Learn about the history of the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program and Early Hodinǫ̱hsǫ́:nih Women at Cornell!

• Dr. Solomon Cook (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.A. 1938, M.S. 1942, PhD. 1950

In 1950 Dr. Solomon Cook was first Native American to earn a Ph.D. from Cornell. Dr. Cook taught and conducted agricultural research at South Dakota State University, taught at Barker and Salmon River High Schools, and established Marian Farms at Akwesasne Reservation, where he developed and preserved an original variety of Haudenosaunee white corn. This corn seed later became one of the key heirloom corn varieties researched and shared by the Iroquois White Flour Corn outreach program of the American Indian Agriculture Project at Cornell University, which was at its height in the 1980s-1990s. Solomon also served in the U.S. Navy in World War II, and was a St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Chief from 1977-1980.

• Mrs. Henrietta Guilfoyle, née Hoag (Onöndowa’ga:’/Seneca, Beaver Clan) 1940

Mrs. Henrietta Guilfoyle, née Hoag was born at Ohi:yo’ (Alleghany) on August 12, 1918, to Arthur Hoag (Onöndowa’ga:’, Wolf Clan) and Isabelle Hoag, née Tallchief (Onöndowa’ga:’, Beaver Clan). She was the granddaughter of William C. Hoag, former President of the Onöndowa’ga:’ (Seneca) Nation who directed the agricultural surveys Cornell’s College of Agriculture conducted at Ohi:yo’ in 1919. Her family’s role in the developing Cornell’s Indian Extension Program is most likely why Hoag applied for the Olive Whiteman Memorial Scholarship Fund in 1937. At Cornell, Hoag found community through the various extracurricular activities she took part in. This included the Cosmopolitan Club where she met her husband, Mr. Daniel Guilfoyle Sr.. Hoag also negotiated the representation of Hodinǫ̱hsǫ́:nih aesthetics on Cornell’s campus by donning Onöndowa’ga:’ regalia for the 1937 fashion showcase “Costumes of Many Lands.” After graduation Hoag returned to her grandfather’s farm at Ohi:yo’ while her husband served in the U.S. Navy during WWII.

• Lincoln White (Mohawk) 1939

After serving in the U.S. Air Force, White taught and was appointed superintendent of schools in New York State districts. He taught at St. Lawrence University for a year as the director of the Upward Bound Program, and was then named head of the Native American unit of the State Department of Education under Governor Mario Cuomo. President Gerald Ford appointed him executive director of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE); he served two terms in that post during the Regan presidency. White was also a condoled Mohawk Chief.

• Mrs. Inez Ground, née Blackchief (Onöndowa’ga:’, Deer Clan) 1920

Mrs. Inez Ground, née Blackchief was born at Ta:nöwö:de’ (Tonawanda) on June 9, 1900 to Seaver E. Blackchief (Onöndowa’ga:’) and Harriet Blackchief, née Moses (Onöndowa’ga:’, Deer Clan). Blackchief attended Akron High School before becoming one of the first three Hodinǫ̱hsǫ́:nih women to partake in Cornell’s Indian Extension Program in 1920. In 1921, she established the Tonawanda Home Bureau Club, which allowed her to negotiate the subjects Onöndowa’ga:’ women explored within home bureau work. Blackchief went on to receive her undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester in 1928. She continued her studies at Cornell after receiving a scholarship from the Daughters of the American Revolution's New Rochelle Chapter in 1929. While Blackchief’s academic achievements led her to be perceived as “blazing the trail for equality of the sex,” she more accurately worked to uphold and preserve Indigenous practices and lifeways. Throughout the 1930s, Blackchief took part in several community-based projects at Ta:nöwö:de’. These ranged from cataloging the holdings of the Tonawanda Public Library to supervising the creation of clothing and accessories for the WPA-sponsored Seneca Indian Arts Projects.

• Marvin Jack (Tuscarora), B.S. 1909

Marvin Jack was the first Native American student to earn a bachelor’s degree at Cornell. He later became a horticulturist and advocate for Native American education and success in agriculture. 

Connect with the Indigenous Graduate Student Association (IGSA) chapter at Cornell to connect with current PhD. candidates!

Less than 1/3rd of 1% pf PhD. holders in North America identify as Indigenous. We are proud that our community at Cornell has been supporting Indigenous PhD. graduates since 1938!

Dr. Merritt Bryer Khaipho-Burch (Thai, Oglala Lakota) PhD. Plant Breeding & Genetics 2024

Dr. Theresa Rocha Beardall J.D. 2014 University of Illinois College of Law, M.A. Sociology 2018, PhD. Sociology with a focus on race, policing, and inequality 2019

Dr. Grace Bulltail (Crow, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) PhD. Biological and Environmental Engineering Program 2017 

Dr. Bulltail earned her undergraduate degree in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University. She went on to receive two master’s degrees, in project engineering management and earth resources engineering, from Montana Tech and Columbia University, respectively. Dr. Bulltail earned that Native American “first” — a PhD in biological and environmental engineering from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University — with dissertation research on the impact of natural resource development on water quality in tribal communities.

Dr. Andrew Curley (Diné/Navajo) Ph.D. 2016

Dr. Alyssa Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora Descendant) Ph.D. History and American Indian Studies 2007

Dr. Alice Te Punga Somerville (Māori) Ph.D. 2006
Alice is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Waikato. The heart of her research is about locating, contextualizing, and analyzing texts written by Māori, Pacific, and Indigenous people. Her education focused on the written literatures of her Māori community.

Dr. Evelyn Galban (Washoe and Paiute) B.S. 1998 M.S. 2002 D.V.M. 2006

A graduate of the Cornell Veterinary School, Evelyn is currently Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a rotating small animal internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital and a residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at the School of Veterinary Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, achieving Diplomat status in 2012.

Dr. T'hohahoken Michael Doxtater (Mohawk) M.Sc. Agriculture and Life Sciences, PhD. 2000

Dr. Thohahoken Michael Doxtater’s national profile includes work in the public and private communications industry. He is a leading senior communications specialist, who has published internationally, produced, directed, and written award-winning documentaries and dramas for academic and public audiences in Canada and the US. He was Head of Studio One of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). As part of the producing team the Gemini Award winning film “Where the Spirit Lives” raised public consciousness of Indian Residential Schools in Canada, that eventually led to the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). He has taught and written about conflict resolution based on his expertise as a mediator at Oka, Red Hill Valley, Tutelo Heights, Eagles Nest, Brantford, and the Six Nations Reserve

Dr. Kevin Connelly (Onondaga) M.A. Modern Languages and Linguistics, 1993, PhD. General and Applied Linguistics 1999

Kevin arrived at Cornell in 1989, where he completed his M.A./Ph.D. in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. In his dissertation, he combined the field of discourse analysis, text linguistics, and narratology with the field of geography. He has been supporting the Onondaga Nation has a Language Revitalization Consultant since 2012. 

Dr. Taiaiake (Gerald) Alfred (Kahnawà:ke Mohawk) M.S., PhD in Government 1994

A prolific author of hundreds of articles and three books on Indigenous governance – including the groundbreaking Peace, Power, Righteousness: An Indigenous Manifesto (1999) – Mr. Alfred is the founding director of the Indigenous Governance Program at the University of Victoria, the world’s first graduate program to offer a Masters of Arts and a Ph.D. in Indigenous Governance. Taiaiake was awarded a Canada Research Chair 2003–2007, in addition to a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in education in 2006.

Dr. Shannon Albright PhD. 2004

Dr. Sean Teuton PhD. 2002

Dr. David Brown PhD. 2001

Dr. Dixie Henry PhD. 2001

Dr. Angela Wilson PhD. 2000

Dr. A. Griffith PhD. 2000

Dr. Justin Barrett PhD. 1997

Dr. Michael Wilson PhD. 1995

Dr. Donald Quinn PhD. 1995

Dr. Mary Hoover PhD. 1994

Dr. Carol Cornelius PhD. 1992

Dr. Hudson Reeve PhD. 1991

Dr. Anthony Caesar PhD. 1987

Dr. James Archer PhD. 1981

Dr. Richard Dyer M.D. 1963

Dr. Solomon Cook (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.A. 1938, M.S. 1942, PhD. 1950

Solomon was first Native American to earn a Ph.D. from Cornell, in 1950. Dr. Cook taught and conducted agricultural research at South Dakota State University, taught at Barker and Salmon River High Schools, and established Marian Farms in Akwesasne. Solomon also He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II was a St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Chief from 1977-1980.

Graduate Level

• Leah Shenandoah (Onya’ta:aká:/Oneida) PhD Candidate in Apparel Design; minors in American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Neurobiology - expected 2024
• Phoebe Wagner M.P.S. Global Development, Graduate Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2024
• Bruno Seraphin PhD. Sociocultural Anthropology, Graduate Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2023
• Aishwarya Shankar Masters of Landscape Architecture Graduate Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2023
• Frances Sobolak PhD. Linguistics, Graduate Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2023
• Samantha Bosco M.S. Soil Sciences, Graduate Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2022
• Samiha Hamdi M.P.S. Global Development, Graduate Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2022
• Andrew Leon Melissas 2022
• Pierre-Elliot (Peter) Caswell PhD. Humanities Scholar, Graduate Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2021
• Ashley Elizabeth Smith M.A., PhD. Anthropology, Graduate Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2017
• Daniel Radus PhD. English Language & Literature 2017

Undergraduate Level

• Maria Karihwiiostha Arrieta Lee (Kanien:keha'ka/Mohawk, Tarahumara) B.S. Communications; Minor American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2024
• Samantha Peters B.S. Environmental Science, Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2024
• Sam Jurado BaSC. Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2024
• Adele Williams (Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina) B.S. Communications; Minors American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Law & Society 2024
• Yanenowi Logan (Onöndowa'ga:'/Seneca) B.S. Environment and Sustainability, Minor American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2024
• Annabel Young (Saginaw Chippewa) B.A. American Studies, English; Minors in American Indian and Indigenous Stides, and Inequality Studies 2022
• Benjamin Oster (Mohawk) B.S. 2017 M.Eng 2018 
• Bailee Hopkins (Chahta/Choctaw) B.S. Plant Sciences; Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2018, M.P.S. 2019 Public Garden Leadership - Horticulture
• Jamie Peterson (Ottawa) B.S. Biological Sciences with a minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2017
• Jana Wilbricht B.S. Communication & Global Development; Minors American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Inequality Studies 2014
• Kyle Coulon (Onondaga) B.A. American Studies, minor in American Indian Studies 2011
• Daniel Radus B.A. English Language & Literature, minor in American Indian StudiesPhD. English Language & Literature 2017
• Sasha Pachito B.S. Rural Sociology, minors in American Indian Studies and Latino Studies 2003; M.L.S. University of Oklahoma - Indigenous Peoples Law
• Tsiorasa Barreiro (Kanyen’kehá:ka/Mohawk) B.S. Communications; Minor in Native American Studies 2000
• Mindy Magyar (Mi’kmaq, Sipekne’katik First Nation) B.S. Chemical Engineering, minor in American Indian Studies 1997; M.B.A 2009., M.F.A. 2007
• Jarrid Whitney (Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫɁ / Six Nations Cayuga) B.S. General Studies/Concentration in American Indian Studies 1994, M.Ed. Higher Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Laura Lagunez Ndereba (Diné/Navajo, Nahua) B.S. Animal Sciences and Natural Resources 2017 - Served as the Akwe:kon Residence Hall Director from 2017-2018

Michael Charles (Diné/Navajo) B.S. Chemical Engineering 2016, PhD. Ohio State University - Currently Assistant Professor in Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell

Ben Maracle Ben Maracle (Kanyen’kehá:ka/Mohawk) B.S. 2016 Communication - Worked as the Graphic/Administrative Assistant for the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program from 2020-2023. Currently the Communications Coordinbator for the New York State Water Resources Institute. 

John Tahsuda III (Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma) J.D. 1993

John Tahsuda III, a member of the Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs (PDAS). Mr. Tahsuda served as PDAS from September 3, 2017 to January 20, 2020. Tahsuda also became an Advisor to the Secretary at the end of his tenure at Indian Affairs. Before joining Navigators Global, Tahsuda had served since 2002 as staff director of the U.S. Senate’s Indian Affairs Committee, where he directed policy and legislative efforts relating to Indian tribes. He also was directly responsible for federal policy and legislation affecting gaming, federal recognition, self-governance, and Indian health care.

From 1991 to 2001, he served as general counsel and legislative director of the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), the Indian gaming industry’s trade association, where he monitored legislation and policy issues affecting the organization’s 180 member tribes and assisted them in their lobbying efforts. From 1997 through 2001, he also served as an adjunct professor of law at Cornell Law School where he taught courses on federal Indian law, policy and history.

Tsiorasa Barreiro (Kanyen’kehá:ka/Mohawk) B.S. Communications; Minor Native American Studies 2000

Tsiorasa Barreiro an Akwesasne native and executive director for tribal operations of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe in Akwesasne, Franklin County, he previously was the vice president of Ongweoweh Corp in Ithaca. After graduation Barreiro served as the residence hall director for Akwe:kon Program House. 

Jarrid Whitney (Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫɁ / Six Nations Cayuga) B.S. General Studies/Concentration in American Indian Studies 1994, M.Ed. Higher Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

A higher education professional with over 25 years of experience. Whitney first worked as a Financial Aid Counselor at Cornell University in 1994. He has since held positions as the Dean of Admissions for Dartmouth College, Stanford University, and Santa Clara University. In 2023 Whitney returned to Dartmouth College as the Assistant Vice President of Enrollment for Access Strategy. 

