One of two new advisory councils officially launched at the 2017 AISES National Conference, the Tribal Nations Advisory Council (TNAC) has an especially timely mission. (The other new council is CIAC: the Canadian Indigenous Advisory Council.) TNAC’s inaugural meeting at the conference gathered more than 30 tribal leaders to discuss a pressing issue at the intersection of AISES and tribal communities: developing a skilled STEM workforce in Indian Country. TNAC members, who represent tribes from across the country, meet both by phone and in person at conferences. Co-chairs are John Lewis, Mark Harding, Alicia Ortega, and Gary Santos.
Benefits of the council’s work will include an expanded ability to manage tribal lands, bolster the technical infrastructure, improve health care delivery, develop entrepreneurial opportunities, and ultimately promote tribal sovereignty and self-determination. The council will also advise AISES on pursuing STEM programming with the youth of tribal nations.
“It’s important to spread the word about AISES. As I speak with other tribal leaders in the Northeast, one of the goals is to start AISES-focused chapters within each tribal nation,” says Harding, Mashpee Wampanoag. “It’s so important to come together about how our children are trained and ensure they are ready for leadership positions in the next century.”
