Track 1: Parenting & Family

Track 2: Health & Wellness

Track 3: Mental Health and Health Disparities

"Live Life Powerfully"

Waylon Pahona Jr. Hopi Tewa/ Maricopa grew up on the Hopi Reservation. Waylon is well known for transforming his life and being the founder/creator of Healthy Active Natives (HAN’s). The HAN’s social networking group on Facebook currently has over 76,000 HAN members nationally and internationally. When creating Healthy Active Native’s in 2012, Waylon’s vision was for HAN’s to be a space where Natives welcome all fitness levels and use positive reinforcement to pick each other up when it seems impossible to make positive changes. In 2013 Waylon also received the Healthy Innovation award by IHS Indian Health Services for his social media group.  Waylon is also an Ambassador to Tanka Bar jerky.

Royale Dá (pronounced "Day") returned to her home of New Mexico in April 2008.  Royale is experienced in both broadcast and print journalism. Prior to joining the Action 7 News team, she worked as an anchor/reporter at KOLN-TV in Lincoln, Nebraska; anchor/reporter KBJR-TV in Duluth, Minnesota; and reporter at the The Miami Herald.

She graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a degree in professional journalism and is a member of the NAHJ (National Association of Hispanic Journalists) and NAJA (Native American Journalists Association). Her outstanding work has also been recognized by the Associated Press; she earned a first-place award in series reporting for "Help From the Heartland - Hurricane Katrina."

One of her passions in life is supporting Special Olympics. She volunteered extensively for the organization before moving to New Mexico and plans to continue doing so in New Mexico.

Royale is elated to be back home in the Land of Enchantment. Her father is from the San Ildefonso Pueblo (in Santa Fe County), her mother is from Pecos, and she has relatives across the state.
Whether she's taking in the bright blue skies and mild weather or eating home-cooked food with family and friends, Royale is always enjoying her native New Mexico.

Colton Shone is the morning anchor for KOB Eyewitness News Today, from 4:30 a.m. 7:00 a.m.

Colton is a seasoned journalist who started at KOB in 2015.

Prior to working at KOB, Colton was a reporter in Phoenix in both television at CBS 5 News and radio at KTAR-FM.

After reporting for several years in Phoenix, Colton moved to Tucson to anchor and report for the CBS and Fox affiliate.

Colton is proud of his Native American heritage. He started the podcast Native America with Colton Shone while working at KOB. In the podcast, Colton speaks with other indigenous people to highlight some of the important issues facing Indian Country.

When Colton isn't busy working, he enjoys spending time exploring the Land of Enchantment with his wife.

Name: Leroy “Buster” Silva and Niko DeRoin-Silva
Group: Family+Indigenize+Thrive
Email: familyindigenousthrive@gmail.com
Website: www.familyindigenizethrive.org
Facebook Page: @FamilyIndigenizeThrive
Instagram: @family_indigenize_thrive

Leroy “Buster” Silva is a community mover and shaker from the Pueblo of Laguna, NM. He is the founder of Family+Indigenize+Thrive “an  InterGenerational movement to revitalize the spirit of wellness through active community connections and partnership building.” Buster is passionate about working with local/national community champions and organizations to address inequities that hinder communities of color from living active, healthy and happy lives. With experience in Community Wellness, Education, and the Non-Profit sector, he is able to connect with a diverse audience.

Niko DeRoin-Silva (Otoe/Choctaw) is a mom-preneur who loves to help others reach their potential by utilizing their cultural knowledge. Growing up in the Bay Area of California, she navigated urban life by staying connected to her traditional roots. Aside from home schooling, regalia making, and boba tea shop hopping—she loves to travel and powwow. Niko is the lead facilitator of Pow Wow Wellness— an interactive & intertribal program that focuses on sharing culture, various styles of pow wow dancing, relationship building, and protocols.

Christopher Morris, Ph.D.

Dr. Morris is associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of New Mexico, and clinical director of the UNM Behavioral Health Clinic at Health Sciences Rio Rancho Campus. As a licensed Psychologist, he provides individual psychotherapy at the Rio Rancho clinic, and integrated behavioral health care in the Family & Community Medicine Clinic at UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center. Dr. Morris has worked in community behavioral health throughout north-central New Mexico and the Navajo Nation for over twenty years. His areas of interest include behavioral health management, public policy and service delivery; primary care/behavioral health integration; trauma-specific psychotherapy; and community behavioral health literacy. He earned his doctorate in Psychology at Utah State University. He and his wife, who is also a psychologist, live in Sandoval County and have three amazing grandchildren.

