Partnerships Advisor at the Department of the Interior’s Office of Strategic Partnerships within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs
In this role, Estakio collaborates with the White House Council on Native American Affairs and various federal agencies to advance initiatives focused on conservation, economic development, and the revitalization of Native languages. His work emphasizes public-private engagement between philanthropy, Tribal organizations, and the business sector.
Raised in central Washington on the Yakama Nation, Estakio has dedicated over a decade to advising senior members of Congress and high-ranking officials in Washington, D.C. He later returned to his roots to work in philanthropy, partnering with community-based organizations to enhance the economic resilience of Tribal and rural communities. Estakio’s approach is driven by a bold vision for systems change through community-centered solutions.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Gonzaga University and a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University in New York.
Bodmer has served as an in-house attorney with the Pechanga Office of the General Counsel (“POGC”) for the past 5 years, joining as Deputy General Counsel in 2011 and currently serving as General Counsel. Steve is an enrolled member of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe of South Carolina. Steve received his Juris Doctor from Arizona State University College of Law, where he also received the Indian Legal Program Certificate for extensive study in the area of Federal Indian law. Prior to joining POGC Steve worked in Washington, D.C. on Indian law matters, practiced Indian law in the private practice setting in Phoenix, Arizona, and served as General Counsel for a tribe in Central California. In his role as General Counsel, Steve provides legal counsel to the Tribal Council, the Tribal Government and each of its departments. In addition to his responsibilities over Pechanga Tribal Government legal matters, Steve also oversees the legal affairs of the largest casino and resort in California, the Pechanga Resort & Casino, and provides legal counsel to the Pechanga Development Corporation. Among other areas of practice, Steve specializes in federal Indian law, gaming law, tribal governance, and tribal economic development. Steve is a founding executive board member of the Native American Bar Association of Arizona and is licensed to practice law in California, Arizona, and Washington, D.C.
Interim CEO and CAO, Morongo Band of Mission Indians
As Chief Administrative Officer for our tribe, I bring over 16 years of dedicated service and a lifelong connection to our community. Born and raised on the reservation, my journey reflects the impact of our tribal programs, from my tenure as Fire Chief to my leadership in operational management, budgeting, strategic negotiations, and business innovation. Guided by a commitment to accountability, transparency, and economic growth, I work to ensure the long-term prosperity of our people while continuing to expand opportunities for future generations.
Associate Vice President, ASU Knowledge Enterprise
Sean Dudley leads the Research Technology Office, which provides specialized technology solutions and services that enable and protect ASU’s research community and sponsored projects. The office also organizes collaborative projects across the three state universities and supports the advancement of Arizona’s technological infrastructure.
Dudley began his career in research information technology in 1998 at the University of Wisconsin. His passion for blending scientific research and technology later brought him to Tempe, where he initially worked at the ASU Biodesign Institute in the Center for Evolutionary Functional Genomics. Soon after, he advanced to a leadership role among the Knowledge Enterprise that allowed him to develop and provide many services to ASU’s entire research community.
Dudley holds degrees in biology, computer science, and philosophy from the University of Wisconsin. He earned a Six Sigma Black Belt from ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and is currently pursuing a PhD at the School for the Future of Innovation in Society.
Godfrey Enjady
Senior Research & Policy Analyst, ASU Law
Morgan Gray (Chickasaw Nation) serves as the Senior Research & Policy Analyst at the American Indian Policy Institute, where she leads AIPI’s policy and research agenda. As an attorney and former Tribal government employee, she is deeply committed to advancing research on emerging issues at the intersection of law and policy that impact Tribal communities.
Morgan brings a strong passion for telecommunications and broadband policy to her role. She previously served the Chickasaw Nation and its telecommunications subsidiary Trace Fiber Networks, LLC as a policy analyst tasked with developing and articulating the organization’s broadband development strategy. She also worked to secure federal funding for broadband infrastructure projects in Chickasaw territory, crafted a digital equity plan, and managed the Chickasaw Nation’s wireless spectrum portfolio.
