NUIFC Announcement // NUIFC Welcomes New Board of Directors
NUIFC Expands Board of Directors To Include Regional And National Advocacy Leaders
“The growth and reach of the NUIFC has been amazing over the last four years. With the addition of Will and Laura to our board, we see an opportunity to leverage their experience and expertise to help our members build power and influence for their communities through civic engagement and advocacy!”
SEATTLE, WA — In response to a growing network and expanded influence of the National Urban Indian Family Coalition, the organization announced this week that two new board members were nationally selected to help lead the organization's ongoing growth. The additions to the board come after long-time board chair Patricia “Patti” Hibbler (Salish-Kootenai) stepped down from her role after serving many years as the Executive Director of the Phoenix Indian Center. Under the board’s leadership and the founding executive director Janeen Comenote (Quinault), the organization has steadily grown its presence in the largest Native communities across the country and expanded its membership to include the urban Native organizations that serve them.
William Miller (Blackfeet & Cherokee)
Executive Director
NAYA Action Fund
William “Will” Miller has been involved with advocacy, policy, and systems change since he was 11 years old. He has an extensive background in outreach, engagement, policy, advocacy, and social justice. You can find him lobbying critical issues impacting communities during legislative sessions in Washington, D.C., in Salem and Olympia, and for local budgets during City and County budget seasons. Over the past 5+ years, he has worked to pass hundreds of laws and continues to be a fierce advocate for underrepresented communities. He currently serves as the Government Affairs Manager at the Native American Youth and Family Center located in Portland, OR. He serves as the Executive Director of the NAYA Action Fund.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a focus in Law and Politics from Oregon State University and is a Ford Family Foundation Scholar. William believes that our communities must work together to be bold, progressive, and make positive impacts for generations to come.
Laura Harris (Comanche)
Executive Director
Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO)
Laura Harris, an enrolled citizen of the Comanche Nation, has led the national nonprofit advocacy organization Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO) for 25 years. She coordinates an international network of Indigenous leaders and organizations. Harris developed the curriculum and implements the award-winning Ambassadors Program, the only national Indigenous values-based leadership, and community development training. Harris is an experienced community engagement facilitator and provides an AIO-crafted cultural competency transformational learning experience, “Indian 101,” that builds relationships and garners allies. In 1997, President Clinton appointed Harris senior consultant to the President’s Initiative on Race. Currently, Harris serves on the boards of the National Urban Indian Family Coalition, the Latin American Working Group, and the Albuquerque Zoo & BioPark Community Board. She is elected secretary of the Toyah Band of Comanche and active huutsi (Comanche paternal grandmother).
NUIFC’s board of directors and growing staff will continue building upon the exponential growth of the organization and the resources it funnels to front-line urban Native organizations and their leaders that provide critical services to one of our country’s most vulnerable and invisibilized populations.
From 2018-to 2021, the NUIFC has secured and stewarded millions of dollars and in-kind resources to address issues ranging from Native voter engagement, Census turnout, urban Indian education, and bridging the digital divide for urban American Indian and Alaska Native families. The organization, along with member organizations across the country, have worked tirelessly to define a new narrative of who Indian Country is and how addressing social and economic disparities requires new strategies for ensuring that the majority of the AI/AN people are represented and engaged in civic arenas and receive adequate resources from public, private, and philanthropic sectors.
About the National Urban Indian Family Coalition
Founded in 2003, the mission of the NUIFC is to elevate a national voice and sustain Indigenous values and culture through a strong network of urban Indian organizations. The goals of the NUIFC are to build a movement that promotes advocacy, enhances resources, and mobilizes systems to integrate Urban Indian issues in policy discussions and implementation and to sustain indigenous values and culture within urban communities. Learn more by visiting www.nuifc.org.