Member Education Sessions: Building Power in Rural and Tribal Communities

Marissa Nuvayestewa is Tewa and Hopi, and a member of the Corn Clan from the Village of Tewa. With decades of experience in working with community, nonprofit and philanthropy, Marissa understands the importance of working collaboratively with communities to build local capacity from within.

She has supported Native-led and non-native nonprofits and foundations in various roles, including serving on boards, providing technical assistance to help launch nonprofit organizations, fundraising, connecting resources, and advisory support, resulting in five new giving strategies to increase general operating support Native communities within the region, the state of Arizona, and at the national level.

Marissa earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work, specializing in Social and Economic Development in Native American Communities, from Washington University in St. Louis’ George Warren Brown School of Social Work. Her professional background includes facilitation, strategic planning, board development, fundraising, program evaluation, and research. Outside of work, she enjoys harvesting local edible plants, walking local trails, and fishing.

Joshua Smith, MPH (Paiute & Modoc) has spent the last 10 years working with American Indian & Alaska Native (AI/AN) public health organizations in various data-related capacities. His work also included the development of community-focused data products. He is currently a Grant Director of Indigenous & Native American Causes/ Programming with the Roundhouse Foundation exploring innovative solutions to AI/AN issues.

Born and raised in Humboldt County, and coming from both the Karuk and Yurok People, I am proud to call Northern California my home for generations. My partner and I are the proud parents to three children and grandparents to two young grandsons.  

One of my early jobs was as a Community Coordinator with the program that is now known as the Native Cultures Fund, so I have been honored to be associated with the Foundation since 2000. I spent the next two decades working in support of community wellness through programs in higher education, arts and culture working with both United Indian Health Services, Inc. (UIHS) and the Indian Tribal Education and Personnel Program (ITEPP). During this time, I was also fortunate to serve on a number of Boards for local and statewide non-profits organizations, including Boards of both the Humboldt Area Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Native Cultures Fund.  

In my new role, I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to support efforts to increase and strengthen relationships between the area’s first peoples and the people that have chosen to call this region their home. There is something special about this place we all call home and finding the things we collectively believe in as we work towards our goal of a thriving, just, healthy and equitable region is work I feel humbled and gratified to be a part of both personally and professionally.

Born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Shaina is deeply rooted in her Lakota heritage and community. A fluent speaker of the Lakota language, she is dedicated to preserving and promoting her culture through education, leadership, advocacy, and service.
A Gates Millennium Scholar and CDC John R. Lewis Undergraduate Public Health Scholar, Shaina brings a strong academic foundation in Biology and Chemistry. She recently received her Associate of Arts in Tribal Law and is currently completing her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting.

With experience working across Tribal, state, and federal systems, Shaina offers a deep understanding of intergovernmental collaboration and policy development. She is passionate about building partnerships with Tribal Nations, Native-led nonprofits, and community foundations to strengthen relationships, expand equitable funding opportunities, and advance sustainable, community-driven development in Native communities.

Shandiin was born and raised on Diné Bikeyah, filtering through many different towns on the Navajo Nation during her childhood. She currently lives on traditional Ohlone and Esselen lands, now recognized as the Monterey Bay in California.

Her community has guided her professional work, where she has focused on supporting Indigenous-led nonprofits in communication and development roles, working with grassroots organizations like Yee Há’olníi Dóo or larger legacy organizations like the Association on American Indian Affairs.

With a deep appreciation for traveling and learning from new perspectives, she is grateful to have spent three years studying in France for her Bachelor of Arts in journalism and global communications. She continues to freelance as a journalist with work published through Navajo Times, Peacock Plume, and Changing Womxn Collective.

Sequoia Coleman (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma & Mvskoke) is a Northern California Community Organizer born and raised in Sacramento, dedicated to creating spaces where Native youth feel supported, connected, and prepared to lead.

In her role, she coordinates youth-centered programming across the state, focusing on civic engagement, leadership development, and culturally grounded approaches to community power-building. Her work centers on training Native youth to become community organizers who can return home to support their communities’ strengths, priorities, and visions for meaningful change. She is known for curating intergenerational spaces that uplift the Native youth voice, by setting the tone and building connection, young people feel grounded and ready to step into leadership.

She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Hawai‘i, where she originally planned for a career in athletic training before discovering her passion for community work and youth leadership. That shift continues to shape her approach grounded in care, relationship-building, and a belief that young people thrive when they are supported holistically.

The impact that supportive community spaces had on her own life drives her passion to ensure that Native youth have the tools and encouragement needed to contribute to their communities in powerful and meaningful ways.