Morgan served as a legal fellow for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs while in law school, where she drafted legislation and analyzed policy proposals affecting Tribal communities. She was also a member of the Federal Communications Law Journal’s (FCLJ) editorial board, and prepared law review articles and student-authored notes for publication. After law school, Morgan clerked for the Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court, Susan M. Carney, in Fairbanks, Alaska. Morgan is a proud alumni of the American Indian Law Center’s Pre-Law Summer Institute (PLSI) Program, Class of 2021.
Morgan earned her Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC. She also received a Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Texas A&M University.
Managing Director at Wells Fargo
Dawson Her Many Horses is a managing director at Wells Fargo, which is the leading provider of capital and financial services to the Native American and Alaska Native markets. Wells Fargo has relationships with more than 400 tribes and tribally owned enterprises, with approximately $2.5 billion in credit commitments and $2.5 billion in deposits. After joining Wells Fargo in 2018, he was appointed head of Native American Banking in 2021 before being named a managing director in 2023.
Her Many Horses’ career has spanned commercial and investment banking, with a focus on Native American gaming. He began his career at Merrill Lynch after graduating from Columbia University in 2004. Her Many Horses was appointed director of Native American business development for the investment banking, wealth management, and asset management groups at Merrill Lynch. He later moved into Merrill Lynch investment banking, where he focused on the tribal gaming market. Her Many Horses received his M.B.A. from Dartmouth College in 2010 and rejoined Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he was a banker on the Gaming team until 2018.
Her Many Horses is the founder of the Native American employee group at Bank of America and is chair of the Native American Visiting Committee at Dartmouth College. He is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.
Patrice Kunesh
Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans of the United States
Stacy LeedsDean, ASU Law
Leeds is the Dean of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Previously she served as Foundation Professor of Law and Leadership at the ASU Law. She is a scholar of Indigenous law and policy and an experienced leader in law, higher education, economic development and conflict resolution. She holds law degrees from University of Wisconsin (LL.M.) and University of Tulsa (J.D.), a business degree from University of Tennessee (M.B.A)., and an undergraduate degree in history from Washington University in St. Louis (B.A.).
Leeds was the first Indigenous woman to serve as a law school dean. She served as dean of University of Arkansas School of Law (2011-2018) and as the inaugural Vice Chancellor for Economic Development, University of Arkansas (2017-2020). She has been a professor and administrator at University of Kansas and University of North Dakota, and a William H. Hastie Fellow at University of Wisconsin. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a recipient of the American Bar Association’s Spirit of Excellence Award.
Leeds prioritizes public service at the national and local level. She is a former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice and former Chair of the Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission. She currently serves as a founding board member and treasurer of the Foundation for America’s Public Lands, a congressionally-chartered non-profit. She is a corporate board member for Kituwah LLC (wholly owned business diversification company of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) and board vice-president of Native Forward Scholars Fund (formerly American Indian Graduate Center).
Leeds is passionate about food, agriculture and wellness. She co-founded the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative and now serves as board president of Akiptan (a Native CDFI providing capital to farmers and ranchers) and vice-chair of the board of trustee for the Native American Agriculture Fund (a private, charitable trust serving Native farmers and ranchers created from the historic Keepseagle v. Vilsack settlement).
General Manager of Mohawk Networks, LLC
Allyson Mitchell is the GM of Mohawk Networks, LLC, an ISP owned by the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Section 17 Holding Company, the Tewathahonni Corporation. Mitchell is responsible for the long-term success of the fiber and wireless broadband provider, and the company is certified as an 8(a) entity by the Small Business Administration. The community’s adoption trajectory of broadband increased at a rate that impacted reliability of the first-generation network, and in her role, she has focused on investing in the core network, adding redundancy, capacity and higher availability to secure infrastructure for the community of Akwesasne, its tribal members, and the future demands of the next generation. Distance learning, virtual healthcare and e-commerce demands drive the strategic direction of the company, delivered by a highly-skilled workforce. Under Mitchells’ leadership, the company has steadily focused on economic diversification, sustainability and influencing tribal broadband priorities for Indian Country. Mitchell represents the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe as an appointee on the FCC’s Native Nations Communications Task Force, serving as Vice-Chair, as a Board Member for the Native American Contractors Association, an appointee on NYS Connect All Broadband Access Advisory Committee and as the Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club Treasurer
Christopher Mitchell
Executive Director of the American Indian Policy Institute & Research Professor, ASU Law
As a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, Traci Morris is a leading scholar on the subject of Tribal Digital Sovereignty, a term coined by Morris. Morris is an expert in tribal broadband and access and testified at the Federal Communications Commission and Capitol Hill.
