Board of directors

Sutton King, MPH, Nāēqtaw-Pianakiw (comes first woman), is the co-founder, president and chairperson of UIC and the Co-Founder of ShockTalk. Sutton King MPH, a descendant of the Menominee and Oneida Nations of Wisconsin, is a nationally recognized Afro-Indigenous public health leader and social entrepreneur. Her commitment to scaling innovative solutions that support mental health access and benefit sharing for Indigenous peoples is achieving change and gaining national recognition along the way. From amNewYork to The New York Times, her impact continues to grow and her dedication continues to heal those around her. In 2020, Sutton was named a New York visionary and nominated as a David Prize finalist. She is a MIT Indigenous Solve fellow and a 3x NYU Fellow participating in the NYU ignite alpha and beta fellowships. In 2021, she was named an NYU Female Founder and “one of the 100 most influential people in psychedelics” by Psychedelic Invest and PsychedStudio.

Jarrad Packard is the Vice President and Secretary for UIC. Jarrad is enrolled in the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota and is also Oglala Lakota from Pine Ridge, South South Dakota. Jarrad graduated with a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in June 2021 and previously graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management and Policy from the School of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University in May 2009. Jarrad is currently a Mental Health Specialist at the Seattle Indian Health Board. Jarrad previously worked at the Indian Health Service in Rockville, MD in the Office of Management Services and also served on several committees and was the President of the Employee's Association. Jarrad is excited to be working with the Urban Indian community in Seattle and learning more about Urban Indian mental health issues.

Claudette Bryant, an active member of The Shinnecock Indian Nation, is the Founder and Executive Director the GLBT Project, Inc. She was born and raised in Queens, NY and spent every summer on “the Rez” her true home.  Claudette attended school in North Carolina where she earned her Bachelors in Communications and went on to earn her Master of Public Affairs from The University North Carolina at Greensboro.  As a proud member of her community, Claudette is passionate and empathetic in her role as a mom and in her work when it pertains to Indigenous and/or LGBT concerns. Her favorite quote “When people believe in their ability to love, grow and change, they make decisions that reflect this conviction”. In addition to being a mom and an Executive Director, Claudette is a substitute teacher with the NYC Department of Education teaching Humanities to 7th grade.

Roberto Múkaro Borrero has a distinguished and diverse background in policy & program development and human rights advocacy, including a specialization on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. He retains over 20 years of experience engaging the United Nations system in thematic areas such as Sustainable Development; Climate Change; the Information Society; and the Organization of American States; among others. Professionally, he has served on the staff of the International Indian Treaty Council and the American Museum of Natural History, as well as an independent contracting consultant for UNESCO, PBS, and other notable institutions. A published writer, an accomplished artist, and musician,  Borrero is a member of the Taíno Tribal Nation, an Indigenous Peoples whose traditional homelands extend through the Greater Antilles to the Southern tip of Florida in the U.S. In 2012, he was traditionally sanctioned a kasike (chief) of the Guainía Taíno tribal community.  He has an educational background in communications and cultural studies. In 2013, Borrero was awarded an honorary Doctorate Degree, Philosophy in Humanities, from Kayiwa International University, Kampala, Uganda.

Geoffrey Roth is originally from Oregon City, Oregon. He was born on February 7th and has served Indian Country for most of his life. Currently, Geoff is the newly elected North American representative for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the United Nations, a consultant for Urban Indian Health Programs in the Pacific Northwest, the Interim Executive Director of Native Americans in Philanthropy, and the Co-Founder of Inaji, a technology company focused on Indian health. 

Mr. 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.

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.