I have been at Evergreen since 2000 (almost my entire academic life!). I am of Bad River Chippewa descent and a citizen of the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin (Turtle Clan). I teach in Native American and Indigenous Studies, although these days I spend less time in the classroom as I work with students, staff, faculty, and community partners as the Dean for Native Programs and Experiential Learning.
I have written about and taught the narratives that shape our understanding of ourselves and our relationships to the places that sustain us. I am particularly interested in re-envisioning Indigenous ways of knowing through relational placemaking. I center my research in inter-disciplinary studies with a focus on communities. I have published work in American Indian Quarterly, Studies in American Indian Literature, American Indian Culture and Research Journal, edited collections, and a book from Syracuse University Press (2015).
Education
Ph.D., American Studies, State University of New York at Buffalo, 2001; M.A., American Indian Law and Policy, University of Arizona, 1995; B.A., History and Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1993.
Teaching Style
My teaching considers the politics of indigeneity and what it means to be Indigenous – from language revitalization to health concerns to canoe journeys to art – and that relationship to mass American culture. I help students learn within the framework of the Evergreen social contract, particularly "Evergreen is an institution and a community that continues to organize itself so that it can clear away obstacles to learning."