Building the Fire Fund

Rachael Lorenzo

Mescalero Apache/Laguna Pueblo/Xicana
Assistant Commissioner of Cultural Resources at the New Mexico State Land Office

Rachael Lorenzo is a queer, nonbinary parent of two and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They were born in Las Cruces, New Mexico to young parents and were raised on their father’s ancestral land in Laguna, New Mexico. Rachael graduated with a BA in political science and a Master’s in public administration, focusing on public health; both degrees are from the University of New Mexico. Rachael studied political campaigns, participated in policy analyses, and has been consulted for their expertise in public health policies that could impact Indigenous communities. Rachael was not only raised on traditional values but also on politics. Throughout their academic career, Rachael volunteered for political campaigns, ranging from city council elections to presidential campaigns. Rachael was selected as a fellow for President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, Obama For America (OFA). Currently, Rachael funds abortion through an Indigenous-led reproductive justice organization, Indigenous Women Rising, and serves as Assistant Commissioner of Cultural Resources at the New Mexico State Land Office. In their spare time, Rachael writes short stories and poems, is a photographer, and tries to adopt cats without their husband finding out.

Carly Hare

Pawnee/Yankton
Executive Director, Culture Surge

Carly Hare is committed to advancing equity and community engagement in both her professional and personal lives. She is a proud mother, daughter, sister, auntie, partner, ally, friend, and equity advocate. Her Pawnee name is <i kita u hoo <i ]a hiks, ‘kind leader of men’

Hare currently serves as the first Executive Director of Culture Surge. Previously, Hare navigated the intersections of philanthropy and equity as the Coalition Catalyst/National Director of CHANGE Philanthropy and led Native Americans in Philanthropy as its Executive Director. She has also held the positions of Director of Development for the Native American Rights Fund and Director of Programs for Community Foundation Boulder County. Hare routinely serves on boards and commissions that reflect her values. Currently she is serving as chair for the Highlander Research and Education Center and for Impact on Education (Boulder Valley School District Foundation). She is the treasurer for the Pawnee Evening Star Fund and is on the advisory committee for the Boulder County Marshall Fire Recovery Fund. In 2021, Hare chaired the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission and served on the boards of Common Counsel Foundation, the Women & Girls of Color Fund at the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, and Equity in the Center.

Carly Hare is known for balancing grace with grit, filling a room with her generous laugh and powerful lulu.

Amanda Singer

Tia Oros Peters

Zuni Pueblo
Chief Executive Officer, Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples

Tia is a longtime advocate for Indigenous women across various movements and forums. Tia also brings a wealth of experience in philanthropy. Her overall skill set helped to inform this report from a philanthropic perspective, as well as from an international- and community-based lens.

Malia Luarkie

Laguna Pueblo
Co-founder, Indigenous Women Rising

Malia has co-founded a Native women’s abortion fund. She brings experience and expertise on what it means to provide resources to women who need abortions. The organization she co-founded is the only one of its kind serving Native women in the country.

Dr. Peggy Bird

Kewa Pueblo
Attorney and Advocate

Peggy L. Bird is of the Sun Clan from Kewa Pueblo, New Mexico. She is mom, grandmother, an advocate/attorney/consultant/human rights activist and works to enhance the sovereignty of Indigenous women by ending violence against Native women, both nationally and internationally. She provides training and technical assistance to address violence against Native women and also facilitates comprehensive strategic planning sessions with a Native perspective. Peggy is a co-founder of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, Inc., and the Indigenous Women’s Human Rights Collective, Inc. She is a Board Member of Tewa Women United, Inc., the National American Indian Court Judges Association, and a co-founder of the NCAI Violence Against Native Women Task Force. She is a recipient of the U.S. Department of Justice National Crime Victims Service Award and the Sunshine Peace Award granted by the Sunshine Lady Foundation and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of New Mexico School of Law in May 1990, became a member of the State Bar of New Mexico in October 1990, and in May 2018, she received her Doctorate of Philosophy from Arizona State University.

Dr. Christina M. Castro

Taos Pueblo/Jemez Pueblo/Chicana
Consultant, Castro Consulting, LLC.

Dr. Christina M. Castro was born in Southern California from a family who participated in the federal Indian Relocation program. She currently resides in O’gha P’ogeh, Santa Fe, NM within her traditional homelands. She is a mother, writer, farmer, scholar, educator, community organizer, reproductive justice advocate, multidimensional artist, public speaker and more. In 2017, Dr. Castro, co-founded Three Sisters Collective (3SC), an Indigenous-women centered grassroots organization devoted to art, activism, education and community building. She received her Doctorate from the Pueblo PhD Program at Arizona State University’s School of Social Transformation and Justice Studies in 2018 and is an independent consultant with Castro Consulting, LLC.

Coya White Hat-Artichoker

Sicangu Lakota
Program Officer, Ms. Foundation for Women

Coya has been doing activist work in various communities and movements since the age of 15. She was a founding member of the First Nations Two Spirit Collective, which works to build a stronger political presence for Two Spirit people within the national dialogue of queer rights. Coya has worked with a number of philanthropic organizations and currently serves as the Treasurer of the SisterSong board.

Dr. Corrine Sanchez

San Ildefonso Pueblo
Executive Director, Tewa Women United

Corrine has been working to highlight the struggle of Indigenous women and support her community for over 20 years. She has built an organization that is seen as a model throughout the country. She and her mother have truly modeled intergenerational leadership.

Charon Asetoyer

Comanche Nation
Founder, Native American Community Board and Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center

Charon Asetoyer, M.A., is a Native American women’s health advocate and community activist. She currently is the CEO & Founder of the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center located on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. For the past 30 years the Resource Center has been known for its work on Indigenous women’s reproductive justice at the local, national and international levels. The Resource Center has published several reports and policy papers on the status of Indigenous women’s reproductive health. Charon’s International work includes consultations with the World Health Organization’s Global AIDS program under the late Dr. Jonathan Mann, addressing the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva on the status of Indigenous Peoples, participation in the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, participation in various international forums and conferences. In August 2001, she facilitated a working group at the UN on “The Current Status of Health of the World’s Indigenous Peoples”, at a meeting convened by the High Commission on Human Rights. Charon also participates in the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She was appointed and confirmed by President Clinton’s Administration to serve on the National Advisory Council for Health and Human Services (HHS), has served on the National Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (NEJAC) of the US EPA and many other Boards.

Katrina Maczen-Cantrell

Western Shoshone
Executive Director, Women’s Health Specialists

Katrina Maczen-Cantrell is a member of the Western Shoshone Nation, Feminist, and alumna of California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco. Cantrell serves as Executive Director of Women’s Health Specialists, an independent feminist women’s health center serving individuals with comprehensive reproductive health care in rural Northern California. Cantrell’s strong feminist values have propelled her to work on many local and state campaigns for individuals and groups who keep Indigenous rights, people’s rights, environmental rights, civil rights, and LGBTQI+ rights in the forefront. Cantrell is unwavering in her support of abortion access, and women’s constitutionally protected rights to make decisions regarding their pregnancies.

Cantrell is a founding member of the non-profit Northstate Women’s Health Network, which upholds economic and reproductive justice within northern California by developing programs that support local individuals, and encourages them to work internationally as a community-based reproductive health ally. Cantrell also serves as President for the Native American Health Education Resource Center in South Dakota; Board Member for SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective; and is a former Board member of the National Women’s Health Network, in Washington, DCN, and the National Network of Abortion Funds. Cantrell is a Rockwood Leadership Institute Alum.