Feasibility Study Participants

In an extensive study on the feasibility of a national Native arts and cultures fund, the Ford Foundation gathered information from a wide variety of leaders in the Native arts and cultures field.


Rebecca Adamson
, founder and president emeritus, First Nations Development Institute

Andrea Alexander, president, Potlatch Fund

Janeen Antoine, executive director, American Indian Contemporary Arts

Sherry Salway Black, former vice president, First Nations Development Institute

Shannon Brawley, executive director, California Indian Basketweavers Association

Joanna Big Feather, artist/curator

Mamie Bittner, director of public and legislative affairs, Institute of Museum and Library Services

John Bridgeland, president and CEO, Civic Enterprises

Carmen Bydalek, arts consultant, Alaska Native Heritage Center

Louis Delgado, director, Philanthropy & Chicago Loyola University Nonprofit Sector Program

Jennifer Easton, individual donor, First Peoples Fund, Sundance Institute, Tides Foundation board member

Walter Echo-Hawk, senior attorney, Native American Rights Fund

Jim Enote, executive director, A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center

Juanita Espinosa, executive director, Native Arts Circle

Jaune Evans, executive director, Programs, Lannan Foundation

Chris Eyre, film director and producer

Jayne Fawcett, former tribal ambassador, Mohegan Tribe, Connecticut

Diane Fraher, executive director, Amerinda

Alison Freese, senior program officer, Institute of Museum and Library Discretionary Programs Services 

Hanay Geiogamah, artist, professor of theater, Project HOOP, UCLA

Chief David General, artist, Chief of Six Nations 

Carol Greyeyes, indigenous arts advisor, Saskatchewan Arts Board, Artist in Residence, Consultant

Roy Hamilton, interim executive director, Cherokee Heritage Center

Joy Harjo, artist, professor, University of New Mexico

Sarah Hicks, director, National Congress of American Indians, Policy Research Center

Roy Huhndorf, chairman emeritus, CIRI Corporation, Alaska

Susan Jenkins, executive director, Cherokee Preservation Foundation

Valorie Johnson, program director, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Diane Kaplan, president and CEO, Rasmuson Foundation

Heather Kendall-Miller, senior staff attorney, Native American Rights Fund

Elizabeth Kerr, chief executive, Creative New Zealand

Tina Kuckkahn, executive director, Longhouse Center, Evergreen State College

Andrew Lee, board member, National Museum of the American Indian, Nathan Cummings Foundation trustee

Elsie Meeks, director, First Nations Oweesta Corporation

John Meredith, senior program officer, Division of Public Programs, National Endowment for the Humanities

Sandra Narva, senior program officer, Museum Services, Institute of Museum and Library Services 

Joy Persall, executive director, Native Americans in Philanthropy

Peter Pennekamp, executive director, Humboldt Area Foundation

Tia Oros Peters, special projects and program director, Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development

Betsy Peterson, executive director, Fund for Folk Culture

Barbara Poley, executive director, Hopi Foundation

Lori Pourier, executive director, First Peoples Fund

Louise Profeit-LeBlanc, coordinator, Aboriginal Arts Secretariat 

Aleta Ringlero, Native arts curator

George Rivera, governor, Poeh Center for the Arts, Pojaoque Pueblo

Carla Roberts, vice president of affiliates, Arizona Community Foundation

Mike Roberts, president, First Nations Development Institute

Buffy Sainte-Marie, artist, founder, Nihewan Foundation

Sarah Sanchez, charitable contributions, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

Helen Scheirbec, director of public programs, National Museum of the American Indian

Gary Schwartz, director of New York office, Tides Foundation

Theresa Secord, executive director, Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance

Ben Sherman, board chair, First Peoples Fund

Dale Smith, program officer, Corporate Giving Program, The Boeing Company

Cris Stainbrook, executive director, Indian Land Tenure Foundation

Sonia Tamez, program manager, U.S. Forest Service Tribal Relations

Kathy Wallace, artist, board member, California Indian Basketweavers Association

Della Warrior, former president, Institute of American Indian Arts

Ken Wilson, tribal liaison, Bureau of Land Management, California

Elizabeth Woody, artist, arts administrator