Members of the Native Community Advisory Expert Panel (NCAEP) review the overall IHART curriculum in relation to advancing knowledge that is culturally relevant and accessible to communities and tribes. The NCAEP makes recommendations regarding the program’s cultural mentorship activities and training curricula and ensures that the IHART program remains responsive to pressing Native community needs. The NCAEP provides cultural leadership, mentorship, and guidance on the research training curriculum and IHART cultural mentorship protocols; identifies tribally and community-based topics for research in partnership with tribes and Native communities; provides feedback on developing tribally-based research protocols for inclusion in IHART trainings; and provides general feedback on IHART protocols and procedures. Additionally, when desired, they may provide cultural mentorship or consultation to trainees.
Tom Ball, PHD (Modoc/Klamath), assistant vice president, office of institutional equity and diversity, University of Oregon, is an enrolled member of the Klamath Tribes. Dr. Ball is a former Chairman of the Klamath Tribes, and also served two terms on the Klamath Tribal Council.
J. Kevin Barlow, Mi'kmaw, Indian Island First Nation, New Brunswick, Canada, is Chief Administrator for his home community and the former chief executive officer for the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN).
Jami Bartgis, PhD (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma), is Interim Executive Director and Head of Technical Assistance and Research for the National Council of Urban Indian Health.
Fransing Daisy, PhD (Cree), is coordinator for the American Indian/Alaska Native Programs with the Northwest AIDS Education and Training Center and a senior counselor at the University of Washington Counseling Center. Dr. Daisy was the project director for the Tribal Bear Project, a regional HIV prevention project serving AIANs in the Northwest.
Sharon Day (Boise Fort Ojibwe), is the executive director of the Indigenous Peoples Task Force (IPTF). IPTF is a Native American provider of HIV education and direct services to the Native community in Minnesota.
Theresa "Tiny" Devlin (Athabascan), is a member of the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center Community Advisory Council and retired HIV/AIDS educator in Alaska. After retiring, Devlin joined Kauffman & Associates working prevent youth violence, bullying and suicide.
Cissy Elm (Onondaga Nation, Snipe Clan), is director for the American Indian Community House HIV/AIDS Project in Syracuse, N.Y., as well as director of the Native American Outreach Education Coordinator (OEC) Network.
Melvin Harrison (Navajo/Diné), is the founder and executive director of the Navajo AIDS Network and has over 18 years of experience providing HIV/AIDS prevention and training, and direct care services in Native American communities.
Hamen Ides (Lummi), is the executive director for Ti-Chee Native AIDS Prevention, which he founded in 2005. He is from the Pacific Northwest.
Sarah (Hicks) Kastelic, PhD (Alutiiq), is an enrolled member of the Native Village of Ouzinkie, and the founding director of the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center. She is currently Chief of Staff of the National Indian Child Welfare Association.
Lisa Tiger (Muscogee Nation), is a longtime activist and Native leader in AIDS education. She is based in Muscogee, Oklahoma.
Elton Naswood (Navajo/Diné), is the project coordinator for the Red Circle Project, a Native American HIV Prevention program at AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) and serves as a member of the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center Community Advisory Council.
Stephanie Craig Rushing, MPH, is the director of Project Red Talon at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB). Project Red Talon, is a CDC- and IHS-funded STD/HIV prevention project serving over 23 federally recognized tribes in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
Antony Stately, PhD (Ojibwe/Oneida) is the Director of Mental Health, Chemical Health and Employee Assistance Programs at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, in Minnesota.
Patricia Whitefoot (Yakama/Diné), is enrolled in the Yakama Nation and is currently the Palatisha Miyanashma Indian Education director with Toppenish School District, Toppenish, Washington. Ms. Whitefoot is also the education committee chair for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), which represents the 53 tribes in the region, and board member and past president of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA).