Press Release

ASU AIPI and NAFOA Sign Collaborative Agreement to Develop the Tribal Economic Leadership Program

spesweviwridriclitrauespuuadruwujihuthacrijowosomijeclifrewr — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 18:49:00 +0000

ASU AIPI and NAFOA Sign Collaborative Agreement to Develop the Tribal Economic Leadership Program

Tue, 04/19/2016 - 12:00 spesweviwridri… (not verified) Tue, 04/19/2016 - 11:49

Tempe, Ariz. - Arizona State University signed a Collaborative Agreement with the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA) on April 19, 2016 formalizing a long-standing partnership and commitment to building the Tribal Economic Leadership (TEL) Executive Education Program bringing financial and economic development training to Indian Country.

The Collaborative Agreement was signed by Dr. Rebecca Tsosie, ASU Vice-Provost with the Office for Inclusion and Community Engagement, and NAFOA’s President Bill Lomax during NAFOA’s 34th Annual Conference held on April 18-19, 2016 at the Gila River Indian Community. Dr. Tsosie, who is also Regents’ Professor of Law in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, signed the agreement on behalf of ASU President Michael Crow.

The development of the TEL Program is an outgrowth of the highly successful Tribal Financial Managers Certification (TFMC) training. The TFMC training, which ASU AIPI and NAFOA have partnered in presenting since 2009, has trained over 340 tribal leaders, tribal CFOs, tribal accountants, and other tribal professionals in sound economic, fiscal management, tribal governmental finance, Indian law, and economic development. The spring 2016 cohort of the TFMC program will be held on May 23-25, 2016 at the ASU campus.

“ASU is honored to partner with NAFOA for such an important goal of improving the economic condition and capacity of Tribal Nations that builds on the work that we’ve already started together,” said Jacob Moore, Assistant Vice-President of Tribal Relations for ASU. “To paraphrase President Crow, ‘ASU aims to be a university measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed.’”

ASU and NAFOA have long recognized the need to build a strong professional development curriculum that develops a greater understanding within Indian Country of the importance of building internal infrastructure to grow strong tribal economies. The new TEL program offers specialized executive leadership training for tribal governments, Native American organizations, and others that work in Indian Country.

The goal of the program is to arm tribal practitioners and those who work with tribal entities with knowledge of the nuances of tribal governance and finance. Grant management, accounting, and taxation and compliance are complex in their own right, but there are added layers of reporting in tribal applications. Not having a good understanding of these additional regulations can subject entities to fines and endanger funding. The TEL Program will provide a variety of trainings and professional development opportunities that will enable tribal leaders, executives, government representatives (tribal, state, and federal) and financial practitioners to better understand the regulations surrounding tribal funds management.

“ASU has a demonstrated a deep commitment and responsibility to the Native nations and Native peoples the University serves. We could not have asked for a better partner in building out meaningful professional development opportunities,” said NAFOA’s President, Bill Lomax. “This collaborative partnership will combine our strengths to expand the capacity building of Indian Country.”

The ASU AIPI is an applied policy program leveraging university expertise via a reciprocal transdisciplinary model, infusing Native knowledge in the academy, and engaging Tribal Nations in building community partnerships in order to inspire the Seventh generation of leaders.

AIPI is fully committed to tribally-driven participatory research in which tribal governments identify their own research needs and seek out collaborations with the university. As part of tribally-driven participatory research, the AIPI responds to tribal research direction and empowers Tribal Nations, tribal communities and American Indian students through projects that support self-determination and build tribal capacity.

AIPI strives to provide thought leadership in American Indian communications policy and applied media work to enhance our local impact and social embeddedness serving Native Nations. By providing progressive policy analysis, research, and education, the AIPI seeks to elevate Native Nations in local, regional, national and global communities while creating a dynamic dialogue through multiple communication modalities.

NAFOA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to grow tribal economies by strengthening tribal finance. The organization launched over three decades ago to highlight the role of tribal finance in fostering economic opportunities. NAFOA advocates sound economic and fiscal policy, develops innovative training programs in financial management, builds the financial and economic skills of the next generation, and convenes tribal leadership, experienced professionals, and economic partners to meet the challenges of economic growth and change.

