NNI congratulates Graduate Research Assistant Aurora Trujillo (Taos Pueblo) and Undergraduate Assistant Andrew Martinez (Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community) for their recent accomplishments. Aurora received her Master's Degree in Public Health this spring from the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. The University of Arizona's Native American Student Affairs office honored Andrew with the "Outstanding Undergraduate" award for his commitment to Indigenous scholarship and community engagement. Andrew is majoring in Business Management with a double minor in American Indian Studies, and Government and Public Policy.

NNI promoted Stephanie Carroll Rainie (Ahtna Athabascan) to Associate Director for NNI and Verónica Hirsch (Chiricahua Apache) to Coordinator of Digital Resources. In addition to her research work, Stephanie co-manages NNI with Joan Timeche (Executive Director) and Miriam Jorgensen (Research Director) and brings valuable administrative systems knowledge to NNI leadership. Verónica oversees NNI's Rebuilding Native Nations distance learning course series and works to increase NNI's digital scope and presence via the Indigenous Governance Database.

NNI appointed Ryan Seelau as Manager for the Indigenous Governance Program and Manon (Misko) Beaudrie (Anishinabe, Michigan and Manitoba) as a Research Analyst. Ryan manages three Indigenous Governance educational programs (the Continuing Education Certificate, Graduate Certificate, and Masters of Professional Studies) housed at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and coordinates their connection to the Rebuilding Native Nations distance learning course series. Ryan brings Indigenous legal expertise, experience with Indigenous nation building in South America, and years of NNI institutional knowledge (from various previous staff and student roles) to his position. Misko serves primarily as a case writer and researcher, skills that she honed through extensive experience working with NNI's sister organization, the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and its Honoring Nations program.