🌟 Meet our NPBS2026 co-emcees!
William (Will) Miller (Blackfeet & Cherokee) — Director of Policy at the National Urban Indian Family Coalition, Co-Founder of the NAYA Action Fund, and elected member of the Mt. Hood Community College Board of Education.
Alan Gonzalez Bisnes — Executive Assistant at Advance Native Political Leadership.
Together, they'll guide us through a day rooted in connection, strategy, and joy under this year's theme: Still We Rise — Joy, Justice & the Fight for Indigenous Futures.
📅 July 16, 2026
📍 Scottsdale, AZ
Link in bio to register.
#BuildNativePower #NPBS2026 #IndigenousLeadership
Ready to deepen your leadership impact? The NLI Lead Training is here ✨
The NLI Lead Training is a free, three-day program for rising Indigenous and values-aligned leaders ready to take the next step. Participants will learn to map decision-making dynamics, lead strategic one-on-ones, build coalitions across differences, and practice storytelling grounded in shared values.
📅 October 14–16, 2026
📚 3-day virtual training
💸 Free
No formal title required. No plans to run for office needed. Just demonstrated community involvement and a readiness to go deeper.
Want to learn more first? Email [email protected] to join an informational session.
Know someone who should apply? Nominate them. Many leaders begin their journey because someone believed in them.
Link in bio to apply or nominate.
#BuildNativePower #IndigenousLeadership #NLILead
🌟 Endorsement Announcement! 🌟
We are proud to endorse Steven Orihuela (Bishop Paiute Tribe) for Inyo County Board of Supervisors, District 3!*
Steven served as Chairman of the Bishop Paiute Tribal Council, leading the governing body of a federally recognized tribe of approximately 2,300 enrolled members in California’s Eastern Sierra. During his time as Chairman, the Tribe progressed on major infrastructure projects, including a fiber optic network, an emergency operations facility, and the Wanaaha Hotel and Casino expansion. He now serves as a Councilmember, continuing his commitment to advancing the Tribe’s priorities and future growth.
Steven is running to protect critical healthcare services, expand housing, drive economic development, and ensure tribal sovereignty is centered in county decision-making. If elected, he would be the first known Bishop Paiute leader to hold a county seat in the Owens Valley.
Vote for Steven Orihuela!
📅 Primary: June 2 | General: November 3 🗳️
*NLI Alum; for identification purposes only. The Native Leadership Institute is a nonpartisan program.
#BuildNativePower #NativeVote2026 #ElectNativeLeaders
🌟 Endorsement Announcement! 🌟
We are honored to once again endorse Trish Carter-Goodheart (Nez Perce) for Idaho House of Representatives, District 6A! @trishforidaho
Born and raised in Lapwai, Idaho, Trish is a community organizer, advocate, and mom who has dedicated her life to uplifting Indigenous communities and fighting for rural families. She served 18 years on the National Indian Child Welfare Association Board, currently chairs the Native American Democratic Caucus of Idaho, and has served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights State Advisory Committee and Idaho's Drug and Mental Health Advisory Committee.
Trish is fighting for healthcare access, public lands protection, educational opportunity, reproductive rights, and fair elections. As she puts it: "I love where I come from, and I believe we deserve leadership that reflects our values, our resilience, and our lived realities." There are currently no Native state legislators serving in Idaho.
Vote for Trish Carter-Goodheart!
📅 Primary: May 19 | General: November 3 🗳️
#BuildNativePower #NativeVote2026 #ElectNativeLeaders
🌟 Endorsement Announcement! 🌟
We are proud to once again endorse Shea Backus (Cherokee Nation) for re-election to Nevada State Assembly, District 37! backusfornevada
A third-generation Nevadan who grew up in Las Vegas and spent summers on her grandparents' ranch in Talala, Oklahoma, Shea graduated from ASU's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law with a certificate in Indian Law. As a state legislator, she has delivered real results: securing significant funding increases for public education — including a public school in one of Nevada's Tribal communities — creating a teacher pipeline, passing legislation to address the MMIR crisis, enacting a state Indian Child Welfare Act, and removing barriers created by health insurance prior authorization.
Shea is currently the only Native member of the Nevada state legislature, and she's running to keep fighting for public education, affordable housing, healthcare access, and economic development.
Vote for Shea Backus on November 3! 🗳️
#BuildNativePower #NativeVote2026 #ElectNativeLeaders
🌟 Endorsement Announcement! 🌟
We are thrilled to endorse Brian Wadsworth (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe) for Washoe County Commission, District 5 in Nevada!* @wadsworth4washoecounty5
Born and raised in Wadsworth, Nevada, Brian now lives on Pyramid Lake Tribal land in Nixon. He has served on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council and the Pyramid Lake Jr./Sr. High School Board of Education. He holds an MBA from Gonzaga University and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Native Public Media. Brian's community involvement runs deep — from serving on the Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Board of Directors to chairing the Sacred Visions Pow Wow Committee to supporting economic development through the Walker River Paiute Economic Development Authority.
Brian is running to represent a rural district that includes both the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony — fighting for his community on healthcare, housing, and economic opportunity.
Vote for Brian Wadsworth on November 3! 🗳️
*NLI Alum; for identification purposes only. The Native Leadership Institute is a nonpartisan program.
#BuildNativePower #NativeVote2026 #ElectNativeLeaders
🌟 Endorsement Announcement! 🌟
We are honored to endorse Karen Hoak (Oneida Nation of the Thames) for New York State Assembly, District 149! @karenhoakfornysassembly
Karen is a working mom with 20 years of experience in infrastructure, currently serving as Deputy Commissioner of Highways for Erie County. She previously served on the Hamburg Town Council, where she helped earn the town a clean energy certification, founded a Pride in the Park program, and expanded property tax exemptions for seniors. She also co-founded the Hamburg Coalition for Equity and Inclusion and serves as Vice Chair of the Erie County Democratic Committee.
Karen's campaign for the Assembly is focused on expanding housing affordability, fighting for universal single-payer healthcare, supporting workers' rights, and investing in local infrastructure.
Vote for Karen Hoak!
📅 Primary: June 23 | General: November 3 🗳️
#BuildNativePower #NativeVote2026 #ElectNativeLeaders
🌟 Endorsement Announcement! 🌟
We are pleased to endorse Kristina Gabriel (Cherokee Nation) for Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 77! @kristina4oklahoma
Kristina is a community organizer, Indigenous public health policy researcher, and advocate for food sovereignty. She earned a B.S. in biology from Fort Lewis College and an M.S. in forensic investigation with a graduate certificate in public health from Oklahoma State University. Before pivoting to public health research, she spent a decade in community organizing, working on local progressive political campaigns. Her district in Tulsa overlaps both the Muscogee and Cherokee Nations.
Kristina is running to make healthcare more accessible and affordable, lower the cost of living, and strengthen state-Tribal partnerships on healthcare, infrastructure, and economic development.
Vote for Kristina Gabriel!
📅 Primary: June 16 | General: November 3 🗳️
#BuildNativePower #NativeVote2026 #ElectNativeLeaders
🌟 Endorsement Announcement! 🌟
We are excited to endorse Chelsey Branham (Chickasaw Nation) for Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 85! @branhamforoklahoma
A lifelong Oklahoman, business owner, professor, and parent of two, Chelsey served in the Oklahoma state House where she relaunched the bipartisan Women's Caucus and worked with the Native Caucus to advance legislation critical to the safety of Indigenous women — including Ida's Law, which established a local office to work with federal law enforcement on MMIP. She founded One Whole Village Consulting to support businesses, nonprofits, and Tribes with strategy and policy, and teaches courses in Indigenous history and policy at Smith College.
Chelsey is running to finish the work she started — fighting for affordability, healthcare access, and stronger state-Tribal partnerships in a district where Indigenous communities have a real stake.
Vote for Chelsey Branham!
📅 Primary: June 16 | General: November 3 🗳️
#BuildNativePower #NativeVote2026 #ElectNativeLeaders
🌟 Endorsement Announcement! 🌟
We are proud to once again endorse Christopher Roberts (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) for King County Assessor in Washington! @electroberts
Chris has served on the Shoreline City Council since 2010, including two terms as mayor. He holds a Ph.D. in public law from the University of Washington and teaches political science at the college level. A champion for Indigenous representation in local government, Chris co-founded the Local Indigenous Leaders group with the National League of Cities and has served on the Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board, the Washington State Tribal Opioid and Fentanyl Taskforce, and the National League of Cities Board of Directors.
Chris is running to restore equity, fairness, and integrity to the assessor's office — with a focus on boosting awareness of property tax exemptions for seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. If elected, he would be the first Indigenous official to hold a county office in King County.
Vote for Christopher Roberts!
📅 Primary: August 4 | General: November 3 🗳️
#BuildNativePower #NativeVote2026 #ElectNativeLeaders
🌟 Endorsement Announcement! 🌟
We are excited to endorse Shannon Wingfield (Juaneño Band of Mission Indians Acjachemen Nation) for California State Assembly, District 68!* @wingfieldforcastateassembly
Shannon is currently serving her second term on the Tribal Council of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians Acjachemen Nation. She's also the Senior Communications Manager at California Native Vote Project, owner of a classic vehicle restoration business, and is pursuing a degree in Indigenous Peoples Law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. She decided to run because California has the largest Native population of any state — yet has only ever had one California Native representative in the state legislature.
Shannon is fighting for policies that boost good-paying jobs and support small businesses, expand housing, invest in mental health and community safety, and demand true government-to-government respect for Tribes. If elected, she would be only the second California Native member of the California State Assembly.
Vote for Shannon Wingfield!
📅 Primary: June 2 | General: November 3 🗳️
*NLI Alum; for identification purposes only. The Native Leadership Institute is a nonpartisan program.
#BuildNativePower #NativeVote2026 #ElectNativeLeaders
🌟 Endorsement Announcement! 🌟
We are thrilled to endorse Consuelo Redhorse (Navajo) for Colorado House of Representatives, District 13! @voteredhorse
A lifelong Coloradan, mom, and small business professional, Consuelo has served as President of the Summit School District Board of Education since 2019. She led her district through COVID while working to increase staff wages, secure deed-restricted housing for education professionals, and strengthen governance and accountability. Her professional background spans nonprofit auditing as a licensed CPA and small business accounting.
Consuelo is running to secure affordable housing for working people, support small businesses, invest in public education, and protect the environment. As she says: "I am running because there are too many communities and people who have been ignored for too long, whose voices and experiences aren't heard or valued in places where decisions are made." If elected, she would be the only Native legislator in the Colorado state House.
Vote for Consuelo Redhorse!
📅 Primary: June 30 | General: November 3 🗳️
#BuildNativePower #NativeVote2026 #ElectNativeLeaders