Press Release

ASU American Indian Policy Institute Forms and Appoints Inaugural Board of Directors

tlmorri3 — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 16:04:00 +0000

ASU American Indian Policy Institute Forms and Appoints Inaugural Board of Directors

Fri, 01/01/2016 - 12:00 tlmorri3 Fri, 01/01/2016 - 09:04

ASU American Indian Policy Institute Forms and Appoints Inaugural Board of Directors

For Immediate Release
Contact: Traci Morris, t.morris@asu.edu

Tempe, Ariz. (January 12, 2016) – Dr. Traci Morris, Director of the American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) at Arizona State University is pleased to announce the formation of a Board of Directors and the appointment of inaugural board members.

"I am very excited to lead change and envision the growth of AIPI to the next level. I'm honored to work with the leaders that have joined me on this path and in this commitment to Indian Country," said Director Morris.

The Arizona State University American Indian Policy Institute is an applied policy program leveraging ASU thought leadership via a reciprocal transdisciplinary model, infusing Native knowledge in the academy, and engaging Tribal Nations in building community partnerships in order to inspire the Seventh generation of leaders.

Members of the AIPI BOD offered their thoughts the importance of the work of AIPI and their appointment to the BOD:

Dr. Eddie Brown, Emeritus Executive Director and Founder of AIPI stated: "I am pleased and excited to continue my association with the American Indian Policy Institute under the leadership of Dr. Traci Morris. As a member or the AIPI Advisory Board, I look forward to the continued development of the Institute in serving American Indian communities and academic intuitions."

Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor of the Gila River Indian Community stated, “I am humbled and honored for the opportunity to serve as a board member of the American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University (ASU). I look forward to serving with my fellow board members in order to support ASU and tribal communities in the areas of research, policy analysis, and education. It is vital that tribal communities and academia come together and share their respective viewpoints to formulate policy that supports tribal endeavors and protects tribal sovereignty.”

"As a scholar and professor of Federal Indian law, I am incredibly excited to be part of the AIPI Board and I am very honored to work with Traci Morris, whose visionary leadership will take the AIPI into a new generation of policy work on behalf of American Indian and Alaska Native Nations. I am honored to be part of this talented and distinguished Board, and I appreciate the opportunity to serve in this capacity," said Rebecca Tsosie, Regents Professor of Law and Vice Provost for Inclusion and Community Engagement at ASU.

"AIPI serves a critical purpose in the Southwest Region with the potential to inform tribal policy and regional decision-making through strategic analysis and capacity building. Regional capacity is essential to bolster and inform the work of NCAI at a national and international level.” said Jacqueline Pata, Executive Director, National Congress of American Indians.

It is an honor and privilege to be appointed to the Board of the American Indian Policy Institute at ASU. I applaud ASU for their enduring endeavors to strengthen their relations with the national Native community and their consultation and coordination with Tribal Nations. I look forward to working with such a distinguished group of leaders on the Board and within the Institute, and to our efforts supporting AIPI’s mission of infusing Native knowledge in the ASU academia, vision of Tribally-driven participatory research, and values to be thought leaders in Tribal communications policy and applied media to elevating Tribal Nations," stated Geoffrey Blackwell of Amerind Risk.

“Traci Morris and I first collaborated on her groundbreaking research for the seminal study, 'New Media, Technology, and Internet Use in Indian Country,'” stated Sascha Meinrath, Palmer Chair in Telecommunications at Penn State University and X-lab Director. "With Traci's leadership, AIPI is positioned to be at the forefront of federal/tribal policy-making and it is an honor to work with her and the remarkable Advisory Board she has recruited.”

“The American Indian Policy Institute is a critical resource for research on issues in Indian Country and on tribal governance. In particular, the AIPI’s leadership on digital inclusion and broadband research stands out nationally, and touches core issues of empowerment and the future for Indigenous communities,” said Karen Mossberger, Director and Professor, ASU School of Public Affairs.

"I'm looking forward to being part of such an amazing board to help develop a much needed Institute for change. This is an important step in policy-making for Indian Country," said Matthew Rantanen, Southern California Tribal Chairman’s Association, FCC Tribal Leader Task Force, NCAI Telecom Subcommittee co-chair.

