Page 11 - 2020 AITC Program

Keynote Speakers
NevadaIndianTerritory.com
Preparing for the Future of Tourism in a Post-COVID-19 World
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Congresswoman Deb Haaland, U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM) a member of the Laguna Pueblo and one of the first Native
American women elected to serve in Congress, will discuss how the Native American Tourism Improving
Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act has the potential to grow jobs in Indian Country. Building tribal inclusion
and funding for tourism through agencies such as the Administration for Native Americans (ANA), the
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) supports
tribal tourism growth and access to technical assistance and training. Congresswoman Haaland will also
discuss the potential of tourism to help perpetuate cultural practices alongside the creation of jobs in
the short term as we recover from COVID-19 challenges and in the longer term as visitors are drawn to
the unique, authentic experiences that can only be experienced within American Indian Nations, Alaska
Native Villages and Native Hawaiian communities.
Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, State of Minnesota
Peggy Flanagan is a mom, an advocate, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and Minnesota’s
50th Lieutenant Governor. Her career is built on standing up for children, working families, communities
of color and Indigenous communities, and Minnesotans who have historically been underserved and
underrepresented. As a former State Representative, School Board Member, non-profit leader, and
community advocate, she now brings her experiences of building coalitions and advocating for children
and families to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office as she works in partnership with Governor Walz to
build One Minnesota.
Fawn Sharp, President, National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
Fawn Sharp, (Quinault Indian Nation), received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Washington
School of Law. She holds an advanced certificate in International Human Rights Law from Oxford
University, and attended Gonzaga University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal
Justice. She is now serving her fifth term as President of the Quinault Indian Nation (2006-present);
and also serves as the President of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (2011-2017); President
for the National Congress of American Indians (2016-2017); We are Still In, Leaders Circle member
(2018-present). President Sharp was selected by United States Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar
to chair the Secretarial Commission on Trust Administration and Reform (2011-2013). She is also a
member of the Board of Trustees for Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, Washington. President Sharp
resides on the Quinault Indian Reservation with her three sons, Daniel, Alijah, Jonas, and daughter,
Chiara.
Amber Torres, Chairwoman, Walker River Paiute Tribe
Amber Torres, is a tribal citizen of the Walker River Paiute Tribe in Schurz, Nevada. Elected to
serve on the Walker River Tribal Council in 2010, she held the role of Tribal Chairwoman since 2016.
She worked for the Walker River Tribal Health Clinic in Purchased Referred Care for thirteen years prior
to this. She has three daughters: Kylie, Elizabella and Brynn. She currently represents Nevada tribes
by serving on the Nevada Executive Board of the Inter-Tribal Council, Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona
Steering Committee, National Indian Health Board, Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee for IHS/SDPI,
Tribal Interior Budget Council for BIA, IHS Director’s Workgroup on Improving Purchase Referred Care,
Native Farm Bill Coalition, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), Chairman of the
USDA Tribal Leaders Consultation Workgroup, a Co-Chair for Indian Health Service National Budget
Formulation Committee, and the National Congress of American Indians Executive Board.
Hi’ilani Shibata, Lead Cultural Trainer, Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
The lead cultural trainer of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association, Hi’ilani Shibata has been sharing
the essence of ALOHA with those who work in the visitor industry of Hawai’i for over 20 years. An
educator, cultural consultant, practitioner of lomilomi, healing through the manipulation of the body,
Hi’ilani understands the importance of taking care of the place and the native culture as the foundation
of the healthy hospitality industry. As one of the AIANTA Pacific Region board members, she would like
to encourage those in the Pacific Region to uplift their culture through authentic sharing with visitors as
the travel industry is a vehicle to peace around the world.
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