Shannon Fleg

Shannon Fleg is Dine' of the Zuni-Edgewater Clan born for Towering House Clan. She has been a public health educator, facilitator, program planner/evaluator and cultural specialist for more than 20 years in the areas of health equity, health disparities, and issues/concerns effecting Native American Indian/Indigenous populations. Shannon serves as Co-Partnership Director for the Native Health Initiative, a love-funded organization addressing health inequities in the Southwest. She is a mother of four beautiful children and wife to Anthony Fleg.
She resides with her family in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Dr. Jaxcy Odom

Dr. Jaxcy Odom was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She obtained her doctorate degree in psychology from Rutgers University and her doctoral level certification in applied behavioral analysis in 2020. Her specialties include multiculturalism, pediatrics, and developmental disabilities. Dr. Odom currently works at the University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Center as a member of the primary care and bariatric teams. She is a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation and a fluent Spanish-speaker. Outside of her career, Dr. Odom enjoys soccer and learning to play guitar.

OJ Fiander

Orien (OJ) is an enrolled member of the Grand Ronde Tribe in Oregon. He grew up most of his life on the Yakama Reservation with a few years on the Nez Perce Reservation. A successful entrepreneur, former division 1 athlete, husband of 24 years and counting, father of 6 and a weekend “anything outside” warrior!

Traveling throughout Indian Country, OJ saw that the need was real, not only in his own family, but also from Reservation to Reservation showing almost exactly the same challenges despite different geographic locations. With over 21 years of experience owning a successful chain of health clubs along with setting up 1000’s of facilities with exercise equipment, OJ felt with his expertise and experience it was time to give back and launched NativeFitness.org.

Marian Naranjo

Marian Naranjo is a member of Kha Po Owingeh (Santa Clara Pueblo). She attended the University of New Mexico for 4 years and studied in the field of Nursing. Worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Dosimetry. Married for 13 years and raised 4 children as a single parent. is a grandmother of 9 and resides at Santa Clara.

Marian is a lifetime traditional potter and Founder and Director of a non-profit organization called, “Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE), located at Santa Clara Pueblo.  The organization’s Mission is, “We embrace the Pueblo teachings of love, respect and care, working together improving the life ways of our people in order to provide an enhanced and sustainable environment for generations to come.”

The organization consists of SCP tribal Board Members and works on Environmental/Health issues of concern in and around the Tewa World and also Cultural Reclamation/Revitalization projects at the Pueblo of Santa Clara.

Dr. Crystal Lee, Ph.D, MPH, MLS

Dr. Lee (Dine'), Founder/Chief Executive Officer, United Natives was born/raised on the Navajo Nation. Her tribal clans are Tachii’nii (Red Running into the Water), Tabaaha (Water’s Edge), Tsenjikini (Cliff Dwellers), and Kin I ichii’nii (Red House). She completed her undergraduate degree(s) at Arizona St. University; MPH and PhD in Public Health degree(s) at University of Las Vegas-Nevada; MLS in Indigenous Peoples Law at University of Oklahoma, College of Law; Predoctoral Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health; and her Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of California-Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine. Currently, she is faculty, Assistant Professor, at University of New Mexico, College of Population Health and an Indigenous HIV/AIDS Research Training Fellow at University of Washington, Indigenous Wellness Research Institute. She conducts infectious disease biomedical prevention research with a focus on Native American health and examines Indigenous health policies at a tribal, state-tribal coordination, national, and international level. She serves as Vice Chair for the Clark County NV, Democratic Party Native Caucus, Advisor for the Nevada Office of Minority Health and Equity; and on the United Nations (UN) North American Indigenous Caucus, UN Indigenous Women’s Caucus, and UN Gender Equality Task Force. She also serves as a Board of Director of the Las Vegas Indian Center and a Board of Director for L'Oreal USA Diversity and Inclusion. She served as a Tribal Health Advisor to the Obama Administration and was honored by President Bill Clinton for her work with Indigenous communities at the Clinton Global Initiative.

Tricia M. Begay, MS

Tricia Begay (Dine’) is a Ph.D. Clinical Psychology candidate at Walden University. She is currently conducting a practicum at the University of New Mexico Behavioral Health Clinic at the Health Sciences Rio Rancho Campus, New Mexico. She was born and raised in Chinle, Arizona (Navajo Nation) and her Dine’ clans are Edgewater clan (Tábą ą há), born for the Towering House clan (Kiyaa’áanii), maternal grandfather is of the Many Goats clan (Tł’izí lání), and paternal grandfather is of the Big Water Clan (Tótsohníí). She left the reservation in 1987 to pursue her education. She received a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ. She earned a Master of Science in Counseling from the University of Phoenix. She is motivated to bridge culture and modern mental health wellness into the learning environment to influence positive social change. She is a mother of three beautiful daughters and one grandson. She is inspired by her cultural ties which helps to sustain her roots, wellness, and community resource.

Lois Ellen Frank, Ph.D.