Kathleen Rosier, Director of the Indian Legal Program in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law stated, “I am excited to be appointed to the AIPI Advisory Board. The Indian Legal Program has been a long time partner of the Institute and I am proud to participate in a more formal manner. Traci has assembled a talented team of people to build on the Institute's past success and create new opportunities. I am excited to be a part of what is next.”

“I am humbled and honored to serve on the American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) Advisory Board of Directors. AIPI focuses on the intersection of technology, culture, and sovereignty within tribal communities and seeks to foster innovation and empowerment in Indian Country. These are areas in which Cherokee Nation has demonstrated its leadership throughout its history, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the mission of AIPI,” said Roy Boney, Director of Language Programs at Cherokee Nation.

The full list of appointed board members includes:

ASU Leadership: Dr. Eddie Brown, Former Director, ASU AIPI and ASU American Indian Studies; Jacob Moore, ASU Assistant Vice President of Tribal Relations; Dr. Bryan Brayboy, ASU Special Advisor to President Crow on American Indian Affairs, Director, Associate Director of ASU School or Social Transformation, Director of the Center for Indian Education; Rebecca Tsosie, ASU Regents Professor of Law, Vice Provost for Inclusion and Community Engagement; John W. Tippeconnic, Director and Professor of ASU American Indian Studies; Kathleen Rosier, Executive Director, ASU Indian Legal Program; Dr. Karen Mossberger, Professor and Director, ASU School of Public Affairs; and, Dr. Kim Scott,Founder and Executive Director, ASU Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology and founder of Compugirls.org.

External Leadership: Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Gila River Indian Community; Councilman Marcelino Flores, Pasqua Yaqui Tribe; Jacqueline Pata, Executive Director, National Congress of American Indians; Patricia Hibbeler, Executive Director, Phoenix Indian Center; Maria Dadgar, Executive Director, Intertribal Council of Arizona; Geoffrey Blackwell, Chief Strategic Officer and General Council, Amerind Risk; Dante Desiderio, Executive Director, Native American Finance Officers Association; Jamie Fullmer, Chairman of Bluestone Strategies Group; Sascha Meinrath, Palmer Chair in Telecommunications at Penn State University and X-Lab Director; Matthew Rantanen, Director of Technology, Southern California Tribal Chairmans Association, FCC Tribal Leader Task Force, NCAI Telecommunications Subcommittee co-chair; Roy Boney, Director, Language Programs, Cherokee Nation; and, Nathan Pryor, Government Relations Manager, Maricopa Association of Governments.

The American Indian Policy Institute is fully committed to tribally-driven participatory research in which tribal governments identify their own research needs and seek out collaborations with the university. As part of tribally-driven participatory research, the American Indian Policy Institute responds to tribal research direction and empowers tribes, tribal communities and American Indian students through projects that support self-determination and build tribal capacity.

AIPI was established as a core element of President Michael Crow’s American Indian Initiative. In 2007, the Arizona Board of Regents approved the new institute; Dr. Eddie Brown (Pascua-Yaqui/Tohono O’odham) and Professor Kevin Gover (Pawnee/Comanche) became the co-Executive Directors. In 2008, Professor Gover became the Director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian and in 2016, Dr. Eddie Brown Retired from ASU though remains on the AIPI BOD.

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ASU AIPI Announced Formation of Board of Directors Press Release

American Indian Policy Institute's Executive Director, Dr. Eddie Brown to be Honored with the Leon Grant Award at the Phoenix Indian Center’s Annual Silver & Turquoise Ball

tlmorri3 — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 16:20:35 +0000

American Indian Policy Institute's Executive Director, Dr. Eddie Brown to be Honored with the Leon Grant Award at the Phoenix Indian Center’s Annual Silver & Turquoise Ball

Thu, 04/09/2015 - 12:00 tlmorri3 Fri, 06/05/2015 - 09:20

For Immediate Release
Contact: Traci Morris, t.morris@asu.edu

Tempe, Ariz. (April 8, 2015) – The American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) is proud to announce Dr. Eddie F. Brown is the recipient of the Silver and Turquoise Ball’s Honorary Leon Grant Award. The Award is given by the Phoenix Indian Center and honors those who have followed in the footsteps of the center’s founder by working to enrich the lives of Native Americans in the Phoenix area and beyond. The award will be presented to Dr. Brown at the 32nd Annual Silver and Turquoise on April 11, 2015 at the Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center.

