Artificial Intelligence in Indian Country

Thursday, September 25, 2025

5:00 – 7:00 p.m. | Reception 

    Thunderbird Pub, 401 N 1st St, Phoenix

Friday, September 26, 2025

Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, ASU
Great Hall & Room 644, 111 E. Taylor St., Phoenix

Agenda

7:30 a.m. | Check in 

8:15 a.m. | Welcome

• Stacy Leeds, Willard H. Pedrick Dean, Regents and Foundation Professor of Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
• Dr. Traci Morris, Executive Director, Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty & Executive Director, American Indian Policy Institute, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. | AI Overview (Fireside Chat – Great Hall) Intro to AI for tribal communities: what it is and the various types

• Tyson Winarski, Professor of Practice, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law 
• Elizabeth Reilley, Executive Director, AI Acceleration, Enterprise Technology, Arizona State University

9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Governance & Policy: Avoiding the Next Digital Divide (Fireside Chat – Great Hall) How tribes can shape and lead in AI policy and regulation

• Morgan Gray, Senior Research & Policy Analyst, American Indian Policy Institute, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law (Moderator)
• Diana Bowman, Associate Dean for Applied Research and Partnerships, Professor of Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law 
• Mari Hulbutta, Director of Data Stewardship at the Chickasaw Nation
• Nelli Babayan, PhD, AI Director, Federal Civilian, Microsoft

11:00 a.m. | Break

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Leveraging AI for Efficient and Effective Research and Writing (Breakout – Room 644) A demonstration of free and commercial GenAI tools, including an examination of ethical duties, common pitfalls, and best practices.

• Beth DiFelice, Assistant Dean + Librarian, Law Library, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
• Tamara Herrera, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Distinguished Endowed Professorship in Legal Method, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Sovereign by Design: Indigenous-Centered Machine Learning for Health Equity (Breakout – Great Hall) This session demonstrates the Data for Indigenous Implementations Interventions and Innovation (D4I) Tribal Data Repository, showing how “sovereign by design” AI enables Tribal Nations to retain authority over health data while supporting equitable, culturally grounded research and innovation.

• Dr. Krystal Tsosie, Asst. Prof. School of Life Sciences

12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Lunch Provided (second floor Great Hall)

12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.| Keynote: “The Future of AI and Beyond” (Great Hall) Explores emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping artificial intelligence and its broader impact on society.

• Gary Marchant, Regents and Foundation Professor of Law; Faculty Director, Center for Law, Science and Innovation, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law 

1:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. | AI & Economic Growth in Indian Country (Breakout – Room 644) How AI supports negotiations, economic strategy, and enterprise growth

• Grace Signorelli-Cassady, Attorney, Jenner & Block
• Max Spivak, In-House Counsel, Morongo Band of Mission Indians 
• Jason Carrizosa, Interim CEO, CAO, Morongo Band of Mission Indians
• Mac Quig, Director, Microsoft Cloud and AI Platforms – Tribal Nations
• Patrick Tinklenberg, Vice President Information Technology, Casino-Information Technology, Sycuan

1:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. | AI in Language & Culture Revitalization (Breakout – Great Hall)

• Dr. Traci Morris, Executive Director, Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty & Executive Director, American Indian Policy Institute, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
• Carrie Billy, Consultant at Tribal Colleges and Universities
• Sean Dudley, Associate Vice President, ASU Knowledge Enterprise 
• Al Kuslikis, Senior Associate for Strategic Initiatives at American Indian Higher Education Consortium
• Leonard Bruce, Data Analyst, Gila River Indian Community

2:45 p.m. | Break (Second Floor – Great Hall)

3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. | AI and Tribal Court Practice: (Breakout – Room 644) This session explores how AI can assist tribal court practitioners in researching and applying tribal law, with a focus on sovereign immunity, potential benefits, and risks.

• Matthew Fletcher, Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law, Co-director, Program in Race, Law, and History, University of Michigan College of Law 
• Nikki Borchardt Campbell, Executive Director, National Indian Court Judges Association
• Amanda White Eagle, Director, Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center, University of Wisconsin School of Law

3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. | AI and Cybersecurity (Breakout – Room 650)

• Jon Tidwell, Practice Leader, Cloud & AI Security Services, Google Public Sector
• Paula Starr, Cherokee Nation Chief Information Officer

3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Break

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Building a Body of Policy on AI Serving Tribal Digital Sovereignty (Great Hall)

• Geoff Blackwell, General Counsel and Chief of Staff, National Congress of American Indians
• Dr. Traci Morris, Executive Director, Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty 
• Governor Stephen Lewis, Gila River Indian Community

5:00 p.m. | Closing Remarks

• Kate Rosier, Assistant Dean of Institutional Progress & Executive Director of Indian Legal Program, ASU Law