Derril Jordan (Mattaponi Tribe of Virginia) M.S. Social Work from Temple University, J.D. 1987

Founder of Jordan Law Offices based in Washington D.C. in 2010. Attorney General for the Quinault Indian Nation from 2017-2020. Joined Pattern Earnhard Real Bird & Wilson LLP in 2024. Derril’s career as a lawyer has been dedicated to the representation of Indian tribes and tribal organizations and the promotion of tribal sovereignty. He has worked in Indian Country for over 29 years, having served as an in-house attorney for two tribes, as the Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs at the Department of Interior, and as a private practitioner. Mr. Jordan has considerable experience in helping tribal clients navigate federal governmental agencies, including the Departments of Interior and Justice. He is also experienced in many aspects of tribal economic development, including drafting organizational basic documents, board training and corporate governance, drafting and negotiating contracts and joint venture agreements and conducting due diligence. He has also served as an adjunct professor of law at Cornell Law School where he taught Federal Indian Law. He is a member of the Mattaponi Tribe of Virginia. 

Barbara Abrams (Tonawanda Seneca) M.A. 1984

Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk) J.D. 2010

U.S. Representative Davids did her undergraduate degree at Johnson County Community College and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, then went on to earn her J.D. from Cornell Law School. When she was sworn into the 116th Congress to represent the 3rd district of Kansas, Rep. Davids became one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress.

Michelle Schenandoah (Onʌyota’:aka/Oneida) B.A. 1999; J.D. New York Law School 2009; L.L.M. New York Law School 2012; M.S. Degree in Magazines, Newspapers, & Online Journalism 2019 from Syracuse University

Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University in American Studies and American Indian Studies, a J.D. and L.L.M. in Taxation from New York Law School, and a Master of Science in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. Michelle is co-founder and co-president of Indigenous Concepts Consulting, an Adjunct Professor of Indigenous Law at Syracuse University, and co-founded Rematriation Magazine in 2016. In 2023 Michelle presented as a delegate in the Matrilineal Order of the Haudenosaunee to the United Nations in Geneva Switzerland, and as a spiritual delegate addressed Pope Francis with the Assembly of First Nations at the Vatican through ongoing consultation for a Papal apology for the genocidal impacts of church doctrine on Indigenous peoples. Her work and activism exists at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge sharing and meaning making, with a focus on Indigenous women's knowledge - and the promotion of Indigenous knowledge through governmental and cultural consulting. While a student at Cornell University, Michelle received the NASAC Leadership & Public Service Award, the Cornell Committee on Special Educational Affairs Award, and recognition from the Bureau of Land Management U.S. Department of the Interior Award in 1997. Michelle was selected as a Sga:t ędwatahí:ne Fellow with the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement in 2023, and is also a Soros Open Societies Equality Fellow and a MIT SOLVE Indigenous Communities Fellow.

Kathy George (Seneca, Mohawk) B.A. Hotel Administration 1991

Kathy has worked as the General Manager for Seneca Resorts & Casinos, Hilton Worldwide, Wyndham Worldwide, FireKeepers Casino (owned by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi); and became the President of the Catawba Nation Gaming Authority in 2022. Learn more about Kathy.

Jane Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora) B.A/B.S. 1980 M.S. 1982

Considered a national expert in Haudenosaunee agriculture, Jane retired from her position as Associate Professor in Cornell’s Department of Horticulture in 2018. Her research focuses on Haudenosaunee agriculture, knowledge, and the productivity of Indigenous cropping systems. Jane also served several terms as the Director of what was then known as the American Indian Program.

Connect with the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) to connect with current students!

Carolyn Click (Mvskoke/Muscogee Creek) J.D. 2024

Leslie Ramirez (Purépecha) J.D. 2024

Katlin Bowers (Cherokee Nation) B.S. 2019, J.D. 2023

Emily Harwell (Mvskoke/Muscogee Creek) J.D. 2022

Melissa Muse (Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina) J.D. 2021

Julia Giffin (Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma) J.D. 2020

Julia worked as a teaching assistant at the American Indian Law Center while a student, she became an Attorney Advisor for the U.S. Department of Justice in the Office of Tribal Justice in 2022. 

Ana Bordallo (Chamorro) B.S. Policy Analysis and Management 2018, J.D. 2024 (Harvard Law School)

Nadine Thornton (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) J.D./M.B.A. 2016

Nadine served as president of Cornell Law’s NALSA chapter for the 2014-2015 academic year.

Mary Beth Williams (N'dakinna, Abenaki, Pennacook, Wabanaki) J.D. 2012

Lossom Allen J.D. 2012

Jennifer Holsey J.D. 2012

Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk) J.D. 2010

U.S. Representative Davids did her undergraduate degree at Johnson County Community College and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, then went on to earn her J.D. from Cornell Law School. When she was sworn into the 116th Congress to represent the 3rd district of Kansas, Rep. Davids became one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress.

Gracynthia Claw J.D. Emphasis on Trial Advocacy 2009

Michael Carpentier J.D. 2007

E. Sequoyah Simermeyer J.D. 2004

Served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs 2007-2015, followed by a post as the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) Chairman and lead Agency official for the federal regulatory body from 2015-2024. Entered role as the Vice President for Strategic Partnership with FanDuel in 2024.

Shane Foster J.D. 2003

London Meservy J.D. 2001

Cynthia Newtown J.D. 2001

Served as Assistant District Attorney for Onondaga County for 17 years. Previously a Public Defender in Jefferson County, and a Staff Attorney for Southern Tier Legal Services. 

Jeannie Ray J.D. 2000

Stacey Dijon J.D. 2000

Jason Crane J.D. 2000

Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Seneca Gaming Corp.

Marianne Bell Matthews J.D. 2000

Shaun Simmons J.D. 1999

Michele Mitchell J.D. 1999

Mitchell served as General Counsel for the Native American Rights Fund, Seneca Gaming Corporation, the St. Regis Mohawk Trike, and the Seneca Natino of Indians, before joining the Big Fire Law & Policy Group as an Attorney in 2022. 

Joseph Kitto J.D. 1999

Vera Bauer Palmer (Six Nations Tuscarora) PhD. English, Native American Literature 1999

Her dissertation: "Bringing Kateri Home: Restoring a Cultural Narrative of an Iroquoian Saint," considers the Jesuit hagiography of Mohawk Christian ascetic, Kateri Tekakwitha. Awards: Dartmouth's Eastman Dissertation Fellowship 2000, Einhorn Center Robinson-Appel Humanitarian Award in 1999, Ford Foundation Fellowship 1997, Frances B. Allen Fellowship, and Bryn Mawr's Sheelah Kilroy Memorial Writing Award.

Jonodev Chaudhuri J.D. 1999

Jared Steele J.D. 1998

Jason Lewis J.D. 1998

David Kimelberg (Seneca Nation) J.D. 1998

Kimelberg founded the investment company Seneca Holdings. Profits from Seneca Holdings allowed the nation to install fiber optic internet. In 2020 Kimelberg opened K Art, a gallery in downtown Buffalo featuring the work of contemporary Indigenous artists.

Patrick Solomon J.D. 1995

Patrick Solomon was a founding partner of Thomas & Solomon LLP. He practiced solely in employment law, first at a large firm advising employers, and then, from 2000 to 2021, as partner at Thomas & Solomon LLP representing employees. Most recently, he concentrated his practice on national wage and hour, class and collective action litigation. He has represented hundreds of thousands of employees, and recovered back wages resulting in tens of millions of dollars for those clients. While at Thomas & Solomon LLP, Mr. Solomon was selected to be a mediator for the United States District Court for the Western District of New York and was regularly mediating federal actions for the court.

During his time at Thomas & Solomon LLP, Mr. Solomon served as an executive committee member of the New York State Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law section, and co-chair of the section’s Wage and Hour Committee. In 2011, Mr. Solomon was selected to receive the Leaders in Law award by The Daily Record.

Mr. Solomon played goalie on the Iroquois National Lacrosse Team in the 1990 and 1998 World Lacrosse Championships in Perth, Australia and Baltimore, Maryland. He also played on the twelve-time National Championship Hobart College Lacrosse team earning three National Championships.

James Casey (Cherokee) B.A. History and Computer Science 1988, J.D. International Legal Studies 1994

James A. Casey, Sovereignty by Sufferance: The Illusion of Indian Tribal Sovereignty, 79 Cornell L. Rev. 404 (1994) - Available at: https://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/clr/vol79/iss2/4

John Tahsuda III (Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma) J.D. 1993

John Tahsuda III, a member of the Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs (PDAS). Mr. Tahsuda served as PDAS from September 3, 2017 to January 20, 2020. Tahsuda also became an Advisor to the Secretary at the end of his tenure at Indian Affairs. Before joining Navigators Global, Tahsuda had served since 2002 as staff director of the U.S. Senate’s Indian Affairs Committee, where he directed policy and legislative efforts relating to Indian tribes. He also was directly responsible for federal policy and legislation affecting gaming, federal recognition, self-governance, and Indian health care.

From 1991 to 2001, he served as general counsel and legislative director of the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), the Indian gaming industry’s trade association, where he monitored legislation and policy issues affecting the organization’s 180 member tribes and assisted them in their lobbying efforts. From 1997 through 2001, he also served as an adjunct professor of law at Cornell Law School where he taught courses on federal Indian law, policy and history.

Christopher Stearns (Diné/Navajo) B.A. History from Williams College, J.D. 1989

Representing the 47th Legislative District, Chris is a longtime resident of Auburn where he served as the first Native American member of the Auburn City Council. After earning a B.A. in history from Williams College and a J.D. from Cornell Law School, he began a 30-year legal career. As an attorney, Chris has worked at the state and federal level to advance human and tribal rights, expand clean energy jobs, champion health care access and affordability, and improve economic opportunity for tribal and other marginalized communities. In 2000, Chris was selected to serve as the North Dakota State Presidential Campaign Director for Vice President Al Gore. He was the first-ever Native American appointed to such a senior position within a presidential campaign. Chris returned to Hobbs Straus in 2001. Chris later spent four years as the political advisor to the President of the National Congress of American Indians. He also served two terms as Chairman of the City of Seattle’s Human Rights Commission where he led efforts on police accountability, on jobs assistance legislation for people with criminal records, and he also testified before the United Nations on indigenous rights. Chris helped establish Native Vote Washington, a nonpartisan, nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to increase Native American participation in elections.

Vaughn Perret J.D. 1989

Ronald Eckstrom J.D. 1989

Laura Miranda B.A. Political Science and Government 1985, J.D. 1989

In private practice 13+ years, Laura M. Miranda's law firm is dedicated to Fight for Justice and Preserve your Rights with Integrity & Determination. Ms. Miranda has conducted over 90 criminal trials during her 22 years of experience as a defense attorney.

Louis Mangan J.D. 1987

Derril Jordan (Mattaponi Tribe of Virginia) M.S. Social Work from Temple University, J.D. 1987

Founder of Jordan Law Offices based in Washington D.C. in 2010. Attorney General for the Quinault Indian Nation from 2017-2020. Joined Pattern Earnhard Real Bird & Wilson LLP in 2024. Derril’s career as a lawyer has been dedicated to the representation of Indian tribes and tribal organizations and the promotion of tribal sovereignty. He has worked in Indian Country for over 29 years, having served as an in-house attorney for two tribes, as the Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs at the Department of Interior, and as a private practitioner. Mr. Jordan has considerable experience in helping tribal clients navigate federal governmental agencies, including the Departments of Interior and Justice. He is also experienced in many aspects of tribal economic development, including drafting organizational basic documents, board training and corporate governance, drafting and negotiating contracts and joint venture agreements and conducting due diligence. He has also served as an adjunct professor of law at Cornell Law School where he taught Federal Indian Law. He is a member of the Mattaponi Tribe of Virginia. 

Mark Charavee J.D. 1987

Debra Puebla B.A. Political Science and International Relations 1982, J.D. 1986

Leslie Wheelock (Oneida) M.B.A. Regulatory Economics Johnson Graduate School of Management 1984, J.D. International Specialization 1984

Wheelock is the founder of Wheelock Consulting, PLLC, where she serves as a tribal strategy and business adviser in areas that include federal policy and administrative law, broadband, cultural heritage, Indigenous knowledge, historic preservation and environmental justice.

In 2013, then-President Barack Obama appointed Wheelock to the post of department officer, senior adviser to the secretary and director of the Office of Tribal Relations at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, roles she held until 2017. Wheelock previously served as director of economic policy at the National Congress of American Indians, and as cultural and intellectual property manager on the National Mall transition team for the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington. Wheelock is currently a member of the Law School Dean’s Advisory Council, the Native American Lawyers Alumni Network, the President’s Council of Cornell Women and the Public Service Alumni Network, and joined the Cornell Board of Trustees in 2024.

Gail Anagick Schubert (Alaskan Native) MBA Accounting and Finance, J.D. 1984

Gail “Anagick” Schubert formerly served as the President and CEO of the Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC). She is Treasurer of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Board, Vice Chair of the Akeela Treatment Services Board, Vice Chair of the Alaska Native Justice Center, Vice Chair of the ANCSA Regional Association, and Chair of the Alaska Retirement Management Board. Schubert is the Immediate past chair of the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which she served on for nearly 15 years. She is a member of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce ATHENA Society, a program that recognizes women’s leadership. She has served on the BSNC Board of Directors since 1992. Schubert is the 2014 recipient of the Northwest Indian Bar Association’s Unsung Hero Award. The annual award honors an attorney for his or her outstanding contributions toward improving the legal and political landscape of Pacific Northwest Indian Country.

June Lorenzo (Laguna Pueblo, Diné/Navajo) J.D. 1984, PhD. Justice Studies from Arizona State University

June L. Lorenzo, Laguna Pueblo/Navajo (Diné), lives and works in her home community of Laguna Pueblo. She works with community organizations and Indigenous non-governmental organizations to address uranium mining legacy issues and resistance to new mining, sacred landscape protection and, more recently, on issues of repatriation of cultural patrimony. June advocates in tribal and domestic courts as well as before legislative and international human rights bodies. She also participated in negotiations for both the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She holds a Ph.D. in justice studies from Arizona State University and a J.D. from Cornell University. Lorenzo served as the Chief Judge for the Pueblo of Zia in New Mexico from 2018-2023.

