Our Board of Directors

Richard Littlebear, Ed.D. (Northern Cheyenne Nation) President, Former President of Dull Knife College in Lame Deer, Montana, is one of the Nation’s most knowledgeable experts on bilingual education in American Indian and Alaskan Native communities. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Bethel College, a Master of Education degree from Montana State University, and an Educational Doctorate from Boston University.

Patricia Ningewance Nadeau (Lac Seul, Ojibwe of Ontario, Canada) Vice President. She is Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. She has taught Ojibwe at universities, worked as a translator, produced native language television production, versioned, has written and published 14 language books, runs her successful publishing company Mazinaate Inc. and writes Ojibwe language radio dramas She is Vice-president of the Indigenous Language Institute. She recently was inducted into the Order of Canada which honours citizens who have made extraordinary contributions to their country, in her case, native language.

Darrick Baxter (Ojibwe) Treasurer, is the President and CEO of Ogoki Learning Inc. in Manitoba Canada which has created language apps for the world indigenous languages for over 10 years. The company develops apps and provides training to communities to be self-sufficient in managing and updating the apps.

Maura Dhu Studie, Secretary, actor/singer/producer has been in the entertainment industry all her life. Her work in Indigenous language preservation is shared with her husband, Wes Studi, to ensure their son carries forth his Cherokee language and culture. She is a founding Trustee of First Americans in the Arts, and served on that board for eight years.

Elyssa Sierra Concha (Lakota/Anishnaabe/Taos). She has a Bachelor’s of Science in English and a Master of Arts degree in Indigenous Education. She has been dedicated to the Lakota language revitalization movement since 2018, working in various capacities such as a Lakota dual immersion educator, adult Lakota language educator, and curriculum developer for the Lakota dual immersion program.

John Echohawk (Pawnee of Oklahoma), is Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund for over 30 years. Having received his law degree from the University of New Mexico, he is a member of the Colorado Indian Bar Association and the Native American Bar Association. He serves on the boards of American India Resources Institute, Association on American Indian Affairs, Natural Resource Defense Council, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Environmental and Energy Study Institute, and Keystone Center.

Joel Frank (Seminole, Florida), is Former Director of Grants and Intergovernmental Relations for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. He is a founding member and former President of the National Indian Gaming Association. He assists tribal economic development, nationally, as a volunteer with the National Center for Tribal Economic Development. He became Chairman of the Board of AMERIND Risk Management, a Native Corporation, in November 2004.

Gerald L. Hill (Oneida), is former Special Counsel to the Council of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropological linguistics from California State University – Northridge and a law degree from the University of California – Davis. An Advisor and Reader for the Administration for Native Americans’ Language Program, he is committed to acquiring and perpetuating the Oneida language. He served as ILI’s Board President, from 2001 to early 2004, and was unanimously reelected to that position in Fall 2004.

Damian Webster (Tonawanda Seneca, Turtle Clan), he resides in Akron, New York. Since 2017, he has been the Program Director for Honöta:önih Hënödeyësdahgwa’. This program serves pre-k through third grade, as well as adult language cohorts. Damian also serves as a Year 1 Adult Language Instructor for the past three language cohorts. He is a second language learner of Seneca as well as Lakota. He is the father of two daughters and a big fan of basketball. 

Honorary Board Members

Oren R. Lyons (Onondaga), honorary Board Member, is a traditional Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan and a Member of the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, or the Haudenosaunee. Chief Lyons is well-known as a leading advocate for Native American causes, and he lectures internationally on Native American traditions, Indian Law and history, human rights, environment and interfaith dialogue.

Joanna Hess, ex-officio Board Member and IPOLA Founder, was co-founder and director of the Napa Contemporary Arts Foundation (NACA). As presented by the American Indian Law Alliance on behalf of IPOLA at the United Nations (United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, Geneva, Switzerland, July, 1993), Ms. Hess stated that: “It is the human right of all indigenous peoples to have the option to learn their Native language within the existing school systems.”

Wes Studi (Cherokee), Honorary Chair of the National Endowment Campaign, is an actor best known for his leading roles in films including Last of the Mohicans and Geronimo. Mr. Studi is a fluent speaker of Cherokee, a former language teacher in his community, and the author of two bilingual Cherokee-English children’s books. He is a national spokesperson for the Indigenous Language Institute and serves as ILI’s National Endowment Campaign.