Impactful philanthropic work challenges existing systems to create new long-term solutions. These solutions are often complex answers that require input and production from many sources. Historically, the nonprofit sector has excluded Native Nations and communities of color. Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) is committed to rectifying this exclusion and promoting equitable and effective philanthropy in Native communities. Collaborative efforts with partners and allies in the sector play a pivotal role in fulfilling this mission and creating solutions that will sustain themselves for the next seven generations.   

Our moderator, Stephine “Steph” Poston (Pueblo of Sandia), NAP’s Chief Executive Officer, Erik R. Stegman (Carry the Kettle First Nation - Nakoda), along with esteemed NAP Partners, Lisa Jaguzny from Biodiversity Funders Group, and Shannon Rudisill from Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, discuss the significance of partnering across the field and how cross-sector collaboration can revolutionize the future landscape of philanthropy. 

Watch the broadcast now on NAP’s YouTube Channel and be sure to subscribe to the NAP YouTube channel for more informative and important resources on Native communities.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS: ERIK R. STEGMAN (Carry the Kettle First Nation - Nakoda) (he/him) CEO, Native Americans in Philanthropy

Erik serves as Chief Executive Officer of Native Americans in Philanthropy, a national organization advocating for stronger and more meaningful investments by the philanthropic sector in Tribal communities. Previously, he served as the Executive Director for the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute. He has held positions at the Center for American Progress on their Poverty to Prosperity team, as Majority Staff Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and in the Obama administration as a Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education. Erik began his career in Washington, D.C. at the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center. Erik holds a J.D. from UCLA School of Law, an M.A. in American Indian Studies from UCLA’s Graduate Division, and a B.A. from Whittier College.

LISA PAWLEK JAGUZNY (she/her) Director of Programs and Initiatives, Biodiversity Funders Group

Lisa serves as the Director of Programs and Initiatives for Biodiversity Funders Group. She joined the organization as Senior Program Director in 2021 after a long career in leadership roles in various sectors of the conservation community. She has recently led Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center, where she transformed the 240-acre farm into a force for promoting climate-resilient practices through regenerative agriculture and environmental stewardship. Prior to Oxbow, Lisa led the Campion Foundation where she served as CEO for nearly 10 years and created the Campion Advocacy Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit focused on protecting US public lands and fostering Indigenous-led campaigns to protect Alaska’s lands and waters. Lisa served as Deputy Director for People For Puget Sound for 11 years, during which time she led the campaign that resulted in the protection of more than 1,000 miles of Puget Sound shorelines. Lisa has served as a Board Member for the Western Conservation Foundation and the Biodiversity Funders Group. She holds a BA from Trinity College and an Executive MBA Certificate from Stanford University’s Center for Social Innovation. 

SHANNON RUDISILL (she/her) Executive Director, Early Childhood Funders Collaborative

Shannon Rudisill is the first Executive Director of the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative (ECFC), the nation’s philanthropic collaboration to improve policies and build systems that help young children and their families thrive. Under her leadership, ECFC has tripled its membership, engaged with partners across philanthropy, and put racial equity at the center of ECFC’s strategic priorities. ECFC established the Raising Child Care Fund, which fuels the power of parents and child care providers in 17 states through grants to grassroots organizers. Prior to joining ECFC, Shannon was the Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development at the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Shannon served on the Obama Administration’s senior leadership team for early childhood programs, setting strategy for ACF programs such as child care and Head Start, as well as programs jointly administered with the U.S. Department of Education, such as the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge and the Preschool Development Grants. She is especially proud of the $500 million Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership grants which brought higher quality early care and comprehensive services to thousands of infants and toddlers and families.  Shannon also served as the Director of ACF’s Office of Child Care (OCC), which administers the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), providing billions each year to States, Territories, and over 500 Tribal communities to provide child care. Shannon tirelessly pursued strategies to make child care work better for families and to ensure that children are served in safe, healthy, and nurturing early learning and afterschool programs. Under her leadership, the Obama Administration’s principles for child care reform were reflected in the reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act.

MODERATOR: STEPHINE "STEPH" POSTON, M.A. (Pueblo of Sandia) (she/her) President & CEO, Poston & Associates, LLC

“Steph” was born and raised on the Sandia Pueblo Indian Reservation. She worked for her Tribe for eleven years before launching Poston & Associates, a full-service communications firm. Steph’s expertise includes strategic facilitation, capacity-building training, leadership development, strategic communication, and event planning. She has worked with numerous Tribes and Tribal entities in New Mexico and throughout Indian Country on public relations and marketing campaigns, sacred site protection, voter empowerment, water rights, Tribal policy development, economic development, education, and healthcare. 

She is a co-founder of Native Women Lead and is the current Chairwoman of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts which hosts Indian Market.