Awanigiizhik Bruce (They/Them) is a Two-spirit artist from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation in ND. Awanigiizhik (uh-WUN-nih-KEY-shik) which means Foggy-Cedar in Ojibwe. Awanigiizhik is an accomplished diverse media artist, poet, Tribal community leader, strategic planner, networker, tour guide and volunteer. Awanigiizhik is a recent graduate with a Bachelor of Art in Ojibwe Language, Culture and History at Turtle Mountain Community College.

Velva Kelly is a remote media assistant at Iḷisaġvik College. She is currently living in the mountains of Washington state caretaking a summer camp. Velva is going to graduate school to become an elementary school teacher in Olympia, Washington. She has been drawing and painting since she was a child and has a bachelor's degree in Illustration from the Academy of Art in San Francisco.

Dr. Grace Mukupa serves as the associate director of TCU connections for Student Success at AIHEC. She holds a Ph.D. International Development from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a Fulbright Scholar and a Peace Corps Volunteer. Her Ph.D. research was on food security and labor migration. She worked for the United Nations and the U.S. embassy in Tajikistan. During Peace Corps service, she worked at the Office of the European Union on cross-border programs for Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Greece.

Natasha LaRose is a Program Coordinator for Student Success for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). Natasha is an enrolled member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy’s Reservation and is also of Lakota and Dakota descent. She is alumni of two TCUs, Fort Peck Community College and Salish Kootenai College, and received her master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Montana. She grew up in Wolf Point, Montana which is located on the Fort Peck Reservation and currently lives in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. Natasha has worked with tribal communities in various capacities and is dedicated to advancing higher educational opportunities for current and future Native scholars.

Yasmin Santana is a Brazilian multidisciplinary theater and film actress, creative director, and designer based in New York City. She graduated with a BA in Performing Arts from the Artistic and Technological Training Center of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and a BA in Social Communications at PUC University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Yasmin has extensive experience in theater and film. Since 2015 she has worked as a company artist at 3LD Art and Technology Center developing new ways to incorporate digital technology in theater narratives for more than 200 productions. She is also Co-Founder of MôTif Productions - a non-profit that supports and creates art projects focusing on social justice.

As a designer and creative director, her credits include Esperpento by Victor Morales (Sundance Film Festival, B3 Frankfurt Biennial - Awarded as Best Immersive and Time Based Art) and The Other’s Shadow by Rodrigo Fisher. She has also created and provided design solutions for multiple renowned performing arts organizations in NY like Creative Time, Montclair State University, Renegade Performance Group, The Tank Theater, Group.BR, New Georges, The Builders Association, Origin Theater, Caborca Theatre, Pace University’s Theatre Department, and MAX Media Art Exploration, among others.

Moema Umann is a filmmaker and educator, with more than 12 years of experience. She worked on projects produced all around the world. After backpacking South America for 2 years, she moved to the Amazon to teach theater at a Yanomami community, strengthening her love for diversity. In New York City and China, she created with directors and experimental artists, solidifying her explorations of multimedia and technology. As the Film Coordinator and Production Manager at 3LD NYC, an art center that explores theater performances and new technologies, she worked as a producer and first assistant director for two productions filmed in 3D - The Downtown Loop and Tyson vs. Ali. She also directed the film version of the acclaimed performance Huang Yi & Kuka. Other media productions she managed were the Vogue annual party in Beijing, the Michael Kors launch in Shanghai, and the University of Maryland projection project. Many of her independent films were selected and awarded in different film festivals around the world. In Alaska, she collaborated with educators and scientists, reinforcing her passion and commitment to education and nature’s preservation. In 2018, she directed and produced the MôTif Film Festival in Fairbanks, Alaska.

She is currently the Media Coordinator at Iḷisaġvik College in Utqiaġvik (Barrow) Alaska.

David McDonald is the Multimedia Production Program Coordinator at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. In addition to teaching at community and tribal colleges in northern Minnesota, David worked as an international television news journalist, independent media producer, and humanitarian journalism trainer for various development organizations in Africa and Asia.

Al Kuslikis is Senior Associate for Strategic Initiatives at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), the association of the nation’s 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). An important focus of Mr. Kuslikis’ work involves identifying strategies for supporting research, education, technology transfer, and community development programming at the nation’s TCUs particularly through partnerships among the Tribal Colleges and the larger stakeholder community – including federal, Tribal and state agencies, higher education institutions, organizations, and businesses. Mr. Kuslikis has accumulated over thirty years of experience in American Indian higher education, beginning with his work at Diné College when it was called Navajo Community College.

Kathy Aplan, AIHEC Communications and PR Associate, is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She manages the social media, press releases, and newsletters for both the American Indian Higher Education Consortium and the Tribal College Journal. And currently joins the FEWS Alliance working on their newsletter.

Bradley Shreve, PhD is the editor of Tribal College: Journal of American Indian Higher Education, the quarterly publication of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). Previously, he taught history and chaired the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Diné College, America’s first tribal college, located in the Navajo Nation. Bradley is the author of numerous articles, essays, and the book Red Power Rising: The National Indian Youth Council and the Origins of Native Activism.

Jutta Treviranus is the Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) and professor in the faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto (http://idrc.ocadu.ca ). Jutta established the IDRC in 1993 as the nexus of a growing global community that proactively works to ensure that our digitally transformed and globally connected society is designed inclusively. Dr. Treviranus also founded an innovative graduate program in inclusive design at OCAD University. Jutta is credited with developing an inclusive design methodology that has been adopted by large enterprise companies, as well as public sector organizations internationally.

Matthew Fibla-Yates is serving for a second year as an IDC Faculty Advisor. Mr. Yates is a doctoral learner at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, is an American Indian College Fund Fellow, and serves as the Tribal Services Coordinator at the College of the Muscogee Nation.oes here