Rupert Ayton

Vice President, Senior Advisor

Rupert joined NACF in 2011 and is currently responsible for the transition of the Yale Union building to NACF. He is a former financial executive with over 30 years of financial management experience as an officer or consultant to for-and non-profit organizations. He holds a BA in accounting from California State University-Northridge and an MBA from Golden Gate University. He comes from an artistic family and is a painter in his spare time.

Reuben Tomás Roqueñi

Director, Transformative Change Programs
Yaqui/Mayo/Chicanx Descent

Laura Cales

Program Coordinator
Chickasaw Nation

Laura coordinates the administration and logistics of NACF programs, with special emphasis on the Mentor Artist Fellowship. She earned her MA in Art History with a specialization in Modern Art and Critical Theory from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a BA in Art History from Wright State University. Prior to joining NACF in 2016, she worked for the Biennial of the Americas in Denver, Colorado.

Beth Moore

Director of Finance

Beth joins the organization with over 15 years of experience in non-profit financial management, strategic development, fundraising, and facilities management.  She brings a passion for creative problem solving and systems development to her role.  Beth is a graduate of Wellesley College, is multilingual, and has lived on three continents since leaving her native West Virginia.  When she is not working on spreadsheets or budgets, you will likely find her cycling, hiking, planning her next cooking project, rooting for the Timbers, or curled up with a book and her aging poodle, Harold.

Gabriella Tagliacozzo

Director of Operations

Barbara Soulé

Communications Specialist
Diné (Navajo)

Barbara is a communications generalist with expertise in graphic design, print production, web design, writing and editing. She oversees the design and upkeep of the website, digital media, social media and online marketing. Additionally, she is the editor of the NACF blog and monthly newsletter. Barbara received her BA in Native American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Leah Altman

Development Manager
Oglala Lakota/Persian

Leah grew up as a member of the Portland urban Indian community and comes from a background in Portland-area social service and environmental justice nonprofits, primarily in grant writing and donor development. She comes with an MA in writing and is an alum of the Portland Emerging Arts Leaders mentorship program and the Coalition of Communities of Color’s Bridges program. Her passions include beadwork, poetry, cooking, and playing pool; she has two daughters.

Nicole Charley

Executive Assistant and Board Liaison
Tiɫxniɫáma and Wascopum Bands, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon

Nicole is a designated traditional foods knowledge keeper, steward & protector of sacred resources for her people. Nicole comes to NACF from the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), Office of the Executive Director. She holds a B.A. and is currently enrolled in the M.S. in Food Systems and Society program at Oregon Health & Science University. She is an alum of the Coalition of Communities of Color’s Bridges program and the January in Tucson’s (JIT) Tribal Professionals Cohort at the University of Arizona’s Indigenous Governance Program. She and her partner Jeremy are raising two nephews. She enjoys hiking and traveling, and she loves going home to Central Oregon to spend time with family and to gather the traditional foods of her people.

Annie Silver

Fundraising Systems Coordinator

Annie joined NACF in 2020 as Fundraising Systems Coordinator, responsible for building, maintaining and utilizing the organization’s fundraising systems. With a background in arts and education nonprofits, she brings more than five years of fundraising experience to her role. Annie received her BA in International Affairs and Anthropology from Northeastern University and lives in Portland with her husband and three cats.