanchez
Tohono O’odham Nation Lance Sanchez is an enrolled member of the Tohono O’odham Nation. He is a student at Arizona State University double majoring in American Indian studies and community advocacy/social policy. He currently serves as the president of the Tohono O’odham Nation Youth Council. He formerly served on the National Congress of American Indians Youth Commission and the United National Indian Tribal Youth Executive Committee. He is a recipient of the 2018 UNITY 25 under 25 award for his continuous advocacy for youth. For half his life, he has been actively involved in community work on a national level with issues that affect youth of his tribe and Indian Country. His purpose is to continue to advocate for a future where youth can thrive and empower one another to overcome the stereotypes placed upon Native youth while showing them the importance of their voices and stories.
A Message to Youth Don’t be afraid to speak up. It’s time we speak up for ourselves and not be spoken for. Start being the positive change you want to see. It really starts with us. It may not be easy at times, but know you have a whole generation of youth supporting your efforts. National Indian Child Welfare Association | NICWA News
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Community A sset Mapping for Youth Well-Being Community asset mapping is a way to encourage healthy lifestyles, safe and supportive environments, successful students, and stable communities. As part of our work with the First Kids 1st initiative, NICWA is adapting community asset mapping tools for use in tribal communities. We hope tribal communities will use this tool to organize, collect data, and build upon their creative and unique community resources to enhance Native youth well-being. Working with Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, we are piloting and improving the tool so it can be shared throughout Indian Country. This fall, NICWA and the National Indian Education Association joined Oneida Nation to provide community asset mapping training. Oneida Nation training participants included those in education, social services, administration, policy, vocational rehab, parks and recreation, and Indigenous healing roles. They discussed who to involve at what point within the mapping process. The group left the final
day of training with many thoughts about how to improve the well-being of Native youth. Earlier this year, NICWA staff met with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Youth Council. After the initial visit, the youth council decided they wanted to lead the community asset mapping process in their community with the full support of the children and family services director and their board of trustees. The youth council is excited for the opportunity to engage their community in the asset mapping process this winter. As our pilots are off and running, we know community asset mapping requires a movement of many. This process involves everyone and all systems within a tribal community: from tribal government, child welfare, health care, education, and beyond, to represent the many community factors that contribute to the well-being of Native youth.
Sustaining Equine Therapy in Indian Countr y Equine therapy in Indian Country is a tribal best practice that supports mental health prevention and treatment. Models such as equine-assisted psychotherapy continue to be adapted by more tribal mental health systems of care. With a growing number of positive outcomes in tribal communities, like reconnecting traditional relationship ties with animals and using horses to treat mental health challenges, tribes are working towards sustaining equine therapy beyond grant funding. Sustainability is both a financial requirement and a communitydriven goal that must be constantly worked on for equine therapy to last beyond grant dollars. For the Pueblo of San Felipe in New Mexico, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) System of Care grant was a jumpstart to their equine program. Esther Tenorio, project director of the San Felipe System of Care, says, “We seeded the project [equine therapy] with system of care dollars, then transferred the entire budget to be funded by third-party revenues. Currently we pay for part of the services by suicide prevention grant dollars, but most of the project 6 | Winter 2019
is sustained through billing.” San Felipe has sustained their equine programming by having mental health providers bill Medicaid for equine services at the encounter rate, a rate that accounts for all allowable costs of providing care. San Felipe hired two full-time clinicians (a licensed professional clinical counselor and a licensed social worker), three certified peer support workers, a driver and groundskeeper, an equine supervisor, and several psychology interns. Each staff member is trained in the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association model, which has been adapted to fit San Felipe’s tribal context. Tenorio says, “most of our staff had no prior equine training–it’s hard to get regular clinicians to buy into this type of therapy. We went through many clinicians before we got to where we are at now.” San Felipe’s hard work has paid off, with Tenorio exclaiming, “all our equine professionals are now skilled!” As a former System of Care tribal grantee, the San Felipe Pueblo have sustained their equine therapy programming. National Indian Child Welfare Association | NICWA News
Programs
Five Years of Community Work with Suquamish Tribe In October, NICWA wrapped up a five-year project with the Suquamish Tribe in Washington State. The tribe engaged NICWA to provide a review of their child welfare services in 2013 and then hired NICWA to provide consultation, training, and technical assistance on their child welfare reform initiative. The initiative was guided by the Suquamish Tribal Child Welfare Committee, which was formed for that purpose. The committee decided their role was to promote child safety across all departments of the tribe and not just to advise the child welfare department. The committee adopted a charter that expressed its values and vision for child safety across the tribe which gave clear guidance to the reform initiative. As a result of the project, Suquamish reduced the number of children in out-of-home care and greatly increased the number of children served in their own homes with preventative and restorative services. As part of the project, the Suquamish Tribe worked on developing a collaboration across all tribal
I came away appreciating what these youth were teaching me about courage in the face of oppression.