“I am honored to be among the recipients of the Honorary Leon Grant Award. To have an award representing the name of Leon Grant is most humbling and I will treasure it greatly. Contributing to the health and welfare of American Indian families and children and the mobilization of efforts to address the educational and wellbeing of Indian people must continue to be a priority” states Brown.
Dr. Eddie F. Brown (Pascua Yaqui/Tohono O’odham) youngest of eight children of Homer Brown and Julia Leon Valenzuela, was born and raised in Ajo, Arizona. Over the course of his professional career, Dr. Brown has served at the highest administrative levels of tribal, state, and federal governments and University administrations. His endeavors to ensure tribal sovereignty and strengthening the sustainability of Tribal Nations, American Indian communities and families have been at the forefront of all of his work. Dr. Brown’s commitment to the strengthening of marriages, families and children is reflected in his marriage of 47years to Dr. Barbara Weems Brown. Eddie and Barbara are the parents of 6 children and grandparents of 14 grandchildren.

Dr. Brown’s administrative experiences includes having served as the Executive Director of the Department of Human Service for the Tohono O’odham Nation; Chief of the Division of Social Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington D.C.; Director of Arizona’s Department of Economic Security; and as the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, Department of Interior, Washington D.C.

Dr. Brown is the Executive Director of the American Indian Policy Institute, a professor of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University and serves as Co-Chair of the National Congress of American Indians, National Research Center’s Advisory Board in Washington, D.C. and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Tohono O’odham Nation’s Gaming Enterprise, Tucson, Arizona.

Most recently, Dr. Brown served (2014) on the U.S. Attorney General's Advisory Committee on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence culminating in the publication report, "Ending Violence So Children Can Thrive."

From 2004 to 2010 he served as the Director of American Indian Studies at ASU and Co-founded the American Indian Policy Institute. He is currently a professor with American Indian Studies and School of Social Work, and serves as the Executive Director of the American Indian Policy Institute at ASU. Dr. Brown is also past member of the President’s White House Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities.

Dr. Brown’s university career started at Arizona State University after graduating with his Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Utah in 1976. For eight years Dr. Brown was the Associate Dean of the George Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. In 2004 President Crow of Arizona State University invited Eddie, to be a part of creating “the New American University.”

The American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University is a tribally driven transdisciplinary think-tank collaborating with tribal governments and Native American entities on policy analysis; technical assistance, training and certification; and facilitating participatory research benefiting communities nationwide.

Founded in 1947, the Phoenix Indian Center is the oldest American Indian non-profit organization in the United States. The center serves more than 6,000 individuals annually by providing services in the areas of education, employment, cultural enrichment, youth leadership and community engagement. While the center is located in Phoenix, it assists members of the American Indian community throughout the state of Arizona and across the Southwest. For more information, visit http://phxindcenter.com and for more information about the Silver and Turquoise Ball, visit http://phxindcenter.com/silver-turquoise-ball/.

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AIPI Executive Director, Dr. Eddie Brown to be Honored with the Leon Grant Awar… Press Release

ASU's Director of American Indian Policy Institute Appointed to FCC's Consumer Advisory Council

tlmorri3 — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 22:20:00 +0000

ASU's Director of American Indian Policy Institute Appointed to FCC's Consumer Advisory Council

Fri, 05/29/2015 - 12:00 tlmorri3 Thu, 06/04/2015 - 15:20

Tempe, Ariz. – The American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University is pleased to announce that AIPI Director, Dr. Traci Morris, will represent tribal interests on the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee.

Morris is a nationally recognized tribal communications leader and expert. This is her second, non-consecutive appointment to the committee.

“I am honored to bring Native interests to the table and participate in the process at the FCC,” said Morris. “The Commission is embarking on significant changes and has regulatory challenges currently and I am pleased to be able to bring tribal perspectives to the table.

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