Jacob Moore is responsible for the intergovernmental affairs between ASU and tribal nations and communities. Previously, Jacob Moore was managing partner for Generation Seven Strategic Partners, LLC, and also worked as an Economic Development Analyst and Special Assistant on Congressional and Legislative Affairs for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
Sascha Meinrath is the Palmer Chair in Telecommunications at Penn State and director of X-Lab, an innovative think tank focusing on the intersection of vanguard technologies and public policy. Professor Meinrath is a renowned technology policy expert and is internationally recognized for his work over the past two decades as a community internet pioneer, social entrepreneur, and angel investor.
Dallin Maybee is Seneca and enrolled Northern Arapaho. Raised on the Cattaraugus territory of the Seneca Nation of Indians in Western New York, he is an accomplished artist, public speaker, performer, and is currently the Assistant Director of Development at the Native American Rights Fund (NARF). Dallin has a B.A. degree in Philosophy, as well as a Juris Doctorate from the Sandra Day O’Conner College of Law with an emphasis in Federal Indian Law.
Stephen Roe Lewis was raised in Sacaton, “Gu-u-Ki”, on the Gila River Indian Community. His father is the late Rodney Lewis and mother Willardene Lewis. Mr. Lewis has a son, Daniel currently attending Arizona State University.
Dr. Angela Gonzales is an enrolled citizen of the Hopi Nation from the Village of Songoopavi (Spider clan) and Professor in the School of Social Transformation. She joined the ASU faculty in Fall 2016 after 10 years on the faculty at Cornell University. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Gonzales’s research cuts across and integrates the fields of sociology, American Indian/Indigenous studies, and public health. Her projects include a 5-year NCI-funded study, Enhancing Cervical Cancer Prevention Strategies among Hopi Women and Adolescents.
Sarah EchoHawk, a citizen of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, has been working on behalf of Indigenous people for over 20 years. She has led AISES, an organization dedicated to Advancing Indigenous People in STEM, since 2013, and currently serves as its President. Prior to joining AISES, Ms. EchoHawk was the Executive Vice President at First Nations Development Institute, a national nonprofit organization with a focus on economic development for Indigenous peoples and their communities.
Maria Dadgar is an enrolled member of the Piscataway (Pi-Scat-Away) Tribe of Accokeek (Ack-Ko-Keek), Maryland. Maria has worked in the fields of Higher Education, Non-Profit Executive Management and Tribal Economic Development for more than 20 years. Throughout her career, Maria has been involved in advocating for public policies and legislation on behalf of Tribal nations regarding Economic Development, Education, Health Equity, Social Justice, and Environmental Quality.
Geoffrey Blackwell brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in Indian Country and Washington, D.C. to NCAI. He has testified before Congress on seven occasions, and before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He arrived after serving for eight years as the Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel for AMERIND Risk Management Corp. In addition to a career in federal Indian law and litigation, and tribal corporate development, he has played a pivotal role in developing and advocating for broadband policy that closes the digital divide of Tribal Nations.
Denise E. Bates, Professor of History, joined Tufts as the Dean of University College in 2023. She leads a dedicated team of professionals to advance our mission of expanding access and catalyzing resources university-wide to produce high-quality programming for the workforce of the future and learners at every stage of life. She was previously at Arizona State University (ASU), where she was the Associate Dean of Student Success and Community Engagement for the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts.