Fall/Winter 2023

Understanding Workforce Grantmaking in Native Nations and Communities: A Webinar Series

Thursday, 09/28 at 3:00 PM ET

Workforce Grantmaking in Native Nations and Communities (WGNNC), an emerging funder collaborative focused on supporting workforce development in Native Nations and communities, is convening a three-part webinar series launching this fall to deepen the understanding of those working in philanthropy about the current Native workforce development landscape. Attendees of this series will gain an understanding of how philanthropy can more impactfully support self-determined efforts by Native Nations and communities to develop the professional skills and knowledge of Native people in accordance with their holistic values, needs, and long-term goals.

Webinar I: Developing the Native Workforce: Understanding Indian Country and the Role of Philanthropy


This webinar will provide attendees with a broad overview of Native Nations and communities (“Indian Country”); how the self-determined development of the Native workforce advances overarching Native cultural, social, and economic imperatives; the role of philanthropy in supporting and scaling Native workforce development efforts; and how philanthropic organizations can develop partnerships with Native workforce development entities that expand and enhance the quality, accessibility, and cultural relevance of workforce development programs designed by and for Native people. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions of leading Indian Country experts about how they can enhance their organizations’ ability to engage Native Nations and communities in ways that empower the effectiveness of self-determined Native workforce development initiatives.

Speakers:

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Natasha Hale (moderator)
Project Manager,
Workforce Grantmaking in Native Nations


Natasha is Navajo and Saudi Arabian, and was born and raised on the Navajo Nation.

Her work over the past 15 years has been at the intersection of land protection, cultural economies, and civic engagement. She played a critical role in the designation of the Bears Ears National Monument and served as Interim Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition Executive Director. She is a co-founder of the Colorado Plateau Foundation and a co-founder of Change Labs. She served as a politically appointed legislative staff assistant for the Navajo Nation Office of the Speaker, was a director at Grand Canyon Trust, director of Native American Partnerships with the Catena Foundation, and was a program officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

She is the principal for White Shell Advisors, LLC.

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Michael Johnson
Chief Strategy Officer,
IllumiNative


Michael Johnson is the Chief Strategy Officer of IllumiNative, whose mission is to build power for Native peoples by amplifying contemporary Native voices, stories, and issues to advance justice, equity, and self-determination. He is a citizen of the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota and a relative of the White Earth Nation where his grandfather is a citizen.

Michael graduated with distinction from The School of Liberal Arts at The University of Colorado Denver majoring in Political Science and earning magna cum laude honors. Michael’s work over the last decade has engaged key stakeholders in Indian Country and beyond to create lasting relationships built on respect, reciprocity, impact, and success. A champion of Tribal self-determination, Michael has supported positive educational, health related, economic, as well as policy and litigation outcomes for Native communities around the country.

Born and raised in Colorado, Michael currently resides in Littleton with his wife and two children.

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Alvin Warren
Vice President of Career Pathways & Advocacy, LANL Foundation


Alvin is a lifelong northern New Mexican, a member of Santa Clara Pueblo and a 30-year resident of the Española Valley. Prior to coming to the Foundation, he was a Program Officer of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, since 2013, responsible for an extensive portfolio of grants and program-related investments in New Mexico. These investments focused on improving the economic well-being of underserved youth, individuals and families through supporting successful employment pathways and workforce training approaches, policy and systems change to increase workers’ wages and benefits and expansion of entrepreneur’s access to technical assistance and affordable capital. Alvin also worked to support innovative teacher recruitment and professional development models, the establishment of full- and dual-language immersion schools and the transformation of educational systems.

Alvin has served as the cabinet secretary of Indian Affairs for the State of New Mexico, was the lieutenant governor of Santa Clara Pueblo, and principal / executive vice president of Blue Stone Strategy Group. Alvin is a graduate of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and Dartmouth College.

Register Now
All Workforce Matters members are welcome to attend this free event, but you must register in advance to participate. Approved registrants will receive a Zoom link for this event via email.
Workforce Matters, 2023