Alma Upicksoun J.D. 1983

Judith Suchoski J.D. 1983

J. Southerland J.D. 1982

Thomas L. LeClaire (Mohawk) J.D. 1981

LeClaire was a judge on the Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona. He was appointed to the court on April 30, 2010, by Governor Jan Brewer. He retired on June 30, 2015.

Karsten Boone J.D. 1980

Vaughn N. Aldrich J.D. 1979

Aldrich was the former chairman of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Gaming Commission.

River Webb (Nimíipuu/Nez Perce, Meskwaki/Sac and Fox) M.S. Geology 2024

Myles Wood (Cherokee Nation) M.Eng. Biomedical Engineering 2024, M.D. Weill Cornell Medical School 2024

Kimberly Fuqua (Lumbee Tribe) M.P.A. Public Administration with Educational Policy Concentration 2021

Paige Priest (Seneca) Master of Public Health 2020

Skye Hart (Tonawanda Seneca Nation, Snipe Clan) B.S. Urban & Regional Studies 2018, Master of Regional Planning 2019

Bailee Hopkins (Chahta/Choctaw) B.S. Plant Sciences; Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2018, M.P.S. Public Garden Leadership - Horticulture 2019

Abraham Francis (Mohawk) B.S. Biological Sciences 2014, M.S. Natural Resources and Conservation 2019

Abraham's 2019 Master’s thesis in Natural Resources was on Haudenosaunee forest stewardship. 

Theresa Rocha Beardall J.D. 2014 University of Illinois College of Law, M.A. Sociology 2018, PhD. Sociology with a focus on race, policing, and inequality 2019

Benjamin Oster (Mohawk) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2017; M.Eng Aerospace Engineering 2018 

Ben received a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Masters in Aerospace Engineering, as well as a minor in American Indian Studies. During his time at Cornell, he was heavily involved in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). Ben was also a member of Native American Students at Cornell (NASAC), a tutor for the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program, and a lead author of Cornell's Indigenous Peoples' Day Resolution. Ben works at The Boeing Company, where he is a Guidance and Control Engineer for the novel Cargo Air Vehicle. 

This list of Native American alumni who completed graduate degrees at Cornell in the 50 years was found in the AIISP office archives, but we are seeking more information. If you know the specific degree or area of study for any of these graduates, please reach out to aiisp [at] cornell.edu (aiisp[at]cornell[dot]edu) so we can update our records. 

Charlene Winger-Bearskin (Cayuga Seneca Nation of Oklahoma) 2014

Michael Lawson 2014

Gregory Teusch 2005

William Creech 2005

Wakova Carter 2005

John Gould 2001

Rain Minn 2001

Julie Buffalohead (Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma) M. 2001

Steven Bethel 1992

Kerry Varga 1991

Charles Nelson 1991

Franklin Martinez (Navajo) 1991

Allison Lengyel 1991

Steven Konczal 1991

Daniel Hale 1991

Brent Smith 1990

Carrie Haluza 1990

Cynthia Coleman (Osage, Sioux) 1990

David Madsen 1989

Randy Reinholtz 1988

Caroline Kiang 1985

Herbe Fricke 1985

Michael T. Parker (Makah) 1984

Debra Earling 1982

Dr. Anthony Caesar M. 1982, PhD. 1987

Kim Troy 1980

Sherry Goitein 1980

John Rivlin 1978

Jerry Moss 1978

James Fisher 1978

Michael Bottge 1978

Robert Cookingham PhD. A&EP

----------------

Year study was completed and area of study currently unidentified. 

Kay Yandell PhD. Arts & Sciences

Cory Satin 

Shannon Wadworth

Chadrick Brooks

Kellie Dawson

Margaret Finn

Deanna Jimerson

Sharon Moses

Kianga Lucas M.S. Anthropology and a minor in American Indian Studies

Jeremiah "Jeremy" Swett B.A. Philosophy & History from University of California; J.D. Cornell Law School

Mark Carter B.A. Philosophy & French from Texas Tech University; J.D. Cornell Law School

Myles Wood (Cherokee Nation) M.Eng. Biomedical Engineering 2024, M.D. Weill Cornell Medical School 2024

Paige Priest (Seneca) Master of Public Health 2020

Sherrill Elizabeth Tekatsitsiakawa “Katsi” Cook (Mohawk) B.S. Biology and Society mid-1980s

Cook is a Mohawk midwife who studied at Cornell and was instrumental in a major study in the 1980s on the effects of PCBs on Mohawk children. Between 1994 and 1998, Cook was a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology at the State University New York (SUNY) at Albany School of Public Health as well as a visiting fellow at Cornell University's American Indian Program. In 2001, she was the Dr. T.J. Murray Visiting Scholar in Medical Humanities at Dalhousie University and later gave lectures on alternative and complementary therapies at the SUNY Buffalo Medical School and at Cornell University. In 2004 and 2005, Cook was the recipient of the Indigenous Knowledge Cultural Research Award from the Indigenous Health Research Development Program at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Richard Dyer M. 1959, M.D. 1963

Connect with the Indigenous Graduate Student Association (IGSA) chapter at Cornell to connect with current PhD. candidates!

Less than 1/3rd of 1% pf PhD. holders in North America identify as Indigenous. We are proud that our community at Cornell has been supporting Indigenous PhD. graduates since 1938!

Dr. Merritt Bryer Khaipho-Burch (Thai, Oglala Lakota) PhD. Plant Breeding & Genetics 2024

Dr. Theresa Rocha Beardall (Oneida) J.D. 2014 University of Illinois College of Law, M.A. Sociology 2018, PhD. Sociology with a focus on race, policing, and inequality 2019

Dr. Grace Bulltail (Crow, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) PhD. Biological and Environmental Engineering Program 2017 

Dr. Bulltail earned her undergraduate degree in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University. She went on to receive two master’s degrees, in project engineering management and earth resources engineering, from Montana Tech and Columbia University, respectively. Dr. Bulltail earned that Native American “first” — a PhD in biological and environmental engineering from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University — with dissertation research on the impact of natural resource development on water quality in tribal communities.

Dr. Andrew Curley (Diné/Navajo) PhD. 2016

Dr. Bradley Pecore (Menominee/Stockbridge-Munsee/Mohican) PhD. History of Native American Art ca. 2016

Since 2006, Pecore has been involved in over 60 exhibitions as curator, researcher, educator, writer, collections specialist, and artist liaison. He was the guest curator for Drift Art Project (2007) at Rush Arts Gallery, New York, NY, and in 2012, he contributed to Manifestations: New Native Art Criticism. He has lectured on Native American and Indigenous Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Hey Center (NMAI-GGHC), Smithsonian Institution, New York, NY, the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), and the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

Dr. Alyssa Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora Descendant) PhD. History and American Indian Studies 2007

Dr. Alice Te Punga Somerville (Māori) Ph.D. 2006
Alice is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Waikato. The heart of her research is about locating, contextualizing, and analyzing texts written by Māori, Pacific, and Indigenous people. Her education focused on the written literatures of her Māori community.

Dr. Evelyn Galban (Washoe and Paiute) B.S. 1998 M.S. 2002 D.V.M. 2006

A graduate of the Cornell Veterinary School, Evelyn is currently Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a rotating small animal internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital and a residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at the School of Veterinary Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, achieving Diplomat status in 2012.

Dr. Jason Corwin (Seneca Nation, Deer Clan) B.S. Communications 2002, M.S. Natural Resources 2010, PhD. Natural Resources 2016

Jason Corwin is a citizen of the Seneca Nation, Deer Clan and a lifelong media maker. He was the founding director of the Seneca Media & Communications Center and has produced several short and feature length documentaries. Jason has extensive experience as a community-based environmental educator utilizing digital media to engage with Indigenous ways of knowing, sustainability, and social/environmental justice topics.

Kay A. Yandell-Teuton PhD. 2005

Associate professor Kay Yandell writes about and teaches early and nineteenth-century American literature, with an emphasis on women's and indigenous literature and the history of technology. She attained her undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas, and her PhD from Cornell University. Her most recent book is titled Telegraphies: Indigeneity, Identity and Nation in America's Nineteenth-Century Virtual Realm.

Dr. Shannon Albright PhD. 2004

Dr. Sean Teuton (Cherokee Nation) M.A. English Language and Literature 1999, PhD. English Language and Literature, Minor in Indigenous Studies 2002

Sean Teuton is Professor of English, Director of Indigenous Studies, and Fulbright College Master Researcher at the University of Arkansas. He is the author of Red Land, Red Power: Grounding Knowledge in the American Indian Novel (Duke 2008) and Native American Literature: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2018).  He is at work on a monograph entitled Many Trails: Cherokee Writers at the Crossroads, and has completed his first novel, The Wolf Trail.  Teuton was born in Compton, California and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Recipient of the Robinson-Appel Humanitarian Award in 1999.

Dr. David Brown PhD. 2001

Dr. Dixie Henry B.A. Sociology & Anthropology, Native American Studies from Colgate University; PhD. 2001

Dr. Angela Wilson PhD. 2001

Dr. A. Griffith PhD. 2000

Dr. T'hohahoken Michael Doxtater (Mohawk) M.Sc. Agriculture and Life Sciences, PhD. 2001

Dr. Thohahoken Michael Doxtater’s national profile includes work in the public and private communications industry. He is a leading senior communications specialist, who has published internationally, produced, directed, and written award-winning documentaries and dramas for academic and public audiences in Canada and the US. He was Head of Studio One of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). As part of the producing team the Gemini Award winning film “Where the Spirit Lives” raised public consciousness of Indian Residential Schools in Canada, that eventually led to the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). He has taught and written about conflict resolution based on his expertise as a mediator at Oka, Red Hill Valley, Tutelo Heights, Eagles Nest, Brantford, and the Six Nations Reserve

Dr. Kevin Connelly (Onondaga) M.A. Modern Languages and Linguistics, 1993, PhD. General and Applied Linguistics 1999

Kevin arrived at Cornell in 1989, where he completed his M.A./Ph.D. in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. In his dissertation, he combined the field of discourse analysis, text linguistics, and narratology with the field of geography. He has been supporting the Onondaga Nation has a Language Revitalization Consultant since 2012. 

Dr. Taiaiake (Gerald) Alfred (Kahnawà:ke Mohawk) M.S., PhD in Government 1994

A prolific author of hundreds of articles and three books on Indigenous governance – including the groundbreaking Peace, Power, Righteousness: An Indigenous Manifesto (1999) – Mr. Alfred is the founding director of the Indigenous Governance Program at the University of Victoria, the world’s first graduate program to offer a Masters of Arts and a Ph.D. in Indigenous Governance. Taiaiake was awarded a Canada Research Chair 2003–2007, in addition to a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in education in 2006.

Dr. Justin Barrett PhD. 1997

Dr. Michael Wilson (Choctaw) PhD. 1995

Dr. Donald Quinn PhD. 1995

Dr. Mary Hoover PhD. 1994

Dr. Carol Cornelius (Oneida, Stockbridge Munsee, Montauk) PhD. Cross-cultural curriculum and graduate minor in American Indian History 1992

Carol A. Cornelius completed her Ph.D. at Cornell University in 1992. Her major was curriculum and instruction, and minor American Indian culture and history. She taught at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay for three years and helped build the First Nations Studies undergraduate program. Her coursework included Wisconsin Indian Nations, Oral Traditions, Contemporary Issues, Oneida Ethnohistory and she co-taught a course on Cultural Diversity. Her dissertation was published in 1999, Iroquois Corn in a Culture-Based Curriculum, A Framework for Respectfully Teaching about Cultures.

Dr. Hudson Reeve PhD. 1991

Dr. Anthony Caesar M. 1982, PhD. 1987

Dr. James Archer M. 1978; PhD. Computer Science 1981

Dr. Solomon Cook (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.A. 1938, M.S. 1942, PhD. 1950

Solomon was first Native American to earn a Ph.D. from Cornell, in 1950. Dr. Cook taught and conducted agricultural research at South Dakota State University, taught at Barker and Salmon River High Schools, and established Marian Farms in Akwesasne. Solomon also He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II was a St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Chief from 1977-1980.

Dr. Ariel Schlag (Taíno, Lakota Sioux, Blackfoot) B.S. CALS 2012, D.V.M. 2016

Dr. Evelyn Galban (Washoe and Paiute) B.S. 1998 M.S. 2002 D.V.M. 2006

A graduate of the Cornell Veterinary School, Evelyn is currently Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a rotating small animal internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital and a residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at the School of Veterinary Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, achieving Diplomat status in 2012.

Dr. Rachel Lawton D.V.M. 2003

Dr. Jacqueline Cyr B.S. 1995, D.V.M. 2003

Dr. Brenton Uhler B.S. 1991, D.V.M. 1996

Dr. Jeremy Bowers D.V.M. 1994

Dr. Cathy Kreis (Seneca) D.V.M. 1993

Dr. Richard Reid D.V.M. 1992

Dr. Tracy Durham (Nanticoke) D.V.M. 1991

Dr. Mary Frances Hoover nee Fadden (Mohawk) D.V.M. 1990; PhD. Veterinary Medicine 1994

Dr. Roberta Duhaime (Kanien'kehá:ka/ Kahnawake Mohawk) D.V.M. 1989

Dr. Sean Back D.V.M. 1989

Dr. Richard Price D.V.M. 1980

Dr. Peter Glassman D.V.M. 1978

Kimberly Fuqua (Lumbee Tribe) M.P.A. Public Administration with Educational Policy Concentration 2021

Jarrid Whitney (Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫɁ / Six Nations Cayuga) B.S. General Studies/Concentration in American Indian Studies 1994, M.Ed. Higher Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

A higher education professional with over 25 years of experience. Whitney first worked as a Financial Aid Counselor at Cornell University in 1994. He has since held positions as the Dean of Admissions for Dartmouth College, Stanford University, and Santa Clara University. In 2023 Whitney returned to Dartmouth College as the Assistant Vice President of Enrollment for Access Strategy. 

