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.

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.

Applications are being submitted for CEUs in the following professions:

Social Work

Community Health Worker

Peer Support Worker

Others to be announced...