Board of directors

Sutton King, MPH (Nāēqtaw-Pianakiw, “Comes First Woman”) is the Co-Founder, President, and Executive Director of the Urban Indigenous Collective, a public health nonprofit dedicated to advancing health equity and restoring balance for Indigenous peoples across Lenapehoking (NYC) and the greater tri-state area. A proud Afro-Indigenous woman from the Menominee and Oneida Nations of Wisconsin, Sutton is a nationally recognized public health advocate, social entrepreneur, and Indigenous rights activist.

At UIC, Sutton leads with a decolonial and community-rooted approach, guiding a multidisciplinary team in delivering culturally tailored health and wellness services, community-based participatory research, and advocacy. Under her leadership, UIC is reclaiming space for urban Indigenous peoples, creating pathways for healing that are grounded in culture, kinship, and Indigenous knowledge systems.

Sutton holds a Master of Public Health from the NYU School of Global Public Health and brings over a decade of experience working across health, philanthropy, and tech to drive transformative change. Her work with UIC reflects her lifelong commitment to uplifting Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination, and wellness—by us, for us, with us.

Chenae Bullock, LPIM, an enrolled Shinnecock Nation citizen and descendant of the Montauk Tribe in Long Island New York. She is also African American. Chenae is Licensed Practitioner of Indigenopathic Medicine Research (LPIM) , an Indigenous Perspective Historian, a Cultural Moderator, and a Public Speaker. Appearances in Forbes, Rolling Stones, TEDx, SXSW, Tribal Business News, Bloomberg, Conde Nast Traveler Indian Country Today, Yahoo Finance. As an LPIM, Chenae contributes to her clients' and partners' social and environmental competence by improving their understanding of the natural world and preserving the original physicians' ancient wisdom and sacred knowledge of enhanced healthcare under religious tribal law. Chenae’s mission is to illuminate the view and understanding of Indigenous people through cultural competency in government and environmental spaces, brand partnerships and pure connectivity to what she values most, humanity. 

Dr. Carolee Dodge Francis is a Wisconsin Oneida Tribal member, Social Behavioral researcher, and Professor within the School of Human Ecology, University of WI, Madison. She intertwines community engagement and research scholarship as a reflection of her cultural understanding, thus creating a contemporary context that focuses upon the well-being of Indigenous populations. Dr. Dodge Francis has over 35+ years’ collaborating with Indigenous communities related to wellness/public health, qualitative research, health education/curricula, program development and evaluation, within urban and rural settings across the United States. Her mentoring commitment with Native American high school, undergraduate and graduate students, spans decades. Dr. Dodge Francis is a published author and currently a Principal Investigator for a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant. 

Dr. Ebony Brushbreaker is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in multiple states, including Arizona, Nevada, and New York. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Colorado State University with a Bachelor’s in Social Work. Before entering the field of Social Services, Ebony served in the United States Army for eight years, receiving an Honorable Discharge as a Staff Sergeant stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in the 1st of the 159th Aviation Brigade. After completing her Master’s in Social Work, also Summa Cum Laude, she began her career in Medical Social Work. For over 12 years, she supported geriatric clients and adults with complex medical conditions across Long-Term Care, Hospice, and Home Health settings. Beyond clinical practice, she also served as a Regional Director of Social Services within the Long-Term Care discipline.

An enrolled member of the Sicangu (Rosebud) Lakota Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, Ebony is a powerful advocate for increasing access to mental health services for Native American and Indigenous communities. She recently earned her PhD in Health Administration in Health Care Leadership with honors (Summa Cum Laude) and is dedicated to expanding availability of medically necessary services. Her culture, upbringing, and lived experience deeply shape her clinical approach, which centers on cultivating the whole person—integrating the physical aspects of treatment within the medical model while honoring the presence and importance of Spirit. Rooted in traditional values, her culturally informed practice is holistic, empowering, and attuned to the experiences of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities. Ebony’s therapeutic orientation is eclectic, incorporating elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), expressive arts, structural therapy, and solution-focused approaches.

