Member Education Sessions: Regarding Reparations

Dana is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and grew up on the Bishop Paiute-Shoshone Indian Reservation in the Eastern Sierra region of California. She earned her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Sacramento in Child Development and worked as an early childhood educator within her community’s Tribal family literacy program. 

Dana has over 15 years of experience working within the Native nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. She previously served as the Executive Director of Potlatch Fund, a Native American-led foundation, where she grew the grantmaking programs to include the Language Preservation, Native Student Success, and Healthy Pathways for Native Youth strategic initiatives. She brings a wide-range of experiences in Native education, Native philanthropy, nonprofit capacity-building, and cultivating community partnerships. Dana has served on the boards of Social Justice Fund Northwest, Native Americans in Philanthropy, American Indian Graduate Center, 501 Commons, and Look, Listen + Learn. Over the past 5 years, Dana has also served as a Community Reviewer, Advisory Council member, and consultant for Native Voices Rising. Dana recently completed her PhD program at the University of Washington College of Education with an emphasis of Culturally Sustaining Education.

Dr. Amber Banks is the inaugural Vice President of Programs at the Decolonizing Wealth Project. She is honored to lead DWP’s Liberated Capital funds and healing programs. Dr. Banks is a seasoned social sector leader with over two decades of experience as an educator, researcher, coach, facilitator, advisor, grantmaker, entrepreneur, and organizer. Dr. Banks started her career as a Special Education teacher and prior to joining DWP, was the Founder & CEO of the Center for Trust and Transformation (CTT), a consulting collective offering coaching, training, facilitation, and advising to social sector organizations focused on trust. Dr. Banks completed her undergraduate degree in Journalism at Boston University and Ph.D. in Education Leadership, Organizations, and Policy from the University of Washington with a focus on cross-cultural trust building and racial justice, and social network analysis.

I am from the South Side of Chicago, the City of Big Shoulders. My people are Black people in America, Black people in the Diaspora, and people of the global majority. I am a part of iF because Black people deserve and are entitled to better. I love art, critical race theory, sci-fi fantasy novels, and Japanese anime. 

"Hey Black Child | Do you know who you are | Who you really are | Do you know you can be | What you want to be | If you try to be | What you can be." - Useni Eugene Perkins

Bobby “Trae” Trousdale (he/him), a proud citizen of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, is a descendent of the Toupin family and was raised in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. Before joining NAP, Bobby “Trae” worked in student programming, advancement, and leadership within higher education. He also brings experience from the private sector in event planning, employee engagement, and executive operations.

Bobby “Trae” received a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Oklahoma City University. He holds an M.P.A. specializing in nonprofit administration and a graduate certificate in Native American Studies from the University of Oklahoma. His areas of research focused on issues of organizational diversity, community development, and Indigenous strategic planning.

In his free time, Bobby “Trae” volunteers with several local organizations including Sisu Youth Services, both Oklahoma City Pride organizations, and serves on the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Oklahoma. He also enjoys stickball, pickleball, antiquing, and exploring Oklahoma City’s local breweries with his spouse.. He is married to his college sweetheart, Taylor. Together they live on the Southside of OKC and have a dog and a cat, respectively named Timothy Gunnderson (à la Project Runway’s Tim Gunn) and Tamale.