Board

PRESIDENT AND CHAIR OF THE BOARD Sarah Fuller is the president of Decision Resources, Inc., an international publishing and consulting firm. She previously served as vice president of Arthur D. Little, Inc., and president of Arthur D. Little Decision Resources.

VICE CHAIR Vincent O. Nmehielle, Ikwerre from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, is an associate professor of law at the University of the Witwatersrand School of Law, Johannesburg, South Africa. He currently is on leave while serving as the principal defender of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. He holds a doctorate in international and comparative law from George Washington University, and co-chairs Cultural Survival's Program Council.

TREASURER Jeff Wallace is founder of North Star Management, a firm that manages and develops commercial buildings in Boston. He holds a degree from Huxley College of Environmental Studies in Bellingham WA and an MBA. His past experience includes working for a venture capital firm and for an architect/developer before founding his company.

CLERK Jean Jackson chairs the Department of Anthropology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her books, articles, and teaching focus on medical anthropology, social and ethnic identity, gender issues, and indigenous mobilization in Colombia. She received her doctorate in anthropology from Stanford University.

Karmen Ramirez Boscan (Wayuu) is an international Indigenous Peoples’ rights activist with a life time of experience working with Wayuu communities in Colombia as well as national organizations such as Sütsüin Jiyeyu Wayuu—Strength of Women Wayuu, National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), and Andean Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations (CAOI). She has advocated for Indigenous issues internationally working as a representative and consultant for organizations such as the International Labor Organization (ILO), Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Unit at the Office of the High Commissioner of United Nations for Human Rights, Organization of American States (OAS) and the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She studied in Geneva as a beneficiary of the Scholarship Program for Indigenous Peoples at the Office of the High Commissioner of United Nations for Human Rights and has a background in social communication and journalism. 

Westy A. Egmont was the president of the International Institute of Boston for nine years. He previously served as the director of the Greater Boston Food Bank and hosted and produced a public television program. He holds a doctorate of divinity from Andover Newton Theological School.

Nicole Friederichs is a Practitioner-in-Residence at Suffolk University Law School in Boston, MA where she teaches an Indian Law and Indigenous Peoples Clinic. Prior to joining Suffolk, she practiced federal Indian law and international human rights law working on a range of cases, including jurisdictional cases between Native American tribes and New England states, and  indigenous peoples land rights cases before the international and regional human rights bodies. Nicole also has experience in the international development sector supporting community development and education programs located in West Africa. She holds a LLM in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy from the University of Arizona, a JD from Suffolk University Law School, and is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and the London School of Economics.

Laura R. Graham is a professor of anthropology at the University of Iowa. Her current work focuses on lowland South American Indigenous Peoples' activities in national and international arenas. She concentrates on two prominent and especially politically engaged groups: Xavante of central Brazil (Ge) and the Wayúu (Arawak, also known as Guajiro) of Venezuela and Colombia. She is past chair and current emeritus member of the American Anthropological Association's Committee for Human Rights (CfHR).  She chairs CfHR's Task Group on Language and Social Justice.  From 1994-2005 she directed the Xavante Education Fund, a Cultural Survival Special Project and now serves as a coordinator of Xavante Warã Association's projects with Cultural Survival.  

James Howe is a professor of anthropology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A specialist on the Kuna of Panama, his research focuses on political and historical anthropology, indigenous-state relations, and the impact of missionaries. He received his doctorate in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Edward John (Tl’azt’en) is a prominent First Nations political leader in Canada. He holds a B.A. from the University of Victoria and an LL.B. from the University of British Columbia. John has served as an elected Councilor and Chief of Tl'azt'en Nation. He also served as Chief of the Carrier-Sekani Tribal Council. For his service to Tl'azt'en Nation he was awarded the title of Grand Chief of Tl'azt'en Nation. A fluent speaker of Carrier and one of the few people considered eloquent public speakers in Carrier, John was the founding President of the Yinka Dene Language Institute. He helped to create the First Nations Summit, the organization representing the British Columbia First Nations involved in treaty negotiations with Canada and British Columbia. In June, 2010 John was elected to his ninth term on the Task Group of the First Nations Summit. He is also Chief Treaty Negotiator for the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council. In January 2011 he began a three year term as the North American Representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Cecilia Lenk is the former vice president of information technology for Decision Resources. She has developed numerous national and international Internet initiatives in the areas of science, health, and science education. She received her doctorate in biology at Harvard University.

Pia Maybury-Lewis is a co-founder of Cultural Survival. She managed the intern and bazaar programs until 2006.

Les Malezer, Native Australian of the Gabi Gabi Community, is the General Manager for the Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action (FAIRA) based in Woolloongabba, Australia. He is also currently serving as Chairperson for the international Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus, and is a member of Cultural Survival's Program Council. Les was instrumental in lobbying governments to support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples with the Caucus.

P. Ranganath Nayak is the chief executive officer of Cytel Software. He has more than 24 years of senior-level management experience in technology and management consulting, and holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Stella Tamang, Tamang tribe from Nepal, was Chair of the International Indigenous Womens Caucus at the third session of the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, is the chair of the South Asia Indigenous Womens Forum, and an advisor of Nepal Tamang Women Ghedung. She founded Bikalpa Gyan Kendra in Nepal to contribute to students' education and livelihood by combining academic learning with practical training. She is a member of Cultural Survival's Program Council. 

Roy Young established Nature's Own, a wholesale and retail mineral and fossil business that imports handcrafts from Pakistan and Brazil. He has a deep commitment to environmental conservation and founded numerous  environmental non-profit organizations including: ECOS, Northern Ohio Recycling Project, Eco-Cycle, Rocky Flats Truth Force, Global Response, Global Greengrants Fund, and Trust for Land Restoration. He holds a BS in Geology from Duke University.

Additional Program Council Members and Program Advisors

Jacob Manatowa Bailey (Sauk)  

jessie little doe baird (Wampanoag) 

Theodore Macdonald, Jr.

Mirian Masaquiza (Kichwa)

Ryan Sense Wilson (Oglala Lakota)