NIEA Staff

Colin oversees all aspects of NIEA including institutional and policy development, fundraising, communications and long-term planning. Prior to joining NIEA, he was the Executive Director of the Native Hawaiian Education Council where he worked to foster a strong sense of resiliency, well-being and cultural identity for Native Hawaiian students. He is a long-time advocate for American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians as well as a clear and constant voice for the restoration of Native languages across the United States. Colin has served as a judge for Indian tribes in the Pacific Northwest, as a member and chair of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee, as the Director of Hawaiian Rights for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and as Senior Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. President Obama recently appointed Colin to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.

 

Dawn's work focuses on furthering NIEA’s mission through effective educational research, data collection, and national policy advancement. She leads NIEA’s research efforts by planning, designing, and collecting essential data about Native students and educators and disseminating reports to policymakers and stakeholders. Prior to joining NIEA, Dawn was a principal researcher at Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) in Colorado. Her research, evaluation, and technical assistance work focused on science education in formal and non-formal educational settings and American Indian education including academic achievement, graduation, dropout prevention, parent and community engagement, student resilience, student mobility, and tribal education departments. Prior to joining NIEA, Dawn created and directed the Native American studies department for the Kingman Museum of Natural History in Battle Creek, MI and served as a tribal liaison for the Michigan State University Extension Service.

 

Danny is responsible for policy development and outreach at NIEA. Prior to joining NIEA, he was a Community Development Specialist for the Native Hawaiian Education Council, where he assessed community needs and successes in order to build capacity. He has extensive experience running community-based non-profits, including being the Project Director for the No Vote No Grumble campaign, registering thousands of Native Hawaiians to vote in the 2008 election. In addition, as the Director of Student Services for the Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance, he helped hundreds of high school student-athletes secure millions of dollars to attend colleges and universities across the country. He has a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in Education from Loyola Marymount University.

 

Nancy is responsible for the overall operations of the NIEA office. In that role she provides support to the staff in the areas of human resources, accounting, membership services, data base management, information technology, and administration. Nancy brings more than 20 years of experience in the human resources, organizational development, and training functions in the hospitality industry. Prior to joining NIEA, Nancy headed the organizational development and learning department for Interstate Hotels & Resorts in Arlington, Virginia for four years. Before that she led the training and development department for Sage Hospitality Resources in Denver, Colorado for ten years. She began her career in human resources working for Marriott International in Bethesda, Maryland for ten years. Over the past several years Nancy has provided services as an independent consultant.