Ebony provides care to individuals (age 13+) and families experiencing a wide range of clinical concerns, including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, sexual trauma histories, grief, adjustment to aging, chronic illness, and end-of-life issuesMr. Roth has worked with Tribes, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Tribal organizations and Urban Indian organizations in various capacities over the past 20 years. Most recently he has served as an appointee of the Obama Administration at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Indian Health Service. During this time, he worked primarily on the implementation of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and was involved in the day to day operations of IHS.   

Mr. Roth also previously served as the Executive Director of the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH). In that capacity, he worked with Tribes, Tribal Leaders, Urban Indian Health Program Leaders, and Congress on the zeroing out of the Urban Indian Health Program during the Bush Administration. Prior to NCUIH, Mr. Roth served in the Office of Indian Education at the US Department of Education. Mr. Roth also served as the President of the Board of Directors, for the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NNAAPC) in Denver for 4 years. Prior to his work in DC, Mr. Roth served as the Executive Director of the Native American Youth Association in Portland, Oregon. 

He holds a BS in Educational Studies from the College of Education, University of Oregon and in 2015 was named the National Public Service Award winner by the College. Mr. Roth is a descendent of the Hunkpapa Band of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation in North and South Dakota.

Tammy Walking Stick Riley, Esq. is a proud descendant of the Cherokee, Powhatan, Lenape, and Mayan Nations. With over 40 years of experience as a music industry executive, radio personality, traditional dancer, public speaker, and urban Indigenous leader, Tammy is a dedicated advocate for the rights of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. She is the founder and CEO of Walking Stick Tribal Life Group, LLC, and Red Feather's Legacy, serving urban Indigenous communities regardless of tribal recognition. Tammy was among the first Native American Indigenous Delegates to the UN’s New York Indigenous Caucus and continues to advise organizations like the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Urban Indigenous Collective. As a lifelong steward of the land, Tammy’s work centers on uplifting Indigenous voices and bringing vital resources to our communities.

Ariel Clark (she/they) is an enrolled Tribal citizen of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians. Ariel is an Odawa Anishinaabe attorney working in collaborative spaces of intersection and (re)emergence.  Like her Spirit name, Eddewagiizhik Kwe, which means Both Sides Of The Sky Woman, Ariel’s work weaves through ways-of-knowing, being, and relating.  In her Western legal practice, Ariel provides business, corporate, and regulatory support to organizations, non-profits, government agencies, and tribes with an emphasis on cannabis, plant medicines, and psychedelics.  Ariel takes a common-sense and heart-centered approach to legal advice, and her clients are values-driven leaders who center building and maintaining successful, impactful, and ethical organizations and offerings.  Ariel actively works with a number of non-profit organizations including Life Comes From It, a Black, Brown, and Indigenous-led organization focused on restorative and transformative justice, Indigenous peacemaking, person centered reentry, and land reunion.  In this capacity, she provides strategic and organizational support, and is also collaborating with the organization to support various land-based projects across Turtle Island that center human beings' (re)union with land and our more-than-human relatives.  She recently finished a year-long collaboration of listening and sense-making with community leaders, from which Listening to the Land emerged.  Ethics and values in all our relationships are of central inquiry and dedication for Ariel.  She is actively engaged in conversations about ethical lawyering grounded in our responsibilities to all our relatives and helping to shape policies that emphasize open source, ethical organizational models that honor the Earth, Peoples, and lineages.  Ariel is a co-founder of the Psychedelic Bar Association (PBA), a national association of lawyers involved in psychedelics and engaging with all the ethical complexity that involves.  She co-produced a four-part series, Law & Ethics: The Psychedelics Industry and Indigenous Peoples, and related resource library (e.g. Rights of Nature, Nagoya Protocol, UNDRIP) in service of her inquiry and advocacy (which is also a prayer) – can the overculture legalize “psychedelics” to help facilitate healing in a good way and do less harm to Indigenous communities and the medicines Themselves?  Ariel has written on Rights of Nature as a vehicle to protect sacred plants and traditional cultural knowledge, and she regularly lectures at universities and law schools, including Columbia, Yale, Harvard, UCLA, and Berkeley on biopiracy, Nagoya Protocol, and other issues related to ecological justice, drug policy reform, and Indigenous rights.  Ariel is on the board of Benefit Honoring, an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building a global community rooted in Indigenous traditional lifeways, and biocultural preservation.  She is a member of Roots To Sky Sanctuary, a Black, Brown, and Indigenous-stewarded, land-based healing, and community project.  She is on the board of Common Field, a community of professionals dedicated to community education and centering respectful relationship.  She is a peacemaker-in-training and studies Indigenous peacemaking and Anishinaabe law from Elders.  Ariel was recently awarded a grant to support her knowledge-preservation work with one of her Anishinaabe Uncles, an Elder, traditional doctor, and pipeman in Michigan’s Anishinaabe community.  She has a Bachelors of Arts from University of Michigan in Religious Studies (2000) and a JD from Berkeley Law School (2005). While in law school, Ariel participated with a group of other Native American law students in discussions at the United Nation for what became the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  She loved the years she spent as a law student and young lawyer working at California Indian Legal Services in the Eureka, Santa Rosa, and Oakland offices.  These days, she spends her time with her Aunties, Uncles, and other relatives on her ancestral land singing and playing the Dewe’igun (drum) with the Wiigashk Negamajig Kwe’ok (Sweetgrass Women Singers).