Since 2014, Morris has been the executive director of the American Indian Policy (AIPI) Institute and is a research professor at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Under her guidance, the AIPI has expanded its services to Indian Country, collaborating with prominent organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians, and more. She currently serves on the Arizona Governor’s Office Interagency and Community Broadband Advisory Council.
Morris has worked with Native American nations, Tribal businesses, and non-profits. Her research and publications have focused on Internet use, digital inclusion, network neutrality, digital equity, and the development of broadband networks in Indian Country.
Partner at Catalyst Influence Management
Porter is known across the country as one of the leading government relations’ professionals in his field. He has cultivated a vast personal network of government officials, their senior staff and the thought-leaders who shape public opinion with over a decade of experience in public service, politics and government relations at the federal, state and local levels.
As a Partner at one of the fastest growing influence management firms in the country, Porter’s achievements range from helping clients defeat unnecessary and burdensome regulations, tripling the membership of leading national trade associations and launching effective public policy programs for organizations of every size.
Porter helped lead a successful bipartisan government relations coalition on behalf of clients in the financial technology industry to stop an initiative by the Justice Department that was cutting off financial services to legal industries known as “Operation Choke Point.”
Working on behalf of Native American tribes, Porter has connected tribal leaders with state attorneys general to create a more positive and collaborative working environment between tribes and regulators. His successes include the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between state and tribal clients.
Cultivating an indelible brand and public image for his clients is a key priority for Porter who seeks to build long-term success, relationships and opportunities that can be sustained beyond their engagement with CATALYST. He is committed to the long-term growth and influence of CATALYST through his key role as a Partner for business development and company management to ensure his clients constantly have new opportunities for partnerships and growth.
Porter began his career with U.S. Senator Jim Talent and has served in leadership positions on several high-profile campaigns and party organizations in California and across the country, including two presidential campaigns. He has managed multi-million dollar budgets, led fundraising efforts that have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for clients, testified before state legislatures on policy issues and serves in the leadership of a diverse group of organizations and boards.
Director of Technology, Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association (SCTCA); Director of the Tribal Digital Village (TDVNet) Network/Initiative
Matthew R. Rantanen is the Director of Technology for the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association (SCTCA) and the Tribal Digital Village Initiative for 23 years, designing and deploying networking supporting tribal communities of Southern California. Currently the Vice President Tribal Broadband at the GoldenStateNet, focusing on Tribal opportunities in the CA Governor’s Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative.
Matthew, of Cree (First Nations, Canada), Finnish, and Norwegian descent, has been described by his peers as a “cyber warrior for Tribal community networking” and is considered an expert on community/Tribal wireless networking. He is an advocate for net-neutrality, broadband for everyone, and opening more spectrum for public consumption, always looking out for the unconnected. Matthew helps the 25 member tribes of SCTCA with technology development and strategy.
Matthew was appointed as Co-Chair of the Technology and Telecom Subcommittee of the National Congress of American Indians. Working with tribes to draft telecom policy and promote better opportunities for Tribes within the Federal Government. He serves on the Advisory Board for Arizona State University’s, American Indian Policy Institute.