— Terry Cross
departments to promote child safety and to identify families in need of support. This approach decreased the stigma associated with getting help from child welfare and increased the community’s confidence that the program was there to help families, not just remove kids from their homes. The project culminated with the Suquamish Tribal Conference on Working with Substance Abusing Families. The conference included almost every child and family serving department of the tribe. Presenters from NICWA, the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, and several local speakers made up the agenda. Participants also planned strategies for cross-departmental service coordination. The Suquamish Tribal Child Welfare Committee is planning to use the findings from the conference to promote service integration for families in need of treatment. The Suquamish Tribe is planning to hold the conference again next year.
Truth, R acial Healing , and Transformation At NICWA, we confront racism, oppression, and cultural incompetence. For the last 10 years, NICWA has been involved with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Racial Healing initiative, as a grantee, advisor, and consultant. Both Terry Cross, NICWA’s founder and senior advisor, and Sarah Kastelic, NICWA’s executive director, are trained as racial healing practitioners. In the last few months, NICWA has had the privilege of being called on by the Kellogg Foundation to lead racial healing circles for youth in Seattle, Washington, and Mandan, North Dakota. Under a racial healing grant, the American Library Association has created youth reading groups called the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Great Stories Club with a focus on three race relations themed books, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas; March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell; and Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. In June, Terry Cross facilitated a youth racial healing circle for the Seattle Library that included both students and faculty from a local alternative school. In October, Terry traveled to Mandan to facilitate two racial healing circles with youth residing in the North Dakota Youth Correctional Center, where 80% of the population is American Indian. The groups had about eight residents each. To the surprise of the staff, the youth were quick to become deeply engaged and were eager to talk about their experiences of racial oppression. The theme of the discussion was “courage,” and participants were invited to share an experience in which they had to draw on their courage to deal with racial bullying. “I came away appreciating what these youth were teaching me about courage in the face of oppression,” said Terry after the session. “This is a powerful technique to promote racial healing, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with young people and others as a racial healing practitioner.” In addition to facilitating racial healing circles, Terry also acts as an advisor to the Foundation on the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Enterprise.
National Indian Child Welfare Association | NICWA News
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Members
Nominate a Fellow NICWA Member NICWA’s Member of the Year award recognizes an individual or organizational NICWA member who has demonstrated outstanding service, contributions, and leadership in their profession, as well as involvement as a NICWA member. NICWA’s purpose has always been to protect and promote the best interest of Native children. Our work is guided by our vision that every American Indian and Alaska Native child should have access to community-based, culturally appropriate services that help them grow up safe, healthy and spiritually strong–free from abuse, neglect, sexual exploitation, and the damaging effects of substance abuse. Our members are the embodiment of this work. Our 2018 awardee, the New Mexico Tribal Indian Children Consortium, is a group of tribal ICWA representatives from 23 tribes in New Mexico. They advocate to preserve the culture, traditions, and identity of all Indian children by enforcing the Indian Child Welfare Act through collaboration, education, cross-training, and by providing full support to all tribal, state,
and federal entities in New Mexico. Instrumental to our local planning committee, they are helping us prepare for our annual conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Do you know a committed NICWA member who would make a great Member of the Year? Nominate yourself, your program, a colleague, or friend!
Nominate a NICWA Member for 2019 Member of the Year Visit www.nicwa.org/membership to find nomination forms. Nomination deadline is March 1, 2019. Email: membership@nicwa.org
Apply for the Wisdom Circle Scholarship NICWA awards one merit-based scholarship each year of up to $500 to a NICWA member who works in or with the Indian child welfare field and who demonstrates significant motivation in advancing their education or professional skills. To be eligible to apply, you must be a current NICWA member active in Indian child welfare related work in one of the following fields: • • • • • • •
Social work Law Policy Research Education Tribal sovereignty/Human rights Mental health and wellness
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Our 2018 winner, Casie Cultee (Lummi Nation) used it to help pay for her studies to obtain her degree in community advocates and responsive education in human services at Northwest Indian College.