Lois is a Santa Fe, New Mexico based Chef, a Native foods historian, culinary anthropologist, educator, James Beard Award winning cookbook author, photographer and organic gardener. She is the chef/owner of Red Mesa Cuisine, LLC, a catering company specializing in the revitalization of ancestral Native American cuisine with a modern twist where she cooks with Native American chef Walter Whitewater. Their mission is to feed the body and nurture the soul. Dr. Frank has spent many years documenting and working with foods of Native American communities in the Southwest culminating in her James Beard Award winning cookbook, Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations.

Together as part of the U.S. State Department and Consulate General’s Culinary Diplomacy Program Chefs Frank and Whitewater traveled to Ukraine (2013), the United Kingdom (2105) and Russia (2016) to teach about the history of Native American foodways, work with food as a form of diplomacy to create dialogue and educate people on the Native American food contribution shared with the world and how these native foods have influenced many of the foods, we now eat every day. The two chefs traveled to Guam to work with the Humanities Guåhan in 2011 on the revitalization of traditional foods and foodways in Guam.  Read more >>

Walter Whitewater

Walter began cooking professionally in 1992 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a chef at Red Mesa Cuisine, LLC a Native American Catering company in Santa Fe, specializing in Native American Cuisine using ancestral foods with a modern twist. Chef Whitewater has appeared on numerous foods TV Network cooking shows featuring foods of the Southwest and released a video (November 2018) on Native American Cuisine from a series entitled “In Real Life” by AJ+ and a video with Flower Hill Institute on Sharing Indigenous Foodways in 2021. http://redmesacuisine.com/videos-1/  

Chef Whitewater worked on the James Beard Award winning cookbook, Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations with Chef Lois Ellen Frank, Ph.D. He has traveled with Chef Frank, as part of the U.S. State Department and Consulate General’s Culinary Diplomacy Program to Ukraine (2013), the United Kingdom (2105) and Russia (2016) where the two chefs promoted indigenous foods of the Americas through the culinary arts.   Read more >>
Email: chefwalter.nativecooking@gmail.com
Web: www.redmesacuisine.com

Jules McCabe

Jules is a Navajo student from a small community on the Navajo reservation called Greasewood Springs, Arizona. She is currently a senior as an undergrad at the University of New Mexico studying population/public health. She is a TA at the university, as well as one of the new fall interns with the Native Health Initiative. She is also a recent APHA attendee and presenter and is excited to continue her journey through public health.

Carleton P. Albert, Sr.

Carleton is from the Pueblo of Zuni.  He is of the Turkey and Dogwood Clans.  He is a member of the Hunter (Saniyaka) Fraternity within the Cultural community of Zuni and is versed in the Pueblo of Zuni Culture through his active participation in Cultural commitments and obligations.

His educational background consists of a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Community Health from the University of Central Oklahoma and is employed as the Program Manager for the Zuni Wellness Center.

Carleton has served in Pueblo Leadership as Head Councilman and Councilman serving two – four year terms in elected office from 2003 – 2010.  During his tenure in Leadership, he served as the Health and Educational Liaison for the Pueblo of Zuni and represented the Albuquerque Indian Health Service Area on Health committees advocating for equal and quality of services that impact Pueblo and Tribal community health issues.  He continues to Co-chair the Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center / Community Scientific Advisory Committee.

Sam Hufnagel

Sam Hufnagel has lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico his whole life. He has been a social worker at NAPPR Early Intervention Program since 2014 and is currently the Clinical Manager. NAPPR Early Intervention providers developmental and family support services to children under 3 using an Infant Mental Health approach. Sam is an endorsed Infant Mental Health Specialist, Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) Facilitator, Registered COSP Classroom Facilitator, and is trained in Child Parent Psychotherapy. He enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 year old daughter and is currently learning how to do bonsai.

A conference that supports building capacity of tribal communities to 1) strengthen food to enhance diabetes and heart disease prevention strategies, 2) improve services for children and families, and 3) discuss mental health and health disparities in Native communities.

One focus of the Annual Conference is on Parenting and Family. Improving and promoting direct comprehensive services to children, families and communities served by programs through training, technical assistance, communications and collaboration with various resources. A goal of this track is to provide a learning environment for sharing among programs for the benefit of young children moving to become future leaders in their communities.

The second focus is on Health & Wellness and Native American nutrition devoted to the food and nutrition of Indigenous People. Momentum continues to grow in Indian Country around the revitalization of traditional foods, growth of food sovereignty, and stewardship of knowledge systems that support a healthy food future for all Indigenous people. The work is inspiring, and the networking and exchange that results from this event furthers the growth of the Indigenous food movement. Aligning knowledge from multiple traditions and connecting with one another are critical to promoting and preserving the health of Native people and the land long into the future.

Lastly, Mental Health & Health Disparities will feature high priority issues such as COVID-19, mental health disparities, community outreach, and policy directly affecting Native Americans in New Mexico.