Youth empowerment was the focus of the 2020 AISES Leadership Summit, held in February at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. Through workshops, sessions, and guided activities, high school and college students were able to build important leadership skills and network with Native professionals, elders, and tribal leaders. The summit opened with the video One World (We Are One), which complements the Native Now Campaign. Among the special events was a panel on tribal leadership whose members included Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Lewis, Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians Councilman Mark Luker, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, and Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians Vice Chair Tishmall Turner. Masters of ceremonies at the Leadership Summit were motivational speaker Dyami Thomas and Rebecca Lynn Kirk, co-founder of Native Youth Leading Native Youth. Sponsors of the Leadership Summit included the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, Gila River Indian Community, Poarch Band of Creek Indians, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of State, Intel, Wells Fargo, Amazon, and Chevron.
AISES is launching a new program to give young people financial management skills that will equip them for a lifetime of sound choices. Native Financial Cents: Supporting Financial Capability for Native Americans enlists and trains college and grad students, professionals, educators, and community members as ambassadors to help pre-college students and young adults learn crucial money management skills. The AISES program leverages content from the age-appropriate Wells Fargo Hands on Banking Program in a culturally contextualized curriculum specifically designed to help Native youth prepare for a financially stable future. The program is adaptable to summer camps, after-school programs, and other learning situations, and can be completed in a maximum of 20 teaching hours.
Again this year, Oklahoma State University’s Division of Institutional Diversity partnered with AISES to present the National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair (NAISEF). Held on April 4, the 2020 fair was entirely virtual due to COVID-19. AISES is grateful to all the generous NAISEF sponsors. For news of the winners and their projects, visit aises.org.
The Canadian Indigenous Science and Engineering Society (.caISES) held its annual gathering in February at the University of Saskatchewan. Organized by the university’s .caISES Chapter and the Saskatchewan Professional Chapter, with support from the AISES Canadian Indigenous Advisory Council (CIAC), the sold-out meeting attracted nearly 200 participants.
The AISES family was saddened by the passing in November of cherished Council of Elders member Mary Jane Kahn, Diné. She and her husband, Franklin Kahn, joined AISES in the 1980s and over the years inspired countless members with their wisdom and commitment to advancing learning opportunities, as well as with their warm welcome and friendship for all. Mary Jane was especially known for her energy and her way of encouraging others to be open to different people and possibilities.
The passing of beloved Council of Elders member Andrea Axtell in December reminded AISES members how important elders are as keepers of culture and tradition. Both Sequoyah Fellows, Andrea and her husband, Horace Axtell, practiced the traditional Nez Perce Walasat religion. At AISES they were instrumental in creating a spiritual context for gatherings, facilitating talking circles, and inspiring members to stay connected with their heritage. In addition to AISES, Andrea served her tribe and many community service organizations.
AISES is recalling with appreciation the contributions of longtime Sequoyah Fellow Tom Dawson, who died in February. His early support, leadership, and work with AISES co-founders like Andy Anderson, George Thomas, and Al Qöyawayma helped put the organization on a firm path toward realizing its key goals. Tom drafted the original bylaws for College Chapters, a big step toward fulfilling the core AISES mission (today there are nearly 300 university-level chapters), and served as the fourth chair of the AISES Board of Directors. An electrical engineer by training, Tom focused many of his professional endeavors on interplanetary probes and plasma instrumentation in spacecraft. His work, which includes several patents and publications, has been widely recognized with awards, honors, fellowships, and coverage in science textbooks and the Who’s Who of Engineering.
▸ AISES Mission Continues
Your AISES staff is staying as safe as possible in these uncertain and challenging times and will be working remotely as long as that’s advisable to forward our mission. We will keep AISES members and friends informed about the work of the organization and about any changes to our schedule of events. Regional Conferences were cancelled as a precaution, but as we go to press, the annual meeting to select the winners of the Professional of the Year Awards will be held as scheduled in June, either in person or virtually. In a message to members, AISES CEO Sarah EchoHawk offered her perspective as the leader of an important Indigenous organization: “We will continue to reflect upon our ancestors who stood together and faced similar (and much greater) hardships upon this great continent we call Turtle Island. We will hold close their spirits and the values they have handed down to us through the generations. We are indeed all related and we need support, kindness, and compassion for one another now more than ever.” The AISES staff will continue to monitor this rapidly changing situation and will remain flexible and resilient as we continue to adjust our position in this fluid environment.
“We will continue to reflect upon our ancestors who stood together and faced similar (and much greater) hardships upon this great continent we call Turtle Island.”
▸ 2020 National Conference
At a distance of seven months out, the 2020 National Conference in Spokane, Wash., scheduled for October 15–17, is on the calendar. We are actively planning for another amazing get-together full of opportunities for learning, networking, and career building. See you in Spokane!
Do you or a member you know have a new academic degree, promotion, or award? Newly published book or paper? Let us share the good news — just email the Winds of Change editor kenglish@aises.org.