People
Michelle Schenandoah
Kaluhyanu:wes “She is Fond of the Sky” Onʌyota’:aka (Oneida). Michelle is an inspirational speaker, writer, thought leader and traditional member of the Onʌyota’:aka (Oneida) Nation Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. She is the founder of Rematriation and the non-profit Kanenhi:io Ionkwaienthos. Raised in a family of traditional leadership, she carries the values and responsibilities of being Haudenosaunee throughout her life. Inspired by her grandmothers who led generations of Oneida Nation land claims, Michelle carries her ancestors’ passion to rematriate her people’s lands and bring about the truthful telling of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s influence on the world.
Spencer Lyons
Spencer Ohsgoñ:da’ Lyons, a member of the Onondaga Hawk Clan, was chosen in 2019 to serve as Hoyane/Chief, representing his people on the Onondaga Nation. He is dedicated to language preservation through his work with the Onondaga Nation Language Program and supports environmental initiatives alongside the Hodinoñhsyo:nih Environmental Task Force. Born and raised within the traditional and cultural lifeways of the Hodinoñhsyo:nih, he is committed to upholding Hodinoñhsyo:nih traditions and continues to promote cultural knowledge and the principles of the Great Law of Peace.
Neal Powless
Neal Powless a member of the Onondaga Nation Eel Clan has spent his life at the heart of lacrosse, first as a standout player and now as a coach and mentor. A three-time All-American at Nazareth College and longtime leader with the Haudenosaunee Nationals, he’s carried the game around the world, even stepping in as head coach of the Dutch National Team. Beyond the field, Neal shares the cultural and spiritual roots of lacrosse, using the game as a way to build connections, tell stories, and inspire the next generation.
Brennen Feguson
Brennen Ferguson, a Turtle Clan member of the Tuscarora Nation, is deeply rooted in his community’s history, language, and traditions. A graduate of Syracuse University, he has dedicated his work to revitalizing Tuscarora culture through the Nation’s Language and Agricultural Program, while also serving on the Haudenosaunee External Relations Committee and several working groups across the Confederacy. Now serving as Chief of the Tuscarora Nation, Brennen continues to carry forward his people’s responsibilities with a focus on strengthening language, culture, and connection for future generations.
Sarah Bradley
Sarah Bradley is a community organizer, educator, and co-founder of Land Justice Futures, which partners with Catholic nuns and Indigenous and Black movements to advance land transitions grounded in racial and ecological healing. She leads educational programming that fosters courage, clarity, and relationships for repairing colonial harms and creating just, livable futures. Working alongside Haudenosaunee and Diné/Lakota elders and matriarchs, she supports the Mother Law and Complicit No More movement, engaging settler-descendent women in rejecting the Doctrine of Discovery and restoring alignment with life-affirming laws and cultures. Raised in Ute, Goshute, and Eastern Shoshone territory in Salt Lake City and shaped by Ohlone and Tewa lands, Sarah now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Brittany Koteles
Brittany Koteles is the Co-Founder and Director of Land Justice Futures. Working primarily with communities of Catholic sisters, LJF supports religious land transitions that are rooted in racial repair, ecological healing, and right relationship. Her work emerges from a decade-long weave of nonprofit leadership, interspiritual community-building, and resource redistribution work. She lives on Potawatomi land in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she is a devoted auntie, neighbor, writer and runner.
Louise McDonald Herne
Louise Mcdonald Herne, also known as mommabear, is a Bear Clan Mother for the Mohawk Nation and a lifelong champion of our people. Louise has dedicated her life to uplifting Indigenous women and youth, guiding them through traditional teachings, ceremony, and the power of Mother Law. As the founder of Konón:kwe Council, lead conductor of the Moon Lodge Society, and the heart behind Oheró:kon, she has touched countless lives with her knowledge, love, and commitment to our ways.
Beverly Jacobs
Dr. Beverly Jacobs is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor and a part-time practitioner at Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. She previously served as Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Relations and Outreach (2022–2025) and held leadership roles as Associate Dean (Academic) and Acting Dean. A respected scholar and advocate, her research and work focus on Indigenous Legal Orders, holistic health, decolonizing Eurocentric law, and ending gendered colonial violence. She is an Indigenous Human Rights Monitor with the Mohawk Institute Survivors Secretariat and a former President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (2004–2009). Internationally recognized for her advocacy, Dr. Jacobs has received numerous awards, including the Laura Legge Award (2021), the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights (2016), and the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Person’s Case (2008).
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a renowned scientist, author, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Her work beautifully weaves together Indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge, inspiring a deeper connection to the natural world. As a MacArthur Fellow and author of Braiding Sweetgrass, she continues to shape conversations on sustainability, reciprocity, and our relationship with the land.
Katsi Cook
Katsi Cook (Tekatsi:tsia’kwa) is a Mohawk midwife, activist, and community leader from Akwesasne, whose life’s work bridges women’s health, environmental justice, and Indigenous rights. For decades, she has advocated for the wellbeing of Native women and families, founding initiatives like the Women’s Dance Health Program, the Mother’s Milk Monitoring Project, and the Konon:kwe Council in her home community. As Director of Running Strong for American Indian Youth, she also created the Woman is the First Environment Collaborative, a program that uplifts community-based projects and empowers Native women across generations.
Sally Roesch Wagner
Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner was a groundbreaking historian and one of the first women in the United States to earn a doctorate in women’s studies, dedicating her life to uncovering and amplifying the voices of women too often left out of history. As the founding director of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation and Social Justice Dialogue Center, she worked tirelessly to restore Gage’s radical legacy, once saying, “I fell in love with a dead woman, followed her right across the country, and it changed my life.” Through her teaching, writing, and advocacy, Dr. Wagner reshaped how we understand women’s role in American history and inspired generations to pursue a more truthful and just narrative. We honor her memory with gratitude, carrying forward the spirit of her work in remembrance of all she gave.
Sandra Fox
Sandra Fox (Kawennáhare) is a Bear Clan Faith Keeper from the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne whose life has been devoted to language, ceremony, and community. From the earliest days of the Akwesasne Freedom School, she has been a guiding presence, nurturing a generation of children in the Mohawk language and the values of being Onkwehonwe.
Jim O’Connor
Jim O’Connor is producer of Access Audio, a storytelling initiative of the Special Collections Research Center. Access Audio won Audiofile Magazine’s Earphones Award in 2021 for the audiobook Harry Haft: Survivor of Auschwitz, Challenger of Rocky Marciano. More recently, Jim produced The Land You’re On: Acknowledging the Haudenosaunee. This 12-part series comprised of interviews with Indigenous students, faculty, staff and alumni attempted to shed light on the experience of Indigenous community members, as well as complicated issues surrounding the history of the physical space on which Syracuse University stands.