Natalie Hemlock (Seneca) B.S. Education Administration 1988

Hemlock served as the Special Assistant to the National Indian Gaming Commission from 2005-2012 before becoming the director of Business Development for Ongweoweh Corporation. In 2015 she became the Chief Commercial Officer for the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. 

Mitchell Green B.A. Business 1987

Barbara Abrams (Tonawanda Seneca) M.A. 1984

Dr. Merritt Bryer Khaipho-Burch (Thai, Oglala Lakota) PhD. 2024 Plant Breeding & Genetics

Elizabeth George (Seneca, Mohawk) B.S. Agricultural Economics 1994

Joseph "Joe" I. Dragon (Chipewyan) B.S. Agriculture 1992

Wallace Ransom (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.S. Agronomy 1989

Dr. Solomon Cook (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.A. 1938, M.S. 1942, PhD. 1950

Solomon was first Native American to earn a Ph.D. from Cornell, in 1950. Dr. Cook taught and conducted agricultural research at South Dakota State University, taught at Barker and Salmon River High Schools, and established Marian Farms in Akwesasne. Solomon also He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II was a St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Chief from 1977-1980.

Marvin Jack (Tuscarora), B.S. 1909

Marvin Jack was the first Native American student to earn a bachelor’s degree at Cornell. He later became a horticulturist and advocate for Native American education and success in agriculture. 

Jane Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora) B.A/B.S. 1980 M.S. 1982

Considered a national expert in Haudenosaunee agriculture, Jane retired from her position as Associate Professor in Cornell’s Department of Horticulture in 2018. Her research focuses on Haudenosaunee agriculture, knowledge, and the productivity of Indigenous cropping systems. Jane also served several terms as the Director of what was then known as the American Indian Program.

Kaylee Jackson (Lipan Apache, Chicana) B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies: Sustainability, Architecture, Native Indigenous Studies 2024

Marcos Antonio Moreno (Pascua Yaqui) B.S. Neuroscience, Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2017; M.D. UND School of medicine and Health Sciences

Hannah Dorsey (Pacific Islander) B.A. American Studies 2016

Andrew Curley (Diné/Navajo) Ph.D. 2016

Mia McKie (Tuscarora) B.S. Development Sociology, minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2013, M.A. Indigenous Governance, University of Victoria 2017

Mia McKie is a citizen of the Tuscarora Nation, member of the Turtle Clan and a clinical assistant professor of Indigenous Studies at the University at Buffalo. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto in the Department of History, where her research focuses on gendered and more than human relations through time. She is a Co-Primary Investigator for the Haudenosaunee Archive, Research and Knowledge portal (HARK). Recipient of the Tewaaraton scholarship in 2007.

Kyle Coulon (Onondaga) B.A. American Studies, minor in American Indian Studies 2011

Contributing writer to AISES Winds of Change magazine. 

Deidra Dees (Muscogee/Mvskoke (Hotvlkvlke/Wind Clan)) B.A. from University of South Alabama 1997; M.A. 2010; PhD. Education from Harvard University

Dr. Deidra Dees is the second-place winner of the Native Voices Award, a member of the Mvskoke nation, and descends from Hotvlkvlke (Wind Clan). She grew up picking cotton on a rural Alabama farm, where her ancestors lived. Dr. Dees is a Cornell and Harvard graduate and the published author of Vision Lines: Native American Decolonizing Literature. Dr. Dees currently serves as Director/Tribal Archivist at the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and teaches Native American Studies at the University of South Alabama. 

Alyssa Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora Descendant) Ph.D. 2007

Skye Hart (Tonawanda Seneca Nation, Snipe Clan) B.S. Urban & Regional Studies 2018, Master of Regional Planning 2019

James Lowell (Cherokee) B.S. International Ag. and Rural Development 2016

Nicole Nakakura (Native Hawaiian) B.S. Landscape Architecture 2016

Jevan Hutson (Cherokee) B.A. History of Art 2016

Laura Davidson (Cherokee) B.A. Architecture 2016

Emma Langston (American Indian) B.A. Urban & Regional Studies 2016

Relicque Lott (Cherokee) B.A. Architecture 2016

Pablo Maggi (American Indian) B.A. Urban & Regional Studies 2016

Natani Notah (Diné/Navajo, Lakota, Cherokee) B.F.A. 2014

Natani Notah is an interdisciplinary artist and educator. She is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation (Diné) on her father’s side and part Lakota and Cherokee on her mother’s. Her work has been exhibited at the Tucson Desert Art Museum, Tucson; Gas Gallery, Los Angeles; The Holland Project, Reno; Mana Contemporary, Chicago and SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco. Natani has been published in Sculpture Magazine and has had artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, Grounds for Sculpture, and the Headlands Center for the Arts. She holds a BFA with a minor in feminist, gender, and sexuality studies from Cornell University and an MFA from Stanford University. 

Pollyanna "Polly" Nordstrand (Hopi) B.A. History of Art and Visual Studies ca. 2016

Polly was formerly the associate curator of Native art for the Denver Art Museum. And she has worked in curatorial capacities for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the National Park Service. Her exhibitions include Fritz Scholder: New Indian Images, Maria: American Icon and Fonseca’s Coyote: Living with the Trickster. She has taught art history and museum studies at the University of Colorado, Denver and the University of Denver.

Samuel Rose B.S. Urgan and Regional Studies

Sam Strong (Red Lake Band of Chippewa) B.S. City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning 2007

Evan Stachowski B.Arch. Architecture 1999

Stephanie R. Carroll (Dene, Ahtna/Alaskan Native, Native Village of Kluti-Kaah) B.A. Biology and Society with concentrations in Health and Society, and American Indian Studies 1996; M.P.H. Community Health Practices from the University of Arizona 2001; Dr.P.H. Maternal and Child Health from The University of Arizona

Dr. Stephanie Russo Carroll is Dene/Ahtna, a citizen of the Native Village of Kluti-Kaah in Alaska, and of Sicilian-descent. Based at the University of Arizona (UA), she is Assistant Professor, Community, Environment and Policy Department at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH) and American Indian Studies Graduate Interdisciplinary Program; Affiliate Faculty, College of Law; Acting Director and Assistant Research Professor, Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy; Associate Director, Native Nations Institute (NNI) at the Udall Center; and Director, Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance.

Samuel Olbekson (White Earth Ojibwe Nation) B.Arch Architecture 1994; M.Arch Urban Design from Harvard University in 2005

Founder of Full Circle Indigenous Planning +Design a 100% Native American-owned and operated multidisciplinary research-based planning and visioning design practice. 

Kellie Maunakea (Native Hawaiian) B.A. Apparel and Textile Marketing Management 1995

Nancy Redeye (Seneca) B.S. Design & Environmental Analysis 1985

Redeye has worked with Flynn Battaglia Architects for over 30 years. One of her early projects as a architecture student at SUNY Buffalo was helping design the interior of the Akwe:kon building in the late 1980s. 

Leslie Zwerling B.A. Art Architecture & Planning 1979

Benjamin J. Lee B.S. Applied Economics and Management 2010

Jerrard Johnson (Cherokee) B.S. Economics 2016

Hautahi Kingi (Nga Rauru, Te Atihaunui a Paparangi/Maori) PhD. Economics 2016

Ron E. Jacobs B.S. Applied Economics & Management 2001

Dr. Larry Chavis (Lumbee) M.A. Asian Studies/Civilization 1997; M.Sc. Applied Economics 2001; Ph.D. from Stanford University 2006; M.F.A. from the Institute of American Indian Arts 2025

David Bray (Seneca) B.S. Business 1977

Served as the Associate Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at University at Buffalo until retirement. Received numerous awards and recognitions throughout his career as a lacrosse player.

Maria Karihwiiostha Arrieta Lee (Kanien:keha'ka/Mohawk, Tarahumara) B.S. Communications; Minor American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2024

Adele Williams (Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina) B.S. Communications; Minors American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Law & Society 2024

Ben Maracle (Kanyen’kehá:ka/Mohawk) B.S. Communications 2024

Melanie Redeye (Seneca) B.A. Linguistics 2010, M.A. UC Berkeley 2013, M.A. SUNY Buffalo 2017

Elizabeth Joyce (Cherokee) B.S. Communciations 2016

Dr. Jason Corwin (Seneca Nation, Deer Clan) B.S. Communications 2002, M.S. Natural Resources 2010, PhD. Natural Resources 2016

Jason Corwin is a citizen of the Seneca Nation, Deer Clan and a lifelong media maker. He was the founding director of the Seneca Media & Communications Center and has produced several short and feature length documentaries. Jason has extensive experience as a community-based environmental educator utilizing digital media to engage with Indigenous ways of knowing, sustainability, and social/environmental justice topics.

Tsiorasa Barreiro (Kanyen’kehá:ka/Mohawk) B.S. Communications; Minor Native American Studies 2000

Tsiorasa Barreiro an Akwesasne native and executive director for tribal operations of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe in Akwesasne, Franklin County.

Dr. Kevin Connelly (Onondaga) M.A. Modern Languages and Linguistics, 1993, PhD. General and Applied Linguistics 1999

Kevin arrived at Cornell in 1989, where he completed his M.A./Ph.D. in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. In his dissertation, he combined the field of discourse analysis, text linguistics, and narratology with the field of geography. He has been supporting the Onondaga Nation has a Language Revitalization Consultant since 2012. 

Jacquelyn Jones (Cherokee) B.A. Africana Studies 2016

Sara Morales (American Indian) B.A. Anthropology 2016

Carmen Jones (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) B.A. Anthropology with a concentration in American Indian Studies 2001; M.S. Social Work from Washington University 2003; Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from Southwest College 2015

Dr. Larry Chavis (Lumbee) M.A. Asian Studies/Civilization 1997; M.Sc. Applied Economics 2001; Ph.D. from Stanford University 2006; M.F.A. from the Institute of American Indian Arts 2025

J. Michael Caruso (Mohawk) A.B. Asian Studies 1989; MD Medicine from University of California 2000

Jeffrey Bolton B.A. Anthropology 1988

Mrs. Henrietta Guilfoyle, née Hoag (Onöndowa’ga:’, Beaver Clan) 1940

Mrs. Henrietta Guilfoyle, née Hoag was born at Ohi:yo’ (Alleghany) on August 12, 1918, to Arthur Hoag (Onöndowa’ga:’, Wolf Clan) and Isabelle Hoag, née Tallchief (Onöndowa’ga:’, Beaver Clan). She was the granddaughter of William C. Hoag, former President of the Onöndowa’ga:’ (Seneca) Nation who directed the agricultural surveys Cornell’s College of Agriculture conducted at Ohi:yo’ in 1919. Her family’s role in the developing Cornell’s Indian Extension Program is most likely why Hoag applied for the Olive Whiteman Memorial Scholarship Fund in 1937. At Cornell, Hoag found community through the various extracurricular activities she took part in. This included the Cosmopolitan Club where she met her husband, Mr. Daniel Guilfoyle Sr.. Hoag also negotiated the representation of Hodinǫ̱hsǫ́:nih aesthetics on Cornell’s campus by donning Onöndowa’ga:’ regalia for the 1937 fashion showcase “Costumes of Many Lands.” After graduation Hoag returned to her grandfather’s farm at Ohi:yo’ while her husband served in the U.S. Navy during WWII.

River Webb (Nimíipuu/Nez Perce, Meskwaki/Sac and Fox) M.S. Geology 2024

Taylor Heaton (Tlingit) B.S. Geology 2024

Mariela Garcia (American Indian) B.S. Science of Earth Systems 2016

Benjamin Oster (Mohawk) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2017; M.Eng Aerospace Engineering 2018 

Ben received a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Masters in Aerospace Engineering, as well as a minor in American Indian Studies. During his time at Cornell, he was heavily involved in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). Ben was also a member of Native American Students at Cornell (NASAC), a tutor for the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program, and a lead author of Cornell's Indigenous Peoples' Day Resolution. Ben works at The Boeing Company, where he is a Guidance and Control Engineer for the novel Cargo Air Vehicle. 

Christian Leefmans B.S. Engineering Physics 2018

Received the 2018 Dorothy and Fred Chau Award for excellence in undergraduate research for his work with the Fuchs Group. 

John Salvagno B.S. Environmental Engineering 2016; Masters of Engineering Management 2017

Owen Buehler (Cherokee/Choctaw) B.S. Computer Science Engineering 2016

William Abajian (Cherokee) B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering 2016

Trevor Alexander (Cherokee, Choctaw) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2016

Michael Charles (Diné/Navajo) B.S. Chemical Engineering 2016

John Chirinos (Quechua) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2016

Leah Dewitt (American Indian) B.S. Chemistry and Chemical Engineering 2016

Jeremy Fredericks (Cherokee) B.S. Material Science and Engineering 2016

Jessy Garcia (American Indian) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2016

Leilani Fujimoto (Cherokee) B.S. Material Science and Engineering 2016

Donovan Gini (American Indian) B.S. Computer Science and Engineering 2016

Kylar Henderson (Choctaw) B.S. Computer Science and Engineering 2015

Brittany-Ann Kalepa (Native Hawaiian) B.S. Civil Engineering 2016

Jonathan Mabuni (Native Hawaiian) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2016

John Salvagno (Mohawk) B.S. Environmental Engineering 2016

Joshua Crofton-Macdonald (Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians) B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering 2012; M.S. Civil Engineering University of Maine

Jake Swamp (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin) B.S. Applied and Engineering Physics 2012

Jerome Lengyel (Cherokee) MSc. Computer Science 2010

Adam DuChene B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2003; MEng 2004

Michael Kasdin B.A. Engineering Physics & Philosophy 1999

Morgan Lang B.A. Engineering Physics 1998

Thomas Sequist B.S. Chemical Engineering 1995; M.D. from Harvard Medical School 1999; MPH Clinical Effectiveness from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health 2004

Jared Michalec B.S. Operation Research and Industrial Engineering 1998

Mindy Magyar B.S. Chemical Engineering, minor in American Indian Studies 1997; MFA Design from the Cranbrook Academy of Art; MBA Arts & Culture Management from The Wharton School

Michelle Kuska (Ottawa) B.S. Electrical Engineering 1989; M.S. Electrical Engineering from Stanford University 1991

Burt Wrolson B.S. Chemical Engineering 1989

Bronwyn Hopkins B.S. Electrical Engineering 1988

Brad E. Thompson (Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa) B.S. Electrical Engineering 1988

Bruce Williams B.S. Chemical Engineering 1979

Roger Dube (Mohawk, Abenaki) B.S. Physics 1972

Dube's activism while a student at Cornell was central to the establishment of the American Indian Program. He was one of the co-founders of the Native American Student Association in 1971.

Yanenowi Logan (Onöndowa'ga:'/Seneca) B.S. Environment and Sustainability, Minor American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2024

Paula Rocío Blanco-Ortiz (Nahua) B.S. Environment and Sustainability 2024

Natalie Rose Wilcox (Kānaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian) B.S. Research, Plant Sciences 2024

Della Keahna Warrior (Alutiiq (Sugpiaq), Dena'ina Athabascan, and A'aniiih (Gros Ventre)) B.S. Environmental Science 2022

Grace Younglund (Delaware Tribe of Indians, Cherokee) B.S. Environment and Sustainability, Environmental Policy and Governance 2022

Abraham Francis (Mohawk) B.S. Biological Sciences 2014, M.S. Natural Resources and Conservation 2019

Abraham's 2019 Master’s thesis in Natural Resources was on Haudenosaunee forest stewardship. 

Hi'ilei K. Casco (Kanaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian) B.S. Environment & Sustainability 2018

Bailee Hopkins (Chahta/Choctaw) B.S. Plant Sciences; Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2018, M.P.S. Public Garden Leadership - Horticulture 2019

Kyrie Ransom (Akwesasne Mohawk, Wolf Clan) - Fellowship in Environmental & Sustainability Communication 2017

Previously served as the Justice Coordinator of the Akwesasne Justice Department.

Dr. Grace Bulltail (Crow, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) PhD. Biological and Environmental Engineering Program 2017 

Dr. Bulltail earned her undergraduate degree in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University. She went on to receive two master’s degrees, in project engineering management and earth resources engineering, from Montana Tech and Columbia University, respectively. Dr. Bulltail earned that Native American “first” — a PhD in biological and environmental engineering from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University — with dissertation research on the impact of natural resource development on water quality in tribal communities.

Steven Ingram (Taos Pueblo/Cherokee Nation) B.S. Environment and Sustainability 2016

Mary La France (Mohawk) B.S. Natural Resource Management and a minor in American Indian Studies 2009; MEd. Educational Leadership and Administration St. Lawrence University 2016

Dr. Jason Corwin (Seneca Nation, Deer Clan) B.S. Communications 2002, M.S. Natural Resources 2010, PhD. Natural Resources 2016

Jason Corwin is a citizen of the Seneca Nation, Deer Clan and a lifelong media maker. He was the founding director of the Seneca Media & Communications Center and has produced several short and feature length documentaries. Jason has extensive experience as a community-based environmental educator utilizing digital media to engage with Indigenous ways of knowing, sustainability, and social/environmental justice topics.

Jason Michalec B.S. Natural Resources: Wildlife and Fisheries 2002

Christopher Lucas B.S. Ecology/Evolution & Marine Biology 2000; M.S. Biology from Stanford University

Kristin Rusello B.S. Natural Resources with a concentration in Native American Studies 2000

Kristin has been working with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration in a number of roles since 2010. In 2018 she was hired as the Chief of Staff for the Office of International Affairs, Trade and Commerce.

David Cordis B.S. Natural Resource Management 1998

Jonathan Pyatskowit (Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin) Fisheries Management 1998

Jaden Gladstone (Cherokee) B.A. History 2016

Michael Carpentier B.A. Government, History; J.D. 2007

James Casey (Cherokee) B.A. History and Computer Science 1988, J.D. International Legal Studies 1994

James A. Casey, Sovereignty by Sufferance: The Illusion of Indian Tribal Sovereignty, 79 Cornell L. Rev. 404 (1994) - Available at: https://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/clr/vol79/iss2/4

Janine Jamieson-Huff (Tonawanda Seneca, Hawk Clan) B.A. History 1973

Janine was a member of the Hawk Clan and a Clan Mother as well as a member of the Six Nations Iroquois Agriculture Society, she received her master's at the University of Buffalo. She taught at Akron Central School Elementary Native studies. Her activism while a student at Cornell was central to the establishment of the American Indian Program. She was one of the co-founders of the Native American Student Association in 1971.

Peter Thurston Carrera (American Indian) B.S. Hotel Administration with a concentration in Information Systems Management 2016

Timothy Fikentscher (American Indian) B.A. Hotel Administration 2016

Wesley Johnston (Cherokee) B.A. Hotel Administration 2016

Monty Cheff B.A. Hospitality Administration/Management 1997

Alessandra Murata B.S. Hotel Administration 1996

Matthew Leigh B.S. Hotel Administration 1996

Nancy Mills (Wampanoag) B.A. Hotel Administration 1994

Kathy George (Seneca, Mohawk) B.A. Hotel Administration 1991

Kathy has worked as the General Manager for Seneca Resorts & Casinos, Hilton Worldwide, Wyndham Worldwide, FireKeepers Casino (owned by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi); and became the President of the Catawba Nation Gaming Authority in 2022. Learn more about Kathy.

Chuck Malamut B.A. Hotel Administration 1976

With more than 35 years of financial services experience. Chuck has helped hundreds of clients retire in comfort, navigate unruly markets and pursue their goals with greater confidence. An Atlantic City native, Chuck represents the third generation of a family renowned for its ownership of several major hotels. Chuck always thought he would follow in his family’s footsteps, so after graduating from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Management, he moved to Las Vegas with the intention of learning the casino business and helping his family transition to Atlantic City’s new legalized gambling environment. Chuck joined Merrill Lynch and built a successful practice over the next 28 years before moving to Morgan Stanley in 2014. He is now the Managing Director of The Malamut Group.

Abigail Boatmun (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) B.S. Human Development 2023

Sofia Prieto B.S. Biology & Society, Psychology 2023

Dr. Jenine Hillaire (Lhaq’te’mish, Lummi Nation) PhD. Fiber Science and Apparel Design 2023

Taylor Allenby (Pacific Islander) Human Biology, Life & Society 2016

Kyla Greenwell (Chippewa) Nutritional Sciences 2016

Matt Heflin (Cherokee) Human Development 2016

Nadia Morehand (Chippewa) Human Development 2016

Alvin Nugroho (Pacific Islander) Nutritional Sciences 2016

Olivia Olson (Cherokee) Nutritional Sciences 2016

Mandi Burnette B.S. Human Development 1999

Lisa Millwood (Cherokee) B.S. Human Development & Family Studies 1994

K. Sarah Hoehn B.S. Human Development 1993

Scott Burnam (Mohawk) B.A. Human Development, Child Psychology 1991

Isabella Warren (Diné/Navajo) B.S. B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2024

Emerson Schenandoah (Onondaga) B.S. B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2020

Emerson worked as a tutor through AIISP with the Lafayette Central School while a Cornell student, after graduation he served as a Policy Associate for the United South and Eastern Tribes before becoming the director of the Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center in 2024.

Colin Benedict (Kanien’kehá:ha Mohawk) B.S. B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2021

Kyle Clemenza (Cherokee) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2016

Amy Elsayed (American Indian) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2016

Grayson Ezzell (Choctaw) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2016

Alexis Leonard (American Indian) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2016

Kelly McClure (American Indian) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2016

Sam Scott (Algonquin) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2010

Shawn McKenna (Odanak, Abinaki) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2003; J.D. George Washington University Law School 2002

Brendan Feheley B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2002

Tara Sweeney (Iñupiaq/Alaskan Native) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 1998

Gerald J. Lazore Jr. (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.S. Industrial & Labor Relations 1990

Evelyn Package M.A. Industrial and Labor Relations 1988

Lester Moon B.S. Industrial & Labor Relations 1978

Founded and serves as the Executive Director for Hands in the Community in 2008. 

Nina Huang B.A. Mathematics 2000

Ronald Eagleroad (Choctaw, Lakota) B.S. Applied Economics & Business Management 1993

Gabriella Noa Iakotwewia'here Peters (Ska:rù:rę'/Tuscarora, Kanien:keha'ka/Mohawk & Anishinaabe) B.S. Performing & Media Arts, B.S. Psychology 2024

Annabel Young (Saginaw Chippewa) B.A. American Studies, English; Minors in American Indian and Indigenous Studies, and Inequality Studies 2022

Robert Marani (Osage) B.A. English 2016

Jennifer Mizhquiri Barbecho (American Indian) B.A. English 2016; MPH Health Policy & Management from Columbia University 2023

Richard LaRose (Métis Nation of Alberta) M.F.A. Poetry 2015

Richard is a poet from Buffalo Lake/Stettler, Alberta, Canada. His work involves attachments to place and identity, as well as Métis and First Nations histories, fictions, politics, and poetics. He has an MFA in poetry from the Department of English with a graduate minor in American Indian Studies. He taught Freshman Writing Seminars and Creative Writing while at Cornell.

Tacey M. Atsitty (Diné/Navajo) M.F.A. Creative Writing 2011

Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in EPOCH, POETRY Magazine, Kenyon Review Online, Prairie Schooner, swamp pink, Literary Hub, New Poets of Native Nations, Leavings, and other publications. Her first book is Rain Scald (University of New Mexico Press, 2018). Her second book (At) Wrist is forthcoming (University of Wisconsin Press, 2023). She is the director of the Navajo Film Festival, a member of the Board of Directors for Lightscatter Press, a member of the Advisory Council for Brigham Young University’s Charles Redd Center for Western Studies, and the founding member of the Advisory Board for the Intermountain All-Women Hoop Dance Competition.

Alice Te Punga Somerville (Māori) Ph.D. 2006
Alice is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Waikato. The heart of her research is about locating, contextualizing, and analyzing texts written by Māori, Pacific, and Indigenous people. Her education focused on the written literatures of her Māori community.

Daryl E. Lucas B.A. English 1999; M.A. Language and Literacy City College of New York; M.F.A. Creative Writing San Francisco State University

Maisha Mitchell B.A. Romance Studies 1999; M.A. Spanish Literature Rutgers University; PhD. Spanish Language and Literature Georgetown University

Sirr Less B.A. English & Film 1998

Brendan F. White B.S. 1998

Writer and editor for First Nations Development Institute, Native America Journal, Indian Country Today, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, and Deputy Director for Public Affairs at the Indian Health Service. 

Elizabeth Abeson B.F.A. English & Mixed Media 1994

Myles Wood (Cherokee Nation) M.Eng. Biomedical Engineering 2024, M.D. Weill Cornell Medical School 2024

Julianne Billiman (Diné/Navajo) B.S. 2021

Paige Priest (Seneca) Master of Public Health 2020

Fred Gonzales (Picuris Pueblo) B.S. Biology 2021

Marcos Antonio Moreno (Pascua Yaqui) B.S. Neuroscience, Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2017; M.D. UND School of medicine and Health Sciences

Jamie Peterson (Ottawa) B.S. Biological Sciences with a minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2017

Frederick Blaisdell (Oneida, Bear Clan) B.S. Biological Sciences 2016

Blaisdell worked as the Medical Case Managers for the American Indian Health and Family Services of Detroit. 

Laura Lagunez (Diné/Navajo) B.S. Biology and Society 2016

Rachel Mochon (Cherokee) B.S. Chemistry and Chemical Biology 2016

Boomer Olsen (Cherokee) B.S. Biological Sciences 2016

Kelsey Poljacik (Cherokee) B.S. Biological Sciences 2016

William Abajian (American Indian) B.S. Biological Sciences 2016

Tifany Sanchez (Mochica-chimu) B.S. Food Science 2016

Anna Salvagno (Mohawk) B.S. Science, Interdisciplinary Studies 2016

Alexander Schord B.S. Biological Sciences 2016

Dr. Maria L. Deno B.A. Psychology 2013, M.D. Universidad Iberoamericana 2021

Tawnee Cunningham B.A. Chemistry & Chemical Biology, minor in Nutritional Studies 2013

Joel Harris II (Cayuga) B.S. Biology 2011

Cecily Blackwater (Diné/Navajo) B.S. Human Development 2010, MPH University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center 2013, PhD. Indigenous Health 2022

Bradley Carrier (Onondaga) B.S. Biological Sciences and Nutrition and Health; M.S. SUNY Buffalo, M.D. SUNY Buffalo

Nicole Dalton Wheeler B.S. Biology 2002, M.D. University of Pennsylvania 2008

Deborah Fredley B.S. Nutrition Sciences 2000

Mindy Magyar (Mi’kmaq, Sipekne’katik First Nation) B.S. Chemical Engineering, minor in American Indian Studies 1997; M.B.A 2009., M.F.A. 2007

Associate Professor of Industrial Design at Rochester Institute of Technology. 

Emily Whipple B.S. Molecular and Cell Biology 2001

Rashelle Hix B.S. Psychology 2001

Jason Jacobs (Cherokee) B.S. Food Science 1997

Heather Langford B.S. Biology, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology 1996; M.Env. Social Ecology & Community Development

James W. Bettles B.S. Biology, Health & Society 1995

For the past 15 years Mr. Bettles has driven over $1 billion in ROI by creating advanced predictive models across every major industry. His success comes from applied experience not just in the creation of advanced model algorithms to solve problems, but by his method for engaging the customer as valued partner in advanced analytics. Mr. Bettles’ philosophy is to ensure the all of the analytical IP transcends traditional math-speak, and fluently integrates with executive management, lay operations analysts, and IT personnel alike.

Christopher Badurek B.A. Biology & Psychology 1994; MBA from SUNY Brockport, PhD Geographic Information Science from University at Buffalo

Joseph D, Solomon (Onondaga, Mohawk) B.S. Biology 1992

Sherrill Elizabeth Tekatsitsiakawa “Katsi” Cook (Mohawk) B.S. Biology and Society mid-1980s

Cook is a Mohawk midwife who studied at Cornell and was instrumental in a major study in the 1980s on the effects of PCBs on Mohawk children. Between 1994 and 1998, Cook was a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology at the State University New York (SUNY) at Albany School of Public Health as well as a visiting fellow at Cornell University's American Indian Program. In 2001, she was the Dr. T.J. Murray Visiting Scholar in Medical Humanities at Dalhousie University and later gave lectures on alternative and complementary therapies at the SUNY Buffalo Medical School and at Cornell University. In 2004 and 2005, Cook was the recipient of the Indigenous Knowledge Cultural Research Award from the Indigenous Health Research Development Program at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Richard Dyer M.D. 1963

Laura Miranda B.A. Political Science and Government 1985, J.D. 1989

In private practice 13+ years, Laura M. Miranda's law firm is dedicated to Fight for Justice and Preserve your Rights with Integrity & Determination. Ms. Miranda has conducted over 90 criminal trials during her 22 years of experience as a defense attorney.

Anpao Duta Flying Earth (Lakota, Dakota, Ojibwe, Akimel O’odham) B.A. Government 2005, M.B.A. UNM Anderson School of Management 2017

Anpao Duta Flying Earth is the former Executive Director of the Native American Community Academy (NACA), a charter school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the became the Executive Director of the NACA Inspired Schools Network (NISN) in 2019, a network that assists communities in implementing structures of Indigenous education. Duta assisted in the creation of the charter school in 2006 and the network in 2014.

Andrew John Liersch III B.A. Government 1996

Tariq Khero (Haudenosaunee/Iroquois) B.A. Political Science & Government 1992; J.D. from University of California 1997

Debra Puebla B.A. Political Science and International Relations 1982, J.D. 1986

Theresa Rocha Beardall J.D. 2014 University of Illinois College of Law, M.A. Sociology 2018, PhD. Sociology with a focus on race, policing, and inequality 2019

Andrew Curley (Diné/Navajo) PhD. 2016

Ariana Taboada (Quechua) B.S. 2024

Laura Lagunez Ndereba (Diné/Navajo, Nahua) B.S. Animal Sciences and Natural Resources 2017

Adam Alejandro (Chiricahua Apache) B.S. Animal Science 2016

Meghan Baker (Lakota) B.S. Animal Science 2016

Bennett Kapili (Cherokee) B.S. Animal Science 2016

Marisa Walker (Cherokee) B.S. Animal Science 2016

Heather Williams (Diné/Navajo) B.S. 2016

Heather is from Lukachukai, Arizona. At Cornell, Heather majored in Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). She participated in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), Sigma Alpha-Alpha Psi Chapter, and the Meinig Family Cornell National Scholars. Heather also engaged in intramural basketball and volunteered at the YMCA in Ithaca. She enjoys playing basketball, riding horses, and participating in rodeos.

Dr. Ariel Schlag (Taíno, Lakota Sioux, Blackfoot) B.S. CALS 2012, D.V.M. 2016

Dr, Alicia Smith B.S. 2003; D.V.M. 2007

Dr. Evelyn Galban (Washoe and Paiute) B.S. 1998 M.S. 2002 D.V.M. 2006

A graduate of the Cornell Veterinary School, Evelyn is currently Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a rotating small animal internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital and a residency in Neurology and Neurosurgery at the School of Veterinary Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, achieving Diplomat status in 2012.

Dr. Rachel Lawton D.V.M. 2003

Dr. Jacqueline Cyr B.S. 1995, D.V.M. 2003

Dr. Brenton Uhler B.S. 1991, D.V.M. 1996

Dr. Jeremy Bowers D.V.M. 1994

Dr. Cathy Kreis (Seneca) D.V.M. 1993

Dr. Richard W. Reid (Mohawk) A.L.S. 1988; D.V.M. 1992

Dr. Tracy Durham (Nanticoke) D.V.M. 1991

Dr. Mary Frances Hoover nee Fadden (Mohawk) D.V.M. 1990

Dr. Roberta Duhaime (Kanien'kehá:ka/ Kahnawake Mohawk) D.V.M. 1989

Dr. Sean Back D.V.M. 1989

Dr. Richard Price D.V.M. 1980

Dr. Peter Glassman D.V.M. 1978

This list of Native American alumni who completed undergraduate degrees at Cornell in the 20th century was found in the AIISP office archives, but we are seeking more information. If you know the specific degree or area of study for any of these graduates, please reach out to aiisp [at] cornell.edu (aiisp[at]cornell[dot]edu) so we can update our records. 

2000-2003

Myan Adams (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies 2013

Brian Williamson 2003

Thasha Ramay 2003

Jaime Kaplan 2003

Steven Glynn 2003

Carly Ferguson 2003

Ari Moore 2002

Samuel McKay 2002

Michael Marley 2002

Elizabeth Gingold 2002

Jessica Easterling 2002

Raymond Orr 2001

Ricardo De Soto 2001

Marisa Douglas 2001

Kodi Foster 2001

Maria Rivera 2001

Stephen Bernal 2001

Rolland Lee 2001

Matthew McCarthy 2001

Priscilla Martinez 2001

David Lawson 2001

David Corey-Lawson

Angela Bourne 2001

Andrea Cleveland 2001

Adam Warren 2001

Christopher Yopp 2001

Starrla Mae Johnson 2001

Jason Hsiao 2001

Cassandra Lopez 2001

John Schaible 2001

Nigel Spencer 2001

Maceo Martinet 2001

Douglas Heulitt 2001

Jessica Hayes 2001

Jennifer Eng 2001

Athena Harris 2001

Garreth Biegun 2001

Renee Beck 2001

Eric Abeita 2001

Justin Wilcox 2000

Billy Wells 2000

Valencia Tilden 2000

Reena Thomas 2000

Celya McCullah 2000

Elizabeth Kronk 2000

Kjirsten Johnson 2000

Carrie John 2000

Alexandre De Latour 2000

Jason Bray 2000

Summer Born B.A. 2000

Jennifer Bennett 2000

1990-1999

Anne Weissenberger 1999

Kimberly Johnson College of Engineering1999

George Hunter (Mohawk) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 1999

Bree Herne 1999

Richard Erickson College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 1999

Denise Arquette College of Human Ecology 1999

Kristen Albano B.S. 1999

Amar Patel 1998

Kenneth Masters 1998

Amy Kerivan 1998

Timothy Hurley 1998

Joshua Hein 1998

Christopher Di Mattina 1998

Robert Connor 1998

Amber Whitney 1997

Aravind Swaminathan 1997

Melissa Phillips 1997

Manisha Gupta 1997

Dawn Miller-Colburn (Seneca Nation) B.S. Human Ecology 1997

Stephanie Rainie 1996

Renee Land 1996

Alyson Huber 1996

Jeanette Bettles 1996

Kenya Beckman 1996

Bruce Mayer 1995

Thomas Holland 1995

Julius Charlie 1995

Catherine Attebery 1995

Brian Wagner (Choctaw) 1994

Noah Shah 1994

Ramona Munoz 1994

Machelle Millwood (Cherokee) 1994

Martin L. Kushner (Potawatomi) 1994

Monica Prasad 1993

Lora Lee LaFrance (Akewsasne Mohawk) 1993

Mark Fergeson 1993

Donald Bradley 1993

Timothy Willink (Navajo) 1992

Michelle Nino 1992

Louis Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora) 1992

Angela M. Hughes (Shinnecock) 1992

James A. Smith (Osage) 1992

Perry Ground (Onondaga) General Studies, minor in American Indian Studies 1991 

Pamela J. Sewell (Oklahoma Choctaw) B.S. Human Ecology 1991; JD from University of New Mexico 1996; LLM from University of Denver 1997

Roberta Matern-Johnson (Navajo) 1991

Zachary Labatte (Sioux, Sisseton Wapatah) 1991

Shawn Frank 1991

David E. Larson (Chippewa-Mississippi Band) 1990

Kathleen "Kathy" John (Seneca Allegany) 1990 (Received NASAC award in 1989)

Julie Harris (Seneca) 1990 (Received NASAC Award in 1988)

John C. Francis (Osage)1990

James Doyle 1990

Melissa Timore 1990

Jeremy Bowers 1990

1980-1989

Lorraine Bova 1989

Karin Perkins 1989

Cassandra Miller 1989

Stacy Jarvis 1989

Scott Strauss 1988

John Remark 1988

Natalie Snow 1988 (Received Beatrice McCauley Memorial Award)

George Moore 1988

John Marozas 1987

Dan Halpern 1987 

Janice Snyder (Seneca) 1987

David Madsen 1987

John Remark 1987

Christopher Smith 1987

Bruce Keizer 1987

Mark Charavee 1987

Ernest "Joe" Gray (Crow Reservation in Montana, Blackfeet, Cree) 1987

Keith Pressentine 1982

Kyle McSlarrow 1982

Cathryn Jansson 1982

John Harvison 1982

Lisa Colby nee Albecker (Massachusetts Cherokee) 1982

Sandra Snyder (Seneca) 1981

Matthew Grady 1980

Julia Garetson 1980

Margaret Thompson 1980

Christopher Sack 1980

James Forman 1980

1970-1979

Jane Wade 1979

Sherry Goitein 1979

Craig Morgan 1978

Stephanie Chuipek (Cheyenne) A.B. 1978

Jon Whitbeck 1977

Timothy Guarnieri 1977

David Clark 1977

James Misiti 1976

Gerald Lazore (Akwesasne Mohawk) 1976

Melissa H. Ditmore (Mohawk, Seneca) A.S.

Pre-1970

Daniel Jemison (Seneca) 1956

Elma Patterson (Tuscarora) 1949

Mrs. Henrietta Guilfoyle, née Hoag (Onöndowa’ga:’, Beaver Clan) 1940

Lincoln White (Mohawk) 1939

• Carolyn Click (Mvskoke/Muscogee Creek) J.D. 2024
• Ariana Taboada (Quechua) B.S. 2024
• Gabriella Noa Iakotwewia'here Peters (Ska:rù:rę'/Tuscarora, Kanien:keha'ka/Mohawk & Anishinaabe) B.S. Performing & Media Arts, B.S. Psychology 2024
• Isabella "Izzy" Warren (Diné/Navajo) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2024
• Dr. Merritt Bryer Khaipho-Burch (Thai, Oglala Lakota) PhD. Plant Breeding & Genetics 2024
• Leslie Ramirez (Purépecha) J.D. 2024
• Taylor Heaton (Tlingit) B.S. Geology 2024
• Paula Rocío Blanco-Ortiz (Nahua) B.S. Environment and Sustainability 2024
• Natalie Rose Wilcox (Kānaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian) B.S. Research, Plant Sciences 2024
• Yanenowi Logan (Onöndowa'ga:'/Seneca) B.S. Environment and Sustainability, Minor American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2024
• River Webb (Nimíipuu/Nez Perce, Meskwaki/Sac and Fox) M.S. Geology 2024
• Maria Karihwiiostha Arrieta Lee (Kanien:keha'ka/Mohawk, Tarahumara) B.S. Communications; Minor American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2024
• Kaylee Jackson (Lipan Apache, Chicana) B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies: Sustainability, Architecture, Native Indigenous Studies 2024
• Adele Williams (Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina) B.S. Communications; Minors American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Law & Society 2024
• Ben Maracle (Kanyen’kehá:ka/Mohawk) B.S. Communications 2024
• Myles Wood (Cherokee Nation) M.Eng. Biomedical Engineering 2024, M.D. Weill Cornell Medical School 2024
• Katlin Bowers (Cherokee Nation) B.S. 2019, J.D. 2023
• Emily Harwell (Mvskoke/Muscogee Creek) J.D. 2022
• Annabel Young (Saginaw Chippewa) B.A. American Studies, English; Minors in American Indian and Indigenous Studies, and Inequality Studies 2022
• Abigail Boatmun (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) B.S. Human Development 2023
• Sofia Prieto B.S. Biology & Society, Psychology 2023
• Della Keahna Warrior (Alutiiq (Sugpiaq), Dena'ina Athabascan, and A'aniiih (Gros Ventre)) B.S. Environmental Science 2022
• Grace Younglund (Delaware Tribe of Indians, Cherokee) B.S. Environment and Sustainability, Environmental Policy and Governance 2022
• Kimberly Fuqua (Lumbee Tribe) M.P.A. Public Administration with Educational Policy Concentration 2021
• Melissa Muse (Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina) J.D. 2021
• Julianne Billiman (Diné/Navajo) B.S. 2021
• Fred Gonzales (Picuris Pueblo) B.S. Biology 2021
• Colin Benedict (Kanien’kehá:ha Mohawk) B.S. B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2021
• Kimberly Fuqua (Lumbee Tribe) M.P.A. Public Administration with Educational Policy Concentration 2021
• Julia Giffin (Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma) J.D. 2020
• Paige Priest (Seneca) Master of Public Health 2020
• Emerson Schenandoah (Onondaga) B.S. B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2020
• Paige Priest (Seneca) Master of Public Health 2020

