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Director of Indigenous Leadership
The 2024 Indigenous Leadership Awardees. Photo credit: Kari Rowe
It was our incredible honor to welcome this year’s Indigenous Leadership Awardees, as well as an amazing crowd of guests, to the Redd on Salmon Street in October of 2024. If you were able to join us in person or via livestream, we hope you enjoyed the evening. We are excited to share each awardee’s acceptance speeches, as well as revisit their blog posts.
The Indigenous Leadership Awards is a celebration of the determination, wisdom, and continuum of Indigenous leadership across the region. Meet the 2024 honorees: SandeBea Allman, Darrell Hillaire, sm3tcoom (Delbert Miller), Delano Saluskin, Corinne Sams, and Theresa Sheldon.
SandeBea Allman, Oglala Lakota, Nimiipuu, is the Chief Community Engagement and Development Officer of the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest and President of the Bow and Arrow Culture Club. The 2024 Indigenous Leadership Awards honors her her decades-long role as guide, convener, and cultural ambassador for the Portland urban Indian community.
Ecotrust is honored to present a 2024 Indigenous Leadership Award to Darrell Hillaire, the founder of Children of the Setting Sun Productions and a former chairman of Lummi Nation. The award recognizes his leadership in enhancing opportunities for Native education in the Northwest and ongoing commitment to sharing the stories of Native peoples.
sm3tcoom Delbert Miller, Skokomish, is the founder and visionary of Skabob House, as well as a singer, carver, drummer, and culture keeper. He was honored with a 2024 Indigenous Leadership Award for his lifelong dedication to the cultural, physical, and spiritual healing of Indigenous peoples through art, song, language, and education.
Delano Saluskin, Yakama, is being honored with a 2024 Indigenous Leadership Award for his stellar leadership in building agency, safety, and economic sovereignty for the Yakama Nation while protecting lands and waters and ensuring cultural continuity.
Corinne Sams, Umatilla, has been a steadfast advocate for the restoration of salmon in the Columbia River Basin, acting as a driving force in bringing tribal voices to bear across several initiatives. In 2024, she was recognized with an Indigenous Leadership Award for her advocacy and commitment to the preservation of cultural connections between the peoples of the Umatilla and salmon.
Theresa Sheldon sits on the board of directors for the Tulalip Tribes and was also the former director of Policy and Advocacy for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. For her commitment to protecting the Tulalip Tribes’ sovereignty and her work to bring justice and healing to Native peoples nationwide, she is honored with a 2024 Indigenous Leadership Award.
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A celebration of the determination, wisdom, and continuum of Indigenous leadership across the region.
