This toolkit represents a collaborative effort between the Capacity Technical Assistance team of the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), Indigenous advocates representing Tribal coalitions, the Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence, The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC), the Alaskan Native Women’s Resource Center (AKNWRC) and Pouhana ‘O Nā Wahine, the newly created and federally funded Native Hawaiian Resource Center on Domestic Violence, representing the Indigenous Hawaiian community. The work spanned the course of two years, which allowed work group members to create and strengthen relationships which led to deeper collaboration, encouraged honest conversations, feedback and creativity.
There is no way this toolkit can answer all of the questions or cover the full history of the Indigenous Nations. We understood this going into the project and it became even more clear as we talked through the content. The good news is that the toolkit will continue to be updated. The information shared in the toolkit is meant to be the beginning of the conversation and not the end. It is our deepest hope that this toolkit will spur on your interest in working with, engaging and outreaching to the Indigenous communities in your state, developing equitable relationships and creating pathways for Indigienous Nations to access FVPSA funding at the state level.
Below you will find bios of each of our work group members who so generously gave of their time, expertise and energy.
Indigenous Peoples Toolkit Work Group Members
Leanne Guy, Diné, is of the Tó’ áhani (Near to water) clan and is born for the Tódichi’ii’nii (Bitter Water) clan. Her chei (maternal grandfather) is from the Tábaahí (Waters Edge) clan, and her nali (paternal grandfather) is from the Tachii’nii (Red Running into the Water) clan. This is who she is as a Diné woman. She is a mother, grandmother, sister, auntie, lifelong partner to Charlie, and works for the betterment of tribal communities. Leanne has over 25 years of experience in tribal community health promotion, disease prevention, and public health and safety initiatives. She has worked to help increase the capacity of tribal programs to organize, develop, and implement public health intervention and prevention strategies for increased wellness, healing, safety, and justice. She is a member of numerous national, state, and boards, task forces, and committees including the Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, National Congress of American Indian’s Violence Against Women Task Force and Arizona’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Study Committee. Currently, Leanne is the founding executive director of the Southwest Indigenous Women’s Coalition, Arizona’s tribal domestic and sexual violence coalition. Prior to this, she was the executive director of a nonprofit, community-based domestic violence and sexual assault services program located on the Diné Nation. Leanne has also worked for the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. and the Indian Health Service in the area of HIV/AIDS, cancer prevention, and women’s health. The many blessings Leanne has experienced in working with tribes is getting to know the people—hearing their stories, sharing laughter, observing their customs, and seeing their land.
Tami Truett Jerue is the Executive Director of Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center (AKNWRC) and is the mother of 4 children and 5 grandchildren. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and master’s work in Community Psychology. Her work has been in Indian Child Protection, Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault (DV/SA), Counseling/Advocacy, Mental Health Counseling, Addictions and many other areas. Tami has worked mostly in the remote village, Anvik, for the past 24 years and has recently been splitting her time between Anvik and Fairbanks, since her parents are aging and she needs to spend more time with them.
Carmen O’Leary is a citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe where she has worked toward ending violence against Native women professionally and as a volunteer. In 1988, she began working in the field as a Children’s Advocate in a shelter, at which she held various other positions over the years. During that time, she served as a co-chair for the South Dakota Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and as a consultant for the Center for Offender Management, Mending the Sacred Hoop, National State Courts and Sacred Circle-National Resource Center to End Violence Against Native Women. Carmen currently serves as the Director for the Native Women’s Society of the Great Plains, a tribal coalition whose membership consists of Native programs, providing services to women who experience violence, across the northern Great Plains. Carmen is also a board member of the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, a national resource center and technical assistance provided for ending violence against Native Women. Carmen has provided service and leadership throughout her Reservation by sitting on a variety of boards and committees. Carmen’s areas of expertise include children’s issues around domestic violence, and advocacy training for the areas of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Germaine Omish-Lucero Special Projects Director for the Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence (ATCEV), has been advocating the needs of Native victims for over 25 years aimed at preventing domestic and sexual violence in tribal communities. Germaine is a contractor/consultant, helping other agencies on special projects and presentations as a subject matter expert. She graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration. She is one of the founding mothers of the Strong Hearted Native Women’s Coalition, Inc. (SHNWC) founded in 2005 (CA), to assist tribes to create the appropriate tribal resolutions to assist in identifying and mediating essential changes to reduce crimes covered under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Germaine was the first Executive Director for the coalition and now sits as a board member representing her reservation for SHNWC. She is a tribal citizen of the Rincon, Band of Luiseño Indians in San Diego County, Ca. She has two children and three stepchildren. Germaine lives with her husband on Taos Pueblo in Taos, New Mexico.