• Dr. Theresa Rocha Beardall (Oneida) J.D. 2014 University of Illinois College of Law, M.A. Sociology 2018, PhD. Sociology with a focus on race, policing, and inequality 2019
• Skye Hart (Tonawanda Seneca Nation, Snipe Clan) B.S. Urban & Regional Studies 2018, Master of Regional Planning 2019
• Abraham Francis (Mohawk) B.S. Biological Sciences 2014, M.S. Natural Resources and Conservation 2019
• Theresa Rocha Beardall J.D. 2014 University of Illinois College of Law, M.A. Sociology 2018, PhD. Sociology with a focus on race, policing, and inequality 2019
• Bailee Hopkins (Chahta/Choctaw) B.S. Plant Sciences; Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2018, M.P.S. Public Garden Leadership - Horticulture 2019
• Benjamin Oster (Mohawk) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2017; M.Eng Aerospace Engineering 2018 
• Christian Leefmans B.S. Engineering Physics 2018
• Hi'ilei K. Casco (Kanaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian) B.S. Environment & Sustainability 2018
• Dr. Grace Bulltail (Crow, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) PhD. Biological and Environmental Engineering Program 2017 
• Marcos Antonio Moreno (Pascua Yaqui) B.S. Neuroscience, Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2017; M.D. UND School of medicine and Health Sciences
• Benjamin Oster (Mohawk) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2017; M.Eng Aerospace Engineering 2018 
• Kyrie Ransom (Akwesasne Mohawk) - Fellowship in Environmental & Sustainability Communication 2017
• Marcos Antonio Moreno (Pascua Yaqui) B.S. Neuroscience, Minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2017; M.D. UND School of medicine and Health Sciences
• Jamie Peterson (Ottawa) B.S. Biological Sciences with a minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies 2017
• John Salvagno B.S. Environmental Engineering 2016; Masters of Engineering Management 2017
• Laura Lagunez Ndereba (Diné/Navajo, Nahua) B.S. Animal Sciences and Natural Resources 2017
• Dr. Ariel Schlag (American Indian) D.V.M. 2016
• Peter Thurston Carrera (American Indian) B.S. Hotel Administration with a concentration in Information Systems Management 2016
• Timothy Fikentscher (American Indian) B.A. Hotel Administration 2016
• Wesley Johnston (Cherokee) B.A. Hotel Administration 2016
• Hannah Dorsey (Pacific Islander) B.A. American Studies 2016
• Dr. Andrew Curley (Diné/Navajo) PhD. 2016
• Adam Alejandro (Chiricahua Apache) B.S. Animal Science 2016
• Meghan Baker (Lakota) B.S. Animal Science 2016
• Bennett Kapili (Cherokee) B.S. Animal Science 2016
• Marisa Walker (Cherokee) B.S. Animal Science 2016
• Heather Williams (Diné/Navajo) B.S. 2016
• James Lowell (Cherokee) B.S. International Ag. and Rural Development 2016
• Nicole Nakakura (Native Hawaiian) B.S. Landscape Architecture 2016
• Jacquelyn Jones (Cherokee) B.A. Africana Studies 2016
• Owen Buehler (Cherokee/Choctaw) B.S. Computer Science Engineering 2016
• William Abajian (Cherokee) B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering 2016
• Trevor Alexander (Cherokee, Choctaw) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2016
• Michael Charles (Diné/Navajo) B.S. Chemical Engineering 2016
• John Chirinos (Quechua) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2016
• Jaden Gladstone (Cherokee) B.A. History 2016
• Kyle Clemenza (Cherokee) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2016
• Amy Elsayed (American Indian) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2016
• Grayson Ezzell (Choctaw) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2016
• Alexis Leonard (American Indian) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2016
• Kelly McClure (American Indian) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2016
• Taylor Allenby (Pacific Islander) Human Biology, Life & Society 2016
• Robert Marani (Osage) B.A. English 2016
• Jennifer Mizhquiri Barbecho (American Indian) B.A. English 2016; MPH Health Policy & Management from Columbia University 2023
• Leah Dewitt (American Indian) B.S. Chemistry and Chemical Engineering 2016
• Jeremy Fredericks (Cherokee) B.S. Material Science and Engineering 2016
• Jessy Garcia (American Indian) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2016
• Leilani Fujimoto (Cherokee) B.S. Material Science and Engineering 2016
• Steven Ingram (Taos Pueblo/Cherokee Nation) B.S. Environment and Sustainability 2016
• Donovan Gini (American Indian) B.S. Computer Science and Engineering 2016
• Kyla Greenwell (Chippewa) Nutritional Sciences 2016
• Matt Heflin (Cherokee) Human Development 2016
• Nadia Morehand (Chippewa) Human Development 2016
• Alvin Nugroho (Pacific Islander) Nutritional Sciences 2016
• Olivia Olson (Cherokee) Nutritional Sciences 2016
• Kylar Henderson (Choctaw) B.S. Computer Science and Engineering 2015
• Brittany-Ann Kalepa (Native Hawaiian) B.S. Civil Engineering 2016
• Jonathan Mabuni (Native Hawaiian) B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2016
• John Salvagno (Mohawk) B.S. Environmental Engineering 2016
• Sara Morales (American Indian) B.A. Anthropology 2016
• Mariela Garcia (American Indian) B.S. Science of Earth Systems 2016
• Jevan Hutson (Cherokee) B.A. History of Art 2016
• Laura Davidson (Cherokee) B.A. Architecture 2016
• Pollyanna "Polly" Nordstrand (Hopi) B.A. History of Art and Visual Studies ca. 2016
• Emma Langston (American Indian) B.A. Urban & Regional Studies 2016
• Jerrard Johnson (Cherokee) B.S. Economics 2016
• Elizabeth Joyce (Cherokee) B.S. Communciations 2016
• Relicque Lott (Cherokee) B.A. Architecture 2016
• Hautahi Kingi (Nga Rauru, Te Atihaunui a Paparangi/Maori) PhD. Economics 2016
• Pablo Maggi (American Indian) B.A. Urban & Regional Studies 2016
• Dr. Bradley Pecore (Menominee/Stockbridge-Munsee/Mohican) PhD. History of Native American Art ca. 2016
• Dr. Hautahi Kingi (Nga Rauru, Te Atihaunui a Paparangi/Maori) PhD. Economics 2016
• Frederick Blaisdell (Oneida, Bear Clan) B.S. Biological Sciences 2016
• Laura Lagunez (Diné/Navajo) B.S. Biology and Society 2016
• Rachel Mochon (Cherokee) B.S. Chemistry and Chemical Biology 2016
• Boomer Olsen (Cherokee) B.S. Biological Sciences 2016
• Kelsey Poljacik (Cherokee) B.S. Biological Sciences 2016
• William Abajian (American Indian) B.S. Biological Sciences 2016
• Tifany Sanchez (Mochica-chimu) B.S. Food Science 2016
• Anna Salvagno (Mohawk) B.S. Science, Interdisciplinary Studies 2016Alexander Schord B.S. Biological Sciences 2016
• Dr. Jason Corwin (Seneca Nation, Deer Clan) B.S. Communications 2002, M.S. Natural Resources 2010, PhD. Natural Resources 2016

• Mary La France (Mohawk) B.S. Natural Resource Management and a minor in American Indian Studies 2009; MEd. Educational Leadership and Administration St. Lawrence University 2016
• Dr. Alyssa Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora Descendant) PhD. History and American Indian Studies 2007
• Mindy Magyar (Mi’kmaq, Sipekne’katik First Nation) B.S. Chemical Engineering, minor in American Indian Studies 1997; M.B.A 2009., M.F.A. 2007
• Alyssa Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora Descendant) Ph.D. 2007
• Michael Carpentier B.A. Government, History; J.D. 2007
• Sam Strong (Red Lake Band of Chippewa) B.S. City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning 2007
• Dr. Alice Te Punga Somerville (Māori) Ph.D. 2006
• Dr. Evelyn Galban (Washoe and Paiute) B.S. 1998 M.S. 2002 D.V.M. 2006
• Anpao Duta Flying Earth (Lakota, Dakota, Ojibwe, Akimel O’odham) B.A. Government 2005, M.B.A. UNM Anderson School of Management 2017
• Dr. Shannon Albright PhD. 2004
• Adam DuChene B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2003; MEng 2004
• Dr. Rachel Lawton D.V.M. 2003
• Sasha Pachito B.S. Rural Sociology, minors in American Indian Studies and Latino Studies 2003; M.L.S. University of Oklahoma - Indigenous Peoples Law
• Shawn McKenna (Odanak, Abinaki) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2003; J.D. George Washington University Law School 2002
• Dr. Jacqueline Cyr B.S. 1995, D.V.M. 2003
• Dr. Jason Corwin (Seneca Nation, Deer Clan) B.S. Communications 2002, M.S. Natural Resources 2010, PhD. Natural Resources 2016
• Dr. Sean Teuton (Cherokee Nation) M.A. English Language and Literature 1999, PhD. English Language and LIterature, Minor in Indigenous Studies 2002
• Jason Michalec B.S. Natural Resources: Wildlife and Fisheries 2002
• Brendan Feheley B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 2002
• Nicole Dalton Wheeler B.S. Biology 2002, M.D. University of Pennsylvania 2008
• Dr. Jason Corwin (Seneca Nation, Deer Clan) B.S. Communications 2002, M.S. Natural Resources 2010, PhD. Natural Resources 2016
• Dr. David Brown PhD. 2001
• Dr. Dixie Henry PhD. 2001
• Dr. Michael Doxtater PhD. 2001
• Emily Whipple B.S. Molecular and Cell Biology 2001
• Rashelle Hix B.S. Psychology 2001
• Carmen Jones (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) B.A. Anthropology with a concentration in American Indian Studies 2001; M.S. Social Work from Washington University 2003; Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from Southwest College 2015
• Casandra Lopez (Tongva) B.S. Apparel Design with a concentration in American Indian Studies 2001
• Ron Jacobs B.S. Applied Economics & Management 2001
• Carmen Jones (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) B.A. Anthropology with a concentration in American Indian Studies 2001; M.S. Social Work from Washington University 2003; Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from Southwest College 2015
• Dr. Angela Wilson PhD. 2000
• Kristin Rusello B.S. Natural Resources with a concentration in Native American Studies 2000
• Dr. A. Griffith PhD. 2000
• Nina Huang B.A. Mathematics 2000
• Christopher Lucas B.S. Ecology/Evolution & Marine Biology 2000; M.S. Biology from Stanford University
• Kristin Rusello B.S. Natural Resources with a concentration in Native American Studies 2000
• Dr. T'hohahoken Michael Doxtater (Mohawk) M.Sc. Agriculture and Life Sciences, PhD. 2000
• Tsiorasa Barreiro (Kanyen’kehá:ka/Mohawk) B.S. Communications; Minor Native American Studies 2000
• Deborah Fredley B.S. Nutrition Sciences 2000

Undergraduate Degrees (Area of study unknown) 2000-2010

2000-2003

• Myan Adams (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies 2013
• Brian Williamson 2003
• Thasha Ramay 2003
• Jaime Kaplan 2003
• Steven Glynn 2003
• Carly Ferguson 2003
• Ari Moore 2002
• Samuel McKay 2002
• Michael Marley 2002
• Elizabeth Gingold 2002
• Jessica Easterling 2002
• Raymond Orr 2001
• Ricardo De Soto 2001
• Marisa Douglas 2001
• Kodi Foster 2001
• Maria Rivera 2001
• Stephen Bernal 2001
• Rolland Lee 2001
• Matthew McCarthy 2001
• Priscilla Martinez 2001
• David Lawson 2001
• David Corey-Lawson
• Angela Bourne 2001
• Andrea Cleveland 2001
• Adam Warren 2001
• Christopher Yopp 2001
• Starrla Mae Johnson 2001
• Jason Hsiao 2001
• Cassandra Lopez 2001
• John Schaible 2001
• Nigel Spencer 2001
• Maceo Martinet 2001
• Douglas Heulitt 2001
• Jessica Hayes 2001
• Jennifer Eng 2001
• Athena Harris 2001
• Garreth Biegun 2001
• Renee Beck 2001
• Eric Abeita 2001
• Justin Wilcox 2000
• Billy Wells 2000
• Valencia Tilden 2000
• Reena Thomas 2000
• Celya McCullah 2000
• Elizabeth Kronk 2000
• Kjirsten Johnson 2000
• Carrie John B.A. 2000; PhD. from Wake Forest University
• Alexandre De Latour 2000
• Jason Bray 2000
• Summer Born B.A. 2000
• Jennifer Bennett 2000