Apply for the Wisdom Circle Scholarship by March 1, 2019. Visit www.nicwa.org/membership to learn more and apply. Email: membership@nicwa.org
National Indian Child Welfare Association | NICWA News
New and Renewing Members Individuals
Tribes
Abalone
Cedar
Arlene Adie Elena Aluskak Nate Ask Winona Aubrey-Herzog Teressa Baldwin Martha Beard Jeanette Blythe Hana Brown Ian Bushie Jo E. Carson Nina Caso Jim Chaliak Kristin Cook Natalie Coston Phyllis Erhart Rochelle Ettawageshik Faye Ewan Nelly Ewan Dayna Folger Virginia L. Frank Levi Frisk Gloria Garcia Tiffany Garner Darlene Gomez Tara Gragg Krissy Gregory Lisa Greif Anne Guthrie Bobbie Hamilton Felice Hamilton Emily Harlan Wendy Harris Sunny Hemen Kim Henry Constance Holdip Carrie Imus Alexandra James Barbara Jimerson Amy Johns Willie Johns Milly Johnson Vanessa Joseph Moses Jumper Anne Kompkoff Alexendra Kozevnikoff Sandra Lagimodiere Leah Lamattina Jackie Larocque Patricia Leemhuis
Robert Lekander Sonya Levy-Boyd Antia W. Lossiah Rebekah Main Allie G. Maldonado Cindy McGinty Lucy McGinty Shawenne McKay Nancy McKenzie Linda Morceau Gretchen Morris Jeffrey Mowers Denise Nerby Phyllis Northwest Silvia Obregon Nina Old Coyote Vivien Olsen Martin Orr Moses Osceola Tina Osceola Kathy Lou Peace Faith Peters Michael Petoskey Carmen Pitka Ortencia Pukuyaonia Te’Ata Purcell Jessica Rammelsberg Ernestine Reeder Lynn J. Reer Tallerita Rogers Dottie M. Rundles Julia Russ Puneet Sahota Stacy Schryer Eddie Screechowl Doris Sequi Carol Shopteese Felecia Shue Nickie Skaggs Michael S. Slizewski Elisabeth Stockbridge Carrie Swain Brian R. Thorbjornsen Mary Tigertail Donna Toledo Jessica S. Ullrich Lonna Valdez Jon Vander Weel Joseph L. Webster
National Indian Child Welfare Association | NICWA News
Matthew Wescott LouAnn Williams Dawn Wilson Mary Wilson Michael E. Yates
Turquoise Adam Bailey Cheryl Baldomaro Lucas Katherine Brewer Rusty Brown Errlinda Castillo Jesus Donacio Karen Dreyfuss Jo-Ann Giordano Lamhi Hutallay Reanna E. Jacobs Michael Martin Maxi Mertens Jeri Museth Dottie M. Rundles Melanie Sage William Snodgrass Dorothy Wait
Burns Paiute Tribe Catawba Indian Nation Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation Coquille Indian Tribe Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes Klamath Indian Tribe of Oregon Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida Muscogee (Creek) Nation Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Seminole Nation of Oklahoma Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation
Sage Aleutian/Pribilof Island Association Apache Tribe of Oklahoma ICW Prevention Program Mescalero Tribal Human Services
Organizations
Coral
Cedar
Tricia Boodhoo Terry L. Cross Sharon Fleming Lorree Lewis Leah Lopez Leola McKenzie Sandra Mithlo Robert Prue Tamera C. Shanker
Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Association Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition Nevada Division of Child and Family Services American Indian Health & Family Services National CASA Association
Sage Four Feathers Counseling
Associate Carlton County Public Health & Human Services
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NICWA News National Indian Child Welfare Association 5100 SW Macadam Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, Oregon 97239 PHONE: (503) 222-4044 FAX: (503) 222-4007 WEB: www.nicwa.org
don’t miss the early-bird deadline
march 1, 2019
Hear from Native leaders throughout the US and Canada, learn about innovative new programs, and network with peers in the field of Indian child welfare. With over 1,200 participants, 120 presenters, 80 workshops, and four plenary sessions, this is an event you won’t want to miss!
To register and for more information visit: www.nicwa.org/conference
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