EXECUTIVE Leadership

Sutton King, Nāēqtaw-Pianakiw, is the Founder, President and Executive Director of UIC. She is Afro-Indigenous, and a descendant of the Menominee and Oneida Nations of Wisconsin. She currently resides in the Bronx, NY. Sutton holds a BA in Psychology from the College of Mount Saint Vincent and an MPH in Global Health from New York University College of Global Health. Sutton is passionate about both Indigenous research and improving Indigenous health domestically and internationally. With these passions she aims to help bridge the gap of health inequalities that exist for Indigenous people of the North, South and Central Americas. 

She is experienced in the management of federal grants and the development, implementation and evaluation of health programs in Native American and Alaska Native communities within rural and urban areas. In her career she's lead the development of the first culturally tailored training, Trauma-Informed Policing, funded by the OJJDP designed for law enforcement who engage with Tribal youth. During this time she implemented both trauma-informed and suicide prevention programs within 80+ tribes. Previously, Sutton served as the Director of Wellness for an Urban Indian Health Program servicing the largest number of Urban Natives in the country, New York City. Sutton currently serves as a Consultant for the University of New Mexico, College of Population Health supporting unprecedented research. Additionally, she is a consultant for Florida State University supporting an HIV and substance abuse awareness initiative for Urban Native youth

Sutton@urbanindigenouscollective.org

Jarrad Packard is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for UIC. Jarrad is an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota and is also Oglala Lakota from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He is currently an MSW graduate student at Hunter College’s Silberman School of Social Work in New York City. He previously studied Heath Care Management and Policy and received a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University in May 2008. Jarrad worked at the Indian Health Service headquarters in Rockville, MD from 2010 until 2018 in the Office of Management Services. In his time there, Jarrad served on several committees and was the President of the Employees Association where he enjoyed working with the employees and the DMV Urban Native community at large. Jarrad moved to New York City in March 2018 and served as a Case Manager for an Urban Indian Health Program servicing the largest population of Urban Natives in the country. He is excited to be attending school and to be a part of the UIC team serving Urban Natives in New York City and the surrounding area. 

Jarrad@urbanindigenouscollective.org

Noel Altaha is the Director of Programs and Development at UIC. She is from the southwest and is an enrolled member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Noel currently lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY. She also works as a Senior Program Manager in the Tribal Justice Exchange department at the Center for Court Innovation offering services to ensure that tribal communities have access to training and ongoing technical assistance about problem-solving community based practices, such as Healing to Wellness Court, a domestic violence court, or a truancy reduction program. Noel received her MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work and is a Licensed Master Social Worker. 

She has published her research on Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief in Native American college students. Noel is a public speaker on Indigenous topics including Native children and youth, women and gender-based topics including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn & Girls, Transgender, Two-Spirit, MMIWGT2S. Her work has appeared in Indian Country Today, Last Real Indians, Native Max Magazine and Native News Online. She has been interviewed by The Nation, The New York Times docuseries, Democracy Now, National Native News and other news outlets including podcasts. Noel has consulted educational institutions including Columbia University and government agencies including New York Department of Health on Indigenous issues. 

Noel@urbanindigenouscollective.org

Darby Galligher is a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. In May, she graduated with her BS in public health from Miami University (in Ohio). She is currently a graduate student at NYU’s College of Global Health, working towards her MPH with a concentration in Global Health. She is also interested in raising awareness about IHS and other opportunities that are available to indigenous peoples. Growing up, she experienced a disconnect from her tribe, and only after enrolling into Miami University and getting involved in the Myaamia community on campus, was she able to feel connected to the tribe. Prior to her senior year of college, she was unaware of IHS, and other health and wellness opportunities that were available to her as a tribal member. Her main goal of working in indigenous health is to increase awareness of those services to those who may not know about them, as well as making those services more readily available

Andrea Torres is a queer individual whose ancestry is of the Indigenous peoples of Colombia. In 2017 she graduated from SUNY Purchase with a BA in political science and minor in sociology. Her focus has been on environmental justice and its related health implications, with a more recent focus on food and land sovereignty for Indigenous people. Her previous research emphasized the importance of grassroots organizations that provide a platform to mitigate the health impacts faced by the financially and racially oppressed communities in the South Bronx. In May 2020 she graduated with a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management from The New School, with a focus on food sovereignty, food justice, and decolonization. More recently she researched how the health needs of the Indigenous diaspora from South America, Central America & the Caribbean in NYC can be addressed by community organizations, health centers, and legal organizations.  This research has looked at the medical and social work field through a critical lens to understand how to meet the health and wellness needs of the Indigenous diaspora in culturally relevant ways. She has spent her time in school collaborating with her peers to carve out a space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students who are seeking to find a place for discussions and healing around experiences with climate change, capitalism, white supremacy, anti-queerness, and all other forms of oppression. Her ultimate goal is to address climate justice in a holistic manner that centers decolonial approaches such as land rematriation, food justice, and BIPOC health and wellness as strategies for climate change mitigation.