wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House Academic Programming Committee Inaugural Lecture

In this talk, Malia Villegas will share priorities emerging from her work at National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center. In particular, she will discuss efforts to build tribal data capacity, improve tribal consultation, strengthen tribal-academic research partnerships, and synthesize the best science for tribal use. Villegas will also highlight recent efforts to engage university leaders around what their roles are in meeting the higher education needs of tribes in their catchment area.

Dr. Malia Villegas is the Director of the NCAI Policy Research Center. She is an enrolled member of the Native Village of Afognak in Alaska, where she also serves on the Tribal Council. Dr. Villegas is Sugpiaq/Alutiiq (Alaska Native) with family from Kodiak and Afognak Islands in Alaska and O’ahu and Lana’i in Hawai’i. The NCAI Policy Research Center was established in 2003 to provide tribal leaders with the best available knowledge to inform their strategic policy decision within a framework of Native wisdom to positively impact the future of Native peoples.