Nanifay Paglinawan is a member of Pouhana ‘O Na Wahine and has been in the domestic violence movement for 42 years. She has facilitated women and men’s groups and worked in the women’s prison and in the drug treatment center. She has worked in educational teaching for the Department of Education in elementary school. She has also worked in the TRO department and crisis intervention before retiring in October of 2020. Currently, she works part time for the Women Helping Women’s Shelter in Maui. She has also been involved with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW) and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC).
Dawn R. Stover, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has been able to use her passion, dedication, and perseverance to ignite positive changes in Indian Country. Her largest demonstration of this has been her work with the tribal coalitions. Stover began her work with the tribal coalitions first as a founding board member and then director of the Native Alliance of Against Violence, Oklahoma’s tribal coalition against domestic violence and sexual assault, and presently as the executive director of the Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence. The Alliance is a Native American organized and led nonprofit that works to advance tribal sovereignty and safety of American Indian and Alaska Native women by providing support to tribal coalitions and communities to address equal justice for survivors of violence. Dawn is the recipient of the Cherokee Nation ONE FIRE Advocate of the Year Award (2019), Women’s Resource Center Partnership Award (2018), the Cleveland County Woman of Influence Award (2018), the Bonnie HeavyRunner Victim Advocacy Award (2014), the Community Oriented Policing Services Award (2009), and a graduate of the Advocacy Learning Center (2014).
Dolly M.I. Tatofi, MSW, LCSW is a spiritually guided indigenous diverse wahine that was born and raised in a diverse home on the island of Oahu. She has been blessed with many opportunities and experiences that have guided her to work with a vast amount of people in various capacities that span from keiki to kupuna. Her knowledge consists of a BA in Ethnic Studies and a Master’s in Social Work. She has worked in the Mental Health field for over 10 years and continues to serve this population currently in an MCO setting. She was also a haumana (student) of the Hawaiian Learning program at UH-Manoa MBT SSW and is an oli practitioner. Although understanding who you are is a life journey, she has come to realize that at this moment that her kuleana (responsibility) is to connect and support people with restoring relationships through Aloha. She believes that through the daily practice of Aloha this will create, maintain and enhance the relationships we have in any space and at any time not only with others but also with self; if we are able to know who we are deep inside we will see this reflected outside of us and then will we know what Lōkahi (unity/balance/harmony) truly means and feels like.
DeMakus Staton, CGMS is the President/Executive Director of Reflection of Inspiration Inc. Reflection of Inspiration is a nonprofit organization that provides educational programs to support community groups and organizations in achieving their aspirations. Its’s mission is to empower individuals and organizations to be successful for their families and within their communities by encouraging positive development.
DeMakus also worked as the Grants/Contract Manager for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) for over a decade. He has over 12+ years of experience as a key cog in securing and managing EBCI’s external resources serving within the Treasury Division. DeMakus has worked with over 50 different federal, state, and private agencies. He has managed over $50 million of annual expenditures from external sources.
He served as the Chair of the Tribal Administration Committee for United South and Eastern Tribes (USET), also appointed representative for the Department of Interior Tribal Interior Budget Council and Self-Governance Advisory Committee (Eastern Region). Currently serving as a Board Member, of the National Grants Management Associations (NGMA). Mr. Staton holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting and Entrepreneurship (Western Carolina University) He has been a contributing advisor and presenter for several Federal and local agencies and has obtain the Certified Grants Management Specialist (CGMS) credential and also the Native American Finance Officers association (NAFOA)- Tribal Financial Manger Certificate.
He is a believer in higher education, and continuous training. Organization and communication skills are very important to him. He believes that accuracy and accountability are two qualities that should be held at the upmost standard by any individual that shepherds any financial information.
NNEDV Project Staff – Capacity Technical Assistance Team
Meinkeng Fonge, MSW, Specialist
Ellen Yin-Wycoff, Sr. Deputy Director
Kim Feeney, Sr. Deputy Director
Tonia Moultry, Project Consultant
Former Group Members
Dr. Dayna Schultz, Psy. D., LSW, CSAC, Pouhana O Nā Wāhine
Rosemond Keanuenue Pettigrew, Pouhana O Nā Wāhine