Ernie RasmussenExecutive Director of Bigfoot Communications (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation)
Ernie Rasmussen, Citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, is currently serving as the Executive Director for Bigfoot Communications of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Among his duties is to marry broadband infrastructure investments with much needed broadband services while balancing digital equity services in a green field broadband development. Mr. Rasmussen has spent his entire 30-year career in service to Tribes, including as Tribal Liaison at the Washington State Department of Commerce, Digital Equity Manager at the Washington State Broadband Office, Senior Planner of Economic Development for the Colville Tribes, Executive Director of a 501c3 on the Spokane Indian Reservation, a College Math Instructor at a Tribal College, and a GED instructor. He currently serves on many national and regional boards and committees, always serving to remind his colleagues of the importance of partnership with Tribal communities. His wife, Amy is a Spokane Tribal member and together they have 3 beautiful and supremely talented daughters and one very very cool 4-year-old grandson offering a chance to relive the amazing age of dinosaurs, race cars, and bugs!
Assistant Dean of Institutional Progress & Executive Director of Indian Legal Program, ASU Law
Rosier is the Assistant Dean of Institutional Progress and the Executive Director of Indian Legal Program (ILP) at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. She is an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma. In this role Rosier leads the ILP’s recruitment and retention efforts and is in charge of the ILP’s development and grant work. Rosier served as Director of the ILP from 2000-2011 and returned as Executive Director in 2014. During her three-year absence from the ILP Rosier served as an Assistant General Counsel for the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. Prior to joining ASU, she worked as a tribal prosecutor for the Gila River Indian Community. Rosier received her J.D. from the University of Utah in 1998 and a BA from Capital University in 1993.
Co-Founder and Lead Architect First Languages AI Reality at Mila/IndigiGenius
Michael Running Wolf (Northern Cheyenne and Lakota) was raised in a rural prairie village in Montana with intermittent water and electricity; naturally he has a Master’s of Science in Computer Science. Michael was an engineer at Amazon’s Alexa, former faculty at Northeastern University, and is a researcher at Mila. Michael is researching Indigenous language reclamation using immersive technologies and artificial intelligence. His work has been awarded a MIT Solve Fellowship, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the Centri Tech Social Justice Innovation Award, and the Patrick McGovern AI for Humanity Prize. Through the ethical application of AI and advanced technology respecting traditional ways of knowing he is contributing to the ecology of thought represented by the Indigenous.
Grace Signorelli-CassadyAttorney, Jenner & Block LLP
Grace Signorelli-Cassady is a member of Jenner & Block LLP’s Native American Law Practice, where she leans on her experience in high-stakes litigation, sensitive investigations, and as a former federal law clerk to deliver significant victories for tribal clients. She secured an over $100 million trial victory on behalf of a federally recognized Indian tribe in an oil lease dispute, successfully defended that win throughout a legal challenge, and then added another $10 million victory in a related dispute. Beyond litigation, Grace has also worked on a variety of tribal energy matters, including guiding a tribe’s pursuit of energy sovereignty and independence and advising on lease and rights-of-way negotiations. Prior to joining Jenner & Block, Grace served as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Roslyn O. Silver of the US District Court for the District of Arizona.
Professor of Hospitality & Tourism Management; Endowed Chair, Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming
Katherine Spilde, Ph.D. MBA, is a cultural anthropologist and Professor in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at San Diego State University (SDSU), where she serves as Endowed Chair of the Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming. In her role as Sycuan Chair, Dr. Spilde teaches the nation’s only four-year degree in tribal casino operations management. Prior to her appointment at SDSU, Katherine held leadership positions at UC-Riverside, the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, and the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA.) She was also a Policy Analyst and Writer for the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, a Congressional commission that produced a comprehensive study of U.S. gambling policy for President Clinton in 1999.
An award-winning author of over 50 academic articles, Dr. Spilde has produced national, state and tribal gaming impact studies and has worked extensively with over 100 tribal governments on nation-building activities. A long-time advocate for public health, she also serves on the Board of Directors for the International Center for Responsible Gaming.