Janell Harper is an Afro-Indigenous woman of Black and Cherokee descent born and raised in Lenapehoking (New York City). She is a Communications Strategist, Creative Director, and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) whose work bridges storytelling, organizational strategy, wellness, and community. Guided by the belief that people deserve to feel seen, heard, and valued—and that storytelling has the power to shape culture, strengthen relationships, and create opportunities for future generations—Janell has spent more than a decade building programs, partnerships, and experiences that connect people to purpose.

Professionally, Janell has led strategic communications, employer brand, executive communications, and organizational initiatives for global organizations, including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Apple, and Audible. Her work focuses on developing scalable strategies, building cross-functional partnerships, and designing year-over-year programming that strengthens organizations while creating meaningful experiences for employees and communities. Alongside her corporate career, she partners with entrepreneurs, artists, and small businesses as a Creative Director, helping bring brands and stories to life through creative strategy, editorial direction, styling, and visual storytelling. She earned a B.A. in Marketing with double minors in Psychology and Economics from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a Graduate Certificate in E-Learning & Instructional Design from the University of Washington.

Janell's commitment to Indigenous community is deeply personal. Having participated in American Indian Community House and Cherokee Language and Cultural Circle youth programming while growing up in NYC, she now serves community by facilitating professional development workshops for Indigenous students and emerging professionals while partnering with Urban Indigenous Collective to create healing-centered spaces rooted in connection and collective care. In 2026, she facilitated a trauma-informed yoga and breathwork workshop for Urban Indigenous Collective's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S+) programming, centering culturally grounded wellness practices that supported restoration, safety, and healing.

Rooted in both her lived experience and professional work, Janell hopes to contribute her perspective, relationships, and commitment to community care in support of Urban Indigenous Collective's continued growth and the Board's work advancing Indigenous LGBTQIA2S+ wellness, leadership, and future generations.

Dr. Ariel Richer is a Co-founder and Director of Research at Urban Indigenous Collective. She is Afro-Indigenous and white; descendant of the Carib Indians, the Indigenous people of Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. Ariel is an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah, College of Social Work. Ariel earned both a Master’s Degree and a PhD in Social Work at Columbia University School of Social Work, and has been a Licensed Master Social Worker for 8 years. Her research focus is on intimate partner violence and increasing access to relevant services for Black and Indigenous women who experience structural stigma related to drug use, involvement in the criminal-legal system, sexuality, and racism. Her work is grounded in principles of community-based participatory research, as she works collaboratively with Black and Indigenous communities.

Previously, she worked as an Impact Evaluator at the Administration for Native Americans where she worked directly with community-based organizations developing logic models, evaluation plans, data collection tools, and processes. She is fiercely committed to addressing gender-based issues at large, especially gender-based violence, and has over nine years of experience within domestic violence organizations, sexual assault resource centers, and economic enhancement programs serving survivors of trafficking and domestic violence.