Faculty and Staff Sapsik’ʷałá Program Co-Director, Principal Investigator and Faculty: Michelle Jacob, PhD (Yakama Nation) Michelle M. Jacob is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation and is Professor of Indigenous Studies and Co-Director of the Sapsik’ʷałá (Teacher) Education Program in the Department of Education Studies at the University of Oregon. Michelle also serves as Affiliated Faculty in the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies, and Affiliated Faculty in the Environmental Studies Program. Michelle engages in scholarly and activist work that seeks to understand and work toward a holistic sense of health and well-being within Indigenous communities and among allies who wish to engage decolonization. Michelle’s personal website is: https://anahuymentoring.com/ Michelle’s books include: Yakama Rising: Indigenous Cultural Revitalization, Activism, and Healing, Indian Pilgrims: Indigenous Journeys of Activism and Healing with Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, On Indian Ground: A Return to Indigenous Knowledge-Generating Hope, Leadership and Sovereignty through Education in the Northwest (co-edited with Stephany RunningHawk Johnson), The Auntie Way: Stories Celebrating Kindness, Fierceness, and Creativity, Huckleberries and Coyotes: Lessons from Our More than Human Relations, Fox Doesn’t Wear a Watch: Lessons from Mother Nature’s Classroom, and Anakú Iwacha: Yakama Legends and Stories, Second Edition (co-edited with Virginia R. Beavert and Joana W. Jansen). Her most recent book is Birthday Gifts: Honoring People and Places We Love. Michelle is a widely celebrated author and speaker engaging regional, national, and international audiences. She has numerous articles published in social science, education, and health science research journals, and has been awarded grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Spencer Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. Her research areas of interest include: Indigenous methodologies, spirituality, health, education, Indigenous feminisms, and decolonization. One of Michelle’s greatest joys is savoring the blessing of Nch’i-Wána (Columbia River) and her tributaries, including running and camping in beautiful places across the Columbia River basin. Prior to joining the UO, Michelle served as Founding Director of the Center for Native Health & Culture at Heritage University on the Yakama Reservation, and as Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of San Diego. Email: mjacob@uoregon.edu Sapsik’ʷałá Program Co-Director, Principal Investigator and Faculty: Leilani Sabzalian, PhD (Alutiiq) Leilani Sabzalian (Alutiiq), PhD, is an Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies in Education and Co-Director of the Sapsik’ʷałá Program at the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on creating spaces to support Indigenous self-determination in public schools and challenge colonialism in education curriculum, policy, and practice. She is also dedicated to improving Indigenous education in the state of Oregon by serving on the American Indian/Alaska Native State Advisory Committee, and collaborating with the Office of Indian Education in Oregon to design and implement professional development on Tribal History/Shared History, a law that mandates tribal history and sovereignty curriculum in all K-12 public schools in the state. Leilani’s first book, Indigenous Children’s Survivance in Public Schools, uses storytelling to document the ways colonialism continues to shape educational policy and practice, and foster educators’ anticolonial literacy and commitment to supporting Indigenous students in public schools. Her latest book, Teaching Critically About Lewis and Clark: Challenging Dominant Narratives in K-12 Curriculum, co-authored with Drs. Alison Schmitke and Jeff Edmundson, complicates the Corps of Discovery and promotes students’ active and critical engagement with history. Email: leilanis@uoregon.edu Sapsik’ʷałá Program Coordinator: Olivia Iverson (Oglala Sioux Tribe) Olivia (Sparks) Iverson is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and is the Sapsik’ʷałá (Teacher) Education Program Coordinator at the University of Oregon. Olivia is a “Double Duck”, a term coined for a double graduate of the University of Oregon. She received her Bachelors of Art (B.A.) in Educational Foundations in 2019 and Masters in Education (M.Ed.) in Elementary Multiple Subjects in 2020 from the UOTeach/ Sapsik’ʷałá Program. After graduation of Sapsik’ʷałá, Olivia worked as a kindergarten teacher in both Klamath Falls City Schools and Eugene 4j School District before moving into the Native American and Indigenous Recruitment Coordinator for