In-House Counsel, Morongo Band of Mission Indians
Max Spivak serves as In-House Counsel for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, a federally recognized Tribe. Max’s work for Morongo’s community, government, and enterprise stakeholders spans several practice areas for the ultimate purpose of protecting and advancing Tribal sovereignty.
Assistant Director of the Indian Legal Program, ASU Law
Kristen Talbert is the Assistant Director of the Indian Legal Program at Arizona State University. An enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Kristen brings over fifteen years of experience in nonprofit leadership, case management, data collection, teaching, and program development.
Her career has focused on advancing the Indian Child Welfare Act and connecting American Indian families with resources that support long-term success. She has served as the St. Paul Urban Representative for the Indian Child Welfare Advisory Council at the Minnesota Department of Human Services and as a member of the Indian Education Advisory Council for the Arizona Department of Education. Kristen is currently a premier academic coach for the Native Forward Rising Native Graduates Program.
She earned her MBA with an emphasis in leadership and entrepreneurship from ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business, an MA in K–12 Education with a focus on Indigenous language immersion from the University of St. Thomas, and a BA in American Indian Studies—Dakota Language Track from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities.
In 2023, Kristen was honored with the NCAIED 40 Under 40 award for her leadership and impact in Native communities.
Partner at Quarles & Brady LLP
Pilar Thomas advises Native American tribes on tribal renewable energy project development and finance, tribal economic development, federal Indian law and natural resource development. Clients turn to her for strategic legal advice on:
- Tribal energy policy and planning
- Clean energy and infrastructure project development and financing
- Federal and state energy regulatory, programs and policy efforts
- Federal requirements for tribal land development
Pilar’s in depth federal Indian law experience extends to her governmental work as deputy director for the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs at the U.S. Department of Energy. She was responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs to achieve the office’s objectives related to the promotion of energy development, electrification and infrastructure improvement on tribal lands.
Pilar also was the deputy solicitor of Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior interim attorney general, chief of staff to Chairwoman Herminia Frias of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental and Natural Resources Division, Indian Resources Section.
Senior Fellow, Governance Studies; Director, Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) at Brookings
Nicol Turner Lee is a senior fellow in Governance Studies, the director of the Center for Technology Innovation (CTI), and serves as co-editor-in-chief of the TechTank blog and The TechTank Podcast. Her research focuses on the intersection between technology and social justice in areas that range from universal access to communications to the design and application of artificial intelligence models. In 2023, Turner Lee developed and launched the AI Equity Lab, which is focused on advancing inclusive, ethical, nondiscriminatory, and democratized AI models and systems throughout the United States, and the Global South, including the African Union, India, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
Alongside her plethora of publications, Turner Lee released her first, signature book Digitally invisible: How the internet is creating the new underclass (2024), which advances a roadmap toward a more just, digital society and economy. She also recently published a chapter in The Oxford Handbook on AI Governance (2022), among other notable publications.
She has been a contributor to the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Politico, Communications Daily, National Journal, The Hill, among others. She has been seen and heard on PBS Newshour, National Public Radio, NBC, ABC, and other major and multicultural and independent media outlets and podcasts. Turner Lee is also a regularly sought out speaker, and panelist for congressional, state, and local hearings on existing and next generation technologies.
She sits on various federal advisory commissions some of which include the Technology Advisory Committee on the U.S., Commodities and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), NYDFS Financial Innovation Advisory Board, the AI Safety Board convened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Communications Commission’s Communications, Equity, and Diversity Council (CEDC) of which she is the current vice chair. She is also an active board member on the Federal Communications Bar Association Foundation, and the Partnership on AI, which is a global organization committed to ethical and safe AI. In addition to these roles, she is also a member of the Observatory on Information and Democracy and has actively participated in various global discussions on universal connectivity and responsible future technologies. In 2023, she also completed service on the National Academies of Science research commission on the use of facial recognition technologies in policing as per an executive order from the Biden-Harris administration.
