Meet our Board Members

Clans: Tó’aheedlíinii, Táchii’nii, Naakai Dine’é 

Farmington, New Mexico 

Ms. Tso’s family is from Lukachukai, Arizona. Ceceilia created her own company Tso Consultants, LLC which works with tribes in Indigenous Leadership, as a trainer and facilitator. Ceceilia taught leadership in China at the World Academy for the Future of Women at Sias University. She has taken several trips to South Korea working with their universities and businesses to create economic development with tribal communities. Previously she was at the University of Utah for almost 15 years in various capacities working with faculty and staff to develop programs and funding for American Indians campus wide. While at the College of Education she was the Director of the American Indian Teacher Education Collaboration (AITEC), working with American Indians to become teachers. 

Since 2003 Ceceilia has worked with the federally registered model evidenced based program Strengthening Families Program as the only American Indian Trainer of Trainers/Evaluator. She works with tribes in Canada and the USA to assist in obtaining funding to implement the SFP Program to Indigenous communities.

She is a profound influence on developing Indigenous leaders and currently working on her doctoral degree in Leadership for Change. Currently Ceceilia has formed a company called Sage Strategies, LLC that conducts training and facilitations for Indigenous communities in the North Star approach for community led development. She is currently working at Navajo Power as the Community and Workforce Development Liaison. 

She has one daughter and one son and one beautiful granddaughter. 

Navajo Nation Council Delegate Nate Brown was born and raised in Dennehotso. He is currently serving in his second term as an elected Navajo Nation Council Delegate for the biggest Native American Tribe for the Great Navajo Nation. Navajo Nation Council Delegates are elected into office for a four year term. Three communities of Chilchinbeto, Dennehotso and Kayenta elected delegate Brown, however represents his Dinè people as a whole.  Delegate Brown currently serves on many Tribal, State and Federal committees. Delegate Brown is a member of the Navajo Nation Budget and Finance Committee, Vice Chair of the Sexual Assault Prevention Sub-committee, Chairman of the Dinè Bizaad (Navajo Language) Sub-committee,Representative for the Navajo Nation on the United Nations, appointed by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on the Arizona Human Trafficking Council, member of the Colorado Plateau Economic Development Alliance member, Dinè Studies Conference Inc.,Board member, Board member of Naasiidlid Initiative (Sweat Equity housing) and a Board of Director of the United Natives in Health. Delegate Brown continues to advocate and work with his Dinè as a legislature to better our communities, “It’s up to us to work intelligently for our people and to protect Mother Earth and all her being for a better tomorrow”.  He continuously promotes the Dine’ culture and strives to preserve the language. 

Tracy Hyter-Suffern joined the National Jazz Museum in Harlem as Executive Director in 2017. She

has more than 25 years’ experience in racial justice, poverty, gender, other issues of equity and

social justice, and the arts. 

With the Museum, Tracy formulated and worked with the Board of Trustees to formerly adopt the

Museum’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy statement; increased corporate and

foundation support among current and new funders; prioritized “Jazz Is…” programming that

explores intersections between jazz, social justice and unexpected cultural and political areas;

provided the Museum as a free open rehearsal space to jazz and jazz-related artists; expanded the

walls of the Museum throughout New York City with community pop up concerts and online

programming; spearheaded developing collaborations with other organizations and businesses;

and has overseen unprecedented growth in education programming with over 4,000 pre-K to 12 th

grade students attending the Museum’s jazz workshops each year; expanding Museum attendance

to well over 200,000 globally; and employing over 1,000 jazz and jazz-adjacent musicians, artists

and educators since 2022 – delivering on the Museum’s commitment to keep jazz artists working

and vision to make the jazz in Harlem experience accessible to every person on the planet.

Tracy is currently spearheading the Museum’s digital transformation. A partnership of several

businesses and organizations will reimagine and create new processes, expand culture, audience

and visitor experiences to respond to evolving needs in a technologically and socially expanding

world.

Tracy has served as Chief Development Officer with Intersections (5 th ministry of the Collegiate

Church Corporation, used the arts and faith as vehicles to advance social justice), Interim Executive

Director, Afro Latin Jazz Alliance; Executive Director, ABFE (formerly the Association of Black

Foundation Executives) and Urban Bush Women Dance Company; Director of International

Relations, YWCA of the USA National Headquarters; and Senior Programme Officer, United Nations

Nongovernmental Liaison Service.

She is an alumna of Tufts University and holds a CELTA Certificate (Certificate in Teaching English

to Speakers of Other Languages) from Cambridge University.

Kristine Laughter is Dine' and grew up in Kayenta, Arizona on the Navajo Nation. She is the Director of the Kinship Loan program at Change Labs a Native led nonprofit that provides entrepreneurial support to Native entrepreneurs. She is also a Business Coach and does some fundraising at Change Labs. Prior to coming to Change Labs, Kristine was a Branch Manager and Business Banker at Wells Fargo Bank in Arizona. Kristine has taught financial literacy for over 15 years and now tailors the financial literacy program to the Native community with the intention of helping families build generational wealth. 

Kristine served as a board member and as a volunteer  for Navajo Youth Empowerment Services (Navajo YES) for over 15 years. Navajo YES offers outdoor adventures for youth on the Navajo Nation and has developed trails around the Navajo Nation.

Kristine was a founding board member of the Navajo Voters Coalition that was founded in 2014. 

Kristine currently serves as Governing Board Chair for Northland Pioneer College in Northeast Arizona. 

Christina Lewis is born and raised in a small rural community in Teesto, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation. Ms. Lewis is a traditional Navajo woman, fluent in Navajo language, strongly advocates and represents the Navajo people through education, commitment, and unity, to preserve the traditional cultural and language to redefine our self-identify and awareness of our natural laws, the air, water, fire, soil and community dynamics to strongly advocate in a holistic way by renewing our understanding of our environment, family, belief and to honor and respect our scared land and culture.

Ms. Lewis serves 40+ years of professional work experience in range of management functions in planning, organizing, and coordinating and providing technical services functions in various supervisory and managerial positions. 

Ms. Lewis served as a board member and provided leadership to two organizations, the Navajo Housing Authority (NHA) and the Navajo Townsite Community Development Corporation; to provide housing to the Navajo people.