• Dr. Kevin Connelly (Onondaga) M.A. Modern Languages and Linguistics, 1993, PhD. General and Applied Linguistics 1999
• Daryl E. Lucas B.A. English 1999; M.A. Language and Literacy City College of New York; M.F.A. Creative Writing San Francisco State University
• Maisha Mitchell B.A. Romance Studies 1999; M.A. Spanish Literature Rutgers University; PhD. Spanish Language and Literature Georgetown University
• Carrie Strohl (Smith) B.A. American Studies 1999
• Michael Kasdin B.A. Engineering Physics & Philosophy 1999
• Mandi Burnette B.S. Human Development 1999
• Evan Stachowski B.Arch. Architecture 1999
• Michelle Schenandoah (Onʌyota’:aka/Oneida) B.A. American Studies and American Indian Studies 1999, J.D. 2009 and LL.M. in Taxation 2012 from New York Law School; M.S. Communications Syracuse University 2019
• Sean Teuton (Cherokee Nation) M.A. English Language and Literature 1999, PhD. English Language and LIterature, Minor in Indigenous Studies 2002
• Morgan Lang B.A. Engineering Physics 1998
• Tara Sweeney (Iñupiaq/Alaskan Native) B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations 1998
• David Cordis B.S. Natural Resource Management 1998
• Sirr Less B.A. English & Film 1998
• Brendan F. White B.S. 1998
• Jared Michalec B.S. Operation Research and Industrial Engineering 1998
• Evelyn Arce-Erickson (Muisca) B.S. Horticulture, M.A. in Teaching Education and Agriculture 1997
• Dr. Justin Barrett PhD. 1997
• Jason Jacobs (Cherokee) B.S. Food Science 1997
• Mindy Magyar (Mi’kmaq, Sipekne’katik First Nation) B.S. Chemical Engineering, minor in American Indian Studies 1997; M.B.A 2009., M.F.A. 2007
• Monty Cheff B.A. Hospitality Administration/Management 1997
• Dawn Miller-Colburn (Seneca Nation) B.S. Human Ecology 1997
• Mindy Magyar B.S. Chemical Engineering, minor in American Indian Studies 1997; MFA Design from the Cranbrook Academy of Art; MBA Arts & Culture Management from The Wharton School
• Dr. Brenton Uhler B.S. 1991, D.V.M. 1996
• Heather Langford B.S. Biology, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology 1996; M.Env. Social Ecology & Community Development
• Alessandra Murata B.S. Hotel Administration 1996
• Matthew Leigh B.S. Hotel Administration 1996
• Stephanie R. Carroll (Dene, Ahtna/Alaskan Native, Native Village of Kluti-Kaah) B.A. Biology and Society with concentrations in Health and Society, and American Indian Studies 1996; M.P.H. Community Health Practices from the University of Arizona 2001; Dr.P.H. Maternal and Child Health from The University of Arizona
• Andrew John Liersch III B.A. Government 1996
• Dr. Michael Wilson (Choctaw) PhD. 1995
• Dr. Donald Quinn PhD. 1995
• James W. Bettles B.S. Biology, Health & Society 1995
• Thomas Sequist B.S. Chemical Engineering 1995; M.D. from Harvard Medical School 1999; MPH Clinical Effectiveness from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health 2004
• Kellie Maunakea (Native Hawaiian) B.A. Apparel and Textile Marketing Management 1995
• Dr. Jacqueline Cyr B.S. 1995, D.V.M. 2003
• Dr. Mary Hoover PhD. 1994
• Nancy Mills (Wampanoag) B.A. Hotel Administration 1994
• Elizabeth Abeson B.F.A. English & Mixed Media 1994
• Lisa Millwood (Cherokee) B.S. Human Development & Family Studies 1994
• Dr. Jeremy Bowers D.V.M. 1994
• Dr. Taiaiake (Gerald) Alfred (Kahnawà:ke Mohawk) M.S., PhD in Government 1994
• James Casey (Cherokee) B.A. History and Computer Science 1988, J.D. International Legal Studies 1994
• Elizabeth George (Seneca, Mohawk) B.S. Agricultural Economics 1994
• Christopher Badurek B.A. Biology & Psychology 1994; MBA from SUNY Brockport, PhD Geographic Information Science from University at Buffalo
• Samuel Olbekson (White Earth Ojibwe Nation) B.Arch Architecture 1994; M.Arch Urban Design from Harvard University in 2005
• Jarrid Whitney (Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫɁ / Six Nations Cayuga) B.S. General Studies/Concentration in American Indian Studies 1994, M.Ed. Higher Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education. 
• Stephen Fadden (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.S. 1988 M.P.S. Communications 1993
• Dr. Cathy Kreis (Seneca) D.V.M. 1993
• George Moore (Mohawk) B.S. Rural Sociology 1993; MSW Social Work from Syracuse University 2009
• Ronald Eagleroad (Choctaw, Lakota) B.S. Applied Economics & Business Management 1993
• K. Sarah Hoehn B.S. Human Development 1993
• Dr. Richard W. Reid (Mohawk) A.L.S. 1988; D.V.M. 1992
• Dean L. Hawthorne (Delaware, Canasee) M.S. Phyics 1991; PhD. Physics 2011
• Edward Smoke (Mohawk) A.A.S. Criminal Justice from SUNY Canton 1988; B.A. Human Service Studies 1992
• Tariq Khero (Haudenosaunee/Iroquois) B.A. Political Science & Government 1992; J.D. from University of California 1997
• Joseph D, Solomon (Onondaga, Mohawk) B.S. Biology 1992
• Dr. Carol Cornelius (Oneida, Stockbridge Munsee, Montauk) PhD. Cross-cultural curriculum and American Indian History 1992
• Steven Bethel  M.B.A. 1992
• Dr. Hudson Reeve PhD. 1991
• Kerry Varga  - Masters 1991
• Charles Nelson  - Masters 1991
• Kathy George (Seneca, Mohawk) B.A. Hotel Administration 1991
• Franklin Martinez (Navajo) Masters 1991
• Allison Lengyel  - Masters 1991
• Scott Burnam (Mohawk) B.A. Human Development, Child Psychology 1991
• Steven Konczal  - B.A. Economics 1987 from Colgage University; M.B.A. 1991
• Dr. Tracy Durham (Nanticoke) D.V.M. 1991
• Daniel Hale (Cherokee) Masters 1991
• Brent Smith  - Masters 1990
• Carrie Haluza  M.S. Electrical Engineering 1990
• Dr. Mary Frances Hoover nee Fadden (Mohawk) D.V.M. 1990; PhD. Veterinary Medicine 1994
• Cynthia Coleman  (Osage, Sioux) Masters 1990
• Gerald Lazore Jr. (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.S. Industrial & Labor Relations 1990

Undergraduate Degrees (Area of study unknown) 1990-1999

1990-1999

• Anne Weissenberger 1999
• Kimberly Johnson College of Engineering1999
• George Hunter (Mohawk) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 1999
• Bree Herne 1999
• Richard Erickson College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 1999
• Denise Arquette College of Human Ecology 1999
• Kristen Albano B.S. 1999
• Amar Patel 1998
• Kenneth Masters 1998
• Amy Kerivan 1998
• Timothy Hurley 1998
• Joshua Hein 1998
• Christopher Di Mattina 1998
• Robert Connor 1998
• Amber Whitney 1997
• Aravind Swaminathan 1997
• Melissa Phillips 1997
• Manisha Gupta 1997
• Stephanie Rainie 1996
• Renee Land 1996
• Alyson Huber 1996
• Jeanette Bettles 1996
• Kenya Beckman 1996
• Bruce Mayer 1995
• Thomas Holland 1995
• Julius Charlie 1995
• Catherine Attebery 1995
• Brian Wagner (Choctaw) 1994
• Noah Shah 1994
• Ramona Munoz 1994
• Machelle Millwood (Cherokee) 1994
• Martin Kushner 1994
• Monica Prasad 1993
• Lora Lee LaFrance (Akwesasne Mohawk) 1993
• Mark A. Fergeson (Cherokee) 1993
• Donald Bradley 1993
• Timothy Willink (Navajo) 1992
• Michelle Nino 1992
• Louis Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora) 1992
• Angela Hughes 1992
• Dr. Richard W. Reid (Mohawk) A.L.S. 1988; D.V.M. 1992
• Joseph "Joe" I. Dragon (Chipewyan) B.S. Agriculture 1992
• James A. Smith (Osage) 1992
• Perry Ground (Onondaga) 1991
• Pamela J. Sewell (Oklahoma Choctaw) B.S. Human Ecology 1991; JD from University of New Mexico 1996; LLM from University of Denver 1997
• Roberta Matern-Johnson (Navajo) 1991
• Zachary Labatte (Sioux, Sisseton Wapatah) 1991
• Shawn R. Frank (Allegany Seneca) 1991
• David E. Larson (Chippewa-Mississippi Band)1990
• Kathleen "Kathy" John (Seneca Allegany) 1990 (Received NASAC award in 1989)
• Julie Harris (Seneca) 1990 (Received NASAC Award in 1988)
• John Francis 1990
• James Doyle 1990
• Melissa Timore 1990
• Jeremy Bowers 1990

• Dr. Roberta Duhaime (Kanien'kehá:ka/ Kahnawake Mohawk) D.V.M. 1989
• Dr. Sean Back D.V.M. 1989
• Burt Wrolson B.S. Chemical Engineering 1989
• Michelle Kuska (Ottawa) B.S. Electrical Engineering 1989; M.S. Electrical Engineering from Stanford University 1991
• J. Michael Caruso (Mohawk) A.B. Asian Studies 1989; MD Medicine from University of California 2000
• David Madsen  B.S.; M.S. Operations Research and Industrial Engineering 1989
• Wallace Ransom (Akewsasne Mohawk) B.S. Agronomy 1989
• Dr. Gabrielle Tayac (Piscataway Indian Nation) B.S. Social Work and American Indian Studies 1989, M.A. & PhD. Sociology Harvard University
• Randy Reinholtz  - Masters 1988
• Sean Carter B.S. Agricultural Engineering 1988 - NASAC Member, non-native
• Natalie Hemlock (Seneca) B.S. Education Administration 1988
• Evelyn Package M.A. Industrial and Labor Relations 1988
• Bronwyn Hopkins B.S. Electrical Engineering 1988
• James Casey (Cherokee) B.A. History and Computer Science 1988, J.D. International Legal Studies 1994
• Brad E. Thompson (Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa) B.S. Electrical Engineering 1988
• Jeffrey Bolton B.A. Anthropology 1988
• Russell Maracle M.A. Communications Arts 1988
• Dr. Anthony Caesar M. 1982, PhD. 1987
• Mitchell Green B.A. Business 1987
• Caroline Kiang  - Masters 1985
• Herbe Fricke  M.S.C.E. Civil and Environmental Engineering 1985
• Laura Miranda B.A. Political Science and Government 1985, J.D. 1989
• Nancy Redeye (Seneca) B.S. Design & Environmental Analysis 1985
• Michael Parker  - Masters 1984
• Sherrill Elizabeth Tekatsitsiakawa “Katsi” Cook (Mohawk) B.S. Biology and Society mid-1980s
• Leslie Wheelock (Oneida) M.B.A. Regulatory Economics Johnson Graduate School of Management 1984, J.D. International Specialization 1984
• Gail Anagick Schubert (Alaskan Native) M.B.A. Accounting and Finance, J.D. 1984
• Barbara Abrams (Tonawanda Seneca) M.A. 1984
• Leisha Conners-Bauer (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.S. Applied Economics & Management 1983; MPA from CU Denver
• Debra Earling  M.A. and M.F.A. 1982
• Debra Puebla B.A. Political Science and International Relations 1982, J.D. 1986
• Jane Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora) B.A/B.S. 1980 M.S. 1982
• Dr. James Archer M. 1978; PhD. Computer Science 1981
• Jane Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora) B.A/B.S. 1980 M.S. 1982
• Dr. Richard Price D.V.M. 1980
• Kim Troy  - Masters 1980
• Sherry Goitein  - Masters 1980
• Lynn Allen Cione B.S.W. Social Work 1980

Undergraduate Degrees (Area of study unknown) 1980-1989

1980-1989

• Lorraine Bova 1989
• Karin Perkins 1989
• Cassandra Miller 1989
• Stacy M. Jarvis (Lenni Lenape)1989
• Scott Strauss 1988
• John Remark 1988
• Natalie Snow 1988 (Received Beatrice McCauley Memorial Award)
• George Moore (Mohawk) 1988
• John Marozas 1987
• Dan Halpern 1987 
• Janice Snyder (Seneca) 1987
• David Madsen 1987
• John Remark 1987
• Christopher Smith 1987
• Bruce Keizer 1987
• Mark Charavee 1987
• Ernest "Joe" Gray (Crow Reservation in Montana, Blackfeet, Cree) 1987
• Keith Pressentine 1982
• Kyle McSlarrow 1982
• Cathryn Jansson 1982
• John Harvison 1982
• Lisa Colby 1982
• Sandra Snyder (Seneca) 1981
• Matthew Grady 1980
• Julia Garetson 1980
• Margaret Thompson 1980
• Christopher Sack 1980
• James Forman 1980

• Leslie Zwerling B.A. Art Architecture & Planning 1979
• Bruce Williams B.S. Chemical Engineering 1979
• Dr. Peter Glassman D.V.M. 1978
• John Rivlin - Masters1978
• Jerry Moss - Masters 1978
• James Fisher - Masters 1978
• Michael Bottge M.S. Finance Planing & Design at Rutgers College; M.A. Planning Architecture 1978
• Lester Moon B.S. Industrial & Labor Relations 1978
• Dr. James Archer M. 1978; PhD. Computer Science 1981
• David Bray (Seneca) B.S. Business 1977
• Chuck Malamut B.A. Hotel Administration 1976
• Roger Dube (Mohawk, Abenaki) B.S. Physics 1972
• Janine Jamieson-Huff (Tonawanda Seneca, Hawk Clan) B.A. History 1970s
• Dr. Alyce Spotted Bear (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation) B.A. Education Dickson State University 1970; M.A. American Indian Leadership Program Pennsylvania State University; PhD. ca. 1970 Cornell

Undergraduate Degrees (Area of study unknown) 1970-1979

1970-1979

• Jane Wade 1979
• Sherry Goitein 1979
• Craig Morgan 1978
• Stephanie Chuipek (Cheyenne) A.B. 1978
• Jon Whitbeck 1977
• Timothy Guarnieri 1977
• David Clark 1977
• James Misiti 1976
• Gerald Lazore (Akwesasne Mohawk) 1976

• Dr. Richard Dyer M. 1959, M.D. 1963
• Dr. Solomon Cook (Akwesasne Mohawk) B.A. 1938, M.S. 1942, PhD. 1950
• Mrs. Henrietta Guilfoyle, née Hoag (Onöndowa’ga:’/Seneca Nation, Beaver Clan) 1940
• Marvin Jack (Tuscarora), B.S. Agriculture 1909

Undergraduate Degrees (Area of study unknown) Pre-1970

• Daniel Jemison (Seneca) 1956
• Elma Patterson 1949
• Lincoln White (Mohawk) 1939