Prior to Brookings, Turner Lee was chief research and policy officer at the Multicultural Media, Telecom, and Internet Council (MMTC), and the first director of the Media and Technology Institute at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. In the latter role, she developed the first national minority broadband adoption study, which was later cited in the congressionally mandated Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan. In 2022, Turner Lee was recognized with the Distinguished Career Award in the practice of sociology by the American Sociological Association, which adds to other notable recognitions, including being named to the list of the top 100 Women in AI Ethics and given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Turner Lee graduated from Colgate University magna cum laude and has a M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University. She also holds a certificate in nonprofit management from the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Senior Research Fellow, Tribal Water Policy, Kyl Center for Water Policy, ASU
Cora Tso is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. She is of the Reed People clan and born for the Black Streaked Wood clan. Her maternal grandparents are of the Bitterwater clan and her paternal grandparents are of the Red House clan. She was born and raised on the Navajo reservation and is originally from Shonto, Arizona, located in northeastern Arizona. Cora currently works at Arizona State University (ASU)’s Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute as a Senior Research Fellow. In this role, Cora develops research and policy analysis for Arizona Tribal water policy in collaboration with various water stakeholders in Arizona and the Colorado River Basin in connection with the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative (AWII). Previously, Cora has worked with governmental, private and non-profit organizations focusing on Indian law, water law and environmental law and policy matters. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, a minor in American Indian Studies and a Juris Doctor degree from Arizona State University. She is passionate about using her education and profession to secure and protect Tribal rights to lands and waters in the Southwest.
Professor of Practice, ASU Law
Tyson Winarski is an Intellectual Property Law Professor and Patent Attorney with the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law with Arizona State University. Tyson is also a technologist (BSME, MSEE) and inventor with over 52 patents in Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, renewable energy, graphene optic fibers, nanotechnology, and social networking devices. Various technology companies have purchased or taken a license to Tyson’s patents. Tyson has also co-founded H2Gr0, an AI software start-up company focusing on sustainable fertilizer management for agriculture. At ASU, Tyson teaches courses on Strategic Protection of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies with Intellectual Property, Patent Law, Patent Licensing and Monetization, IP Licensing, and Appeals to the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeals Board. Tyson is also adjunct faculty on IP Law at the University of San Francisco School of Law.
Tyson serves on the Board of Directors for the Western National Parks Association, non-profit partner of the National Park Service. Tyson also served on the board of directors for the Grand Canyon Conservancy for six years, the official nonprofit partner of the Grand Canyon National Park.
Director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
Larry Wright Jr. is the Executive Director for the National Congress of American Indians. He priorly served as the Director of Leadership Engagement for NCAI. He served as Tribal Chairman of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska for eleven years, and was a member of the Tribal Council for four years prior to that service. During his time as Tribal Chairman, his Tribal Nation saw a period of important growth of their economic development ventures and health care facilities. While in office, Wright also served in the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association, representing his Tribe. He was also elected to represent the Great Plains Region as the NCAI Area Vice President for the NCAI Executive Committee, which is comprised of Tribal leaders from twelve separate regions across the nation.
Wright is a recognized national Tribal leader and advocate, familiar to many on Capitol Hill as well as many in every corner of Indian Country. He has testified before Congress on four occasions. In addition, Wright served on the Board of Directors of the National Indian Health Board, as Chairman of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs Board of Directors, and as Chairman of the Nebraska Inter-Tribal Coalition. He also previously served as Co-Chair of the NCAI Taxation Subcommittee and the NCAI Trust Lands, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Subcommittee during his prior service on the Executive Committee of NCAI.
Wright is a military veteran and is dedicated to national advocacy on behalf of Tribal veterans, having served in the United States Army National Guard. He also has a diverse background in education, management, and entrepreneurship. For six years, he served as a Secondary Social Studies teacher in Lincoln Public Schools. He also owned and operated his own general contractor business.
Raised in Nebraska, Wright is the first member of his family elected to the leadership of his Tribal Nation. He graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a BA in Secondary Social Studies and Political Science, and from the University of Nebraska Wesleyan with an MA in Historical Studies.