the UO Office of Admissions. Olivia’s decision to work in Indian Education and provide opportunities for Native students to attend higher education come from familial experiences. Her grandmother, Lois, along with her siblings Wanda and Bill, are residential school survivors. Her grandmothers’ resilience and encouragement to pursue higher education shaped who Olivia is today. Olivia’s career goals include continued support of Indigenous representation in higher education in both retention and graduation. She hopes that more Indigenous representation in both K-12 schools and in university settings will support native student excellence and resilience, leading to higher graduation rates and student belonging. Email: sapsikwala@uoregon.edu Phone: 541-346-2454 Business Manager: Teodoro Reyes-Ramirez Teodoro is the Business Manager for the Sapsik’ʷałá Program. Teodoro received his Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Oregon and has worked at the University of Oregon in the College of Education since 2006. He is currently the Business Manager of two grant management units in the College of Education, the Center for Equity Promotion (CEQP) and the Oregon Science Education Laboratory (OESL). Teodoro brings his expertise in coordinating externally funded projects, business operations, and project management and has extensive experience in training grants, such as Sapsik’ʷałá. Email: Treyesra@uoregon.edu Graduate Employee: Cally Young, MEd (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) Shix máytski! Ink nash waníka Cally Young, wash nash Warm Springs. Wash nash skuuli∤a Sapsik’ʷałá /UOTeach! Hello, my name is Cally Young (she/her), I am a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (Oregon). I am a Sapsik’ʷałá and UOTeach Alumni (2017). I have been in the Education field for 11 years, working as an ABA Therapist, Head Start Teacher, 1st-3rd-and 5th Grade teacher, Volleyball Coach, and Curriculum Developer. Throughout all my phases in Education, relationships and building community with students, families, and peers is my why. I am honored to work as a Graduate Employee with the Sapsikwala Teacher Education Program while continuing my education as a Critical and Sociocultural Studies in Education PhD student. Outside of education, I enjoy attending any and all local native events, sporting events, spending time with family, and rockhounding on our beautiful coast. Áwatauwišaaš tmnákni! With love! Sapsik’ʷałá Grow Your Own (GYO) Program Coordinator/Research Associate: Rena Dunbar, DEd Rena grew up Black/bi-racial on the traditional homelands of the Miami Nation in Fort Wayne, Indiana. A longtime Ethnic Studies teacher dedicated to challenging the marginalization of young people, Rena completed her DEd in Educational Leadership from UO in 2020. Currently, she co-facilitates a Community of Practice for educators teaching Black History with Leah Dunbar (lifetime teaching partner and identical twin sister) and supports Tribal History/Shared History curriculum implementation. Rena’s intention is that her time with Sapsik’ʷałá will deepen her ability to serve young people in ways that honor the connections between culturally accurate and aligned curricula, Black Liberation, Indigenous Sovereignty, healthy communities, and justice. She is honored to return to the Sapsik’ʷałá Teacher Education program to serve as coordinator for the Sapsik’ʷałá Grow Your Own (GYO) Future Teachers Program. Email: gyo@uoregon.edu Phone: 541-346-0733 Graduate Employee: Heather Kliever, MEd (Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation) I am Heather Kliever (Chetco/Tututni, Tolowa Dee-ni’ enrolled), an educator and former cultural professional passionate about weaving Indigenous perspectives into education. My journey has taken me from museum collections and curation to middle school classroom teaching, all grounded in a commitment to equity, cultural preservation, and place-based learning. I hold an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Teaching, supported by the UO’s Sapsik’ʷałá Indian Teacher Education Program, and an M.S. in Arts Management, with a focus on the Indigenous material culture of southern Oregon and northern California. Over the years, I’ve served as a mentor in the Sapsik’ʷałá Grow Your Own Program, developed Native-centered curricula for the middle school classroom, and advised on national projects like the Library of Congress’ Living Nations, Living Words. Whether mentoring future teachers, advocating for equity through the 4j School District’s Educational Equity Advisory Committee, or creating lessons that honor Native voices, my goal is to empower people to see themselves as part of a larger story of resilience and innovation.
