Diane Schenandoah—Oneida Nation, Wolf Clan—is a faithkeeper of the Oneida Nation and the Syracuse University community’s first Honwadiyenawa’sek—One who helps them. In her role, Schenandoah shares her intuitive energy work (grounded in Haudenosaunee culture and traditional teachings) with Syracuse University students, faculty and staff.She is also a sculptor—whose media include carving stone, clay, wood, antler and bronze—and a backup singer for her sister, Native Grammy winner Joanne Shenandoah.
Neal Powless—Onondaga Nation, Eel Clan—serves as the University Ombuds for Syracuse University. In that role, he serves the campus community as a neutral, independent, informal and confidential resource for faculty, staff and graduate students who are seeking assistance to answer questions and resolve concerns. He is married to Michelle Schenandoah.
Angela Ferguson—Onondaga Nation, Eel Clan—is the Seedkeeper of the Onondaga Nation and current supervisor of the Onondaga Nation Farm. She is also one of the original organizing members of Braiding the Sacred, an all indigenous group of traditional corn growers across Turtle Island.
Michelle Schenandoah—Oneida Nation, Wolf Clan—is a writer, speaker, and founder, owner, and principal at Indigenous Concepts Consulting, an organization helps non-lndigenous businesses and media companies develop their own organizational best practices through an Indigenous lens. She is also founder of Rematriation, a multi-media initiative engaging in film production, digital content creation and community engagement that also publishes Rematiration Magazine. She is married to Neal Powless.
Danielle Smith—Onondaga Nation, Hawk Clan— is a social worker and an advocate for environmental rights and the rights of marginalized peoples, including, but not exclusively those of Indigenous Peoples. She is among the creators of the Resilient Indigenous Action Collective, an Indigenous-led organization that advocates for decolonization and land reclamation, among other goals.
Joanne Shenandoah (1957-2021)—Oneida Nation, Wolf Clan—was a Grammy-winning composer and musician, whose work includes 15 albums and numerous singles. Her accolades include a Grammy and a record 14 Native American Music Awards, among others. She was also an activist for human rights and Earth Rights who performed for numerous global leaders, and was among the creators of the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge, a non-profit educational institution dedicated to providing courses for people worldwide to learn about Indigenous knowledge.
Alfred Jacques—Onondaga Nation, Turtle Clan— is The Stickmaker for the Onondaga Nation. By hand using traditional methods, he fashions sticks used in games of lacrosse, which has played a central role in Haudenosaunee culture for centuries as "The Creator's Game".
Ethan Tyo—Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan— is an Indigenous food activist and author of Fetagetaboutit: A Plant-Based, Minimal-Waste Cookbook. He led the effort to create the Three Sisters Garden on the Syracuse University campus, which grows the staple plants of the Haudenosaunee diet on the ancestral lands of the Onondaga Nation.
Jalyn Jimerson—Cayuga/Seneca Nation, Bear Clan—is a 2022 graduate of Syracuse University's Visual and Performing Arts School with a degree in Communication and Rhetorical Studies. She played on the Women's lacrosse team at Syracuse University, something she continues to do at Clemson University, where she is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Athletic Leadership.
Graduated ‘22, Lacrosse player from a traditional background
Tehosterihens Deer—Mohawk Nation, Bear Clan— is a reporter and editor for The Daily Orange, the student newspaper at Syracuse University. He is majoring in Communications and Rhetorical Studies, with a double-minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies and Public Communications.
Sally Roesch Wagner is an adjunct professor in the Honors Program at Syracuse University and is affiliated with the university's Native American and Indigenous Studies program. A leader in the field of Women's Studies, Dr. Wagner has written extensively on the Women's Suffrage Movement and has brought to a wider consciousness the overlooked role that Haudenosaunee women played in inspiring the movement.
Sebastian Modrow is an Assistant Professor at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, where he teaches courses on archives, special collections and cultural heritage preservation. His research focuses on the intersection of history, heritage, and memory studies within the realms of libraries, and archives engaging with topics such as literacy, information access, and power in pre-modern societies, as well as identity narratives and the othering of whole populations during acts of colonization (ancient and modern). He is involved in translation work of primary sources for the Doctrine of Discovery Project.
David Seaman is the Dean of Libraries and University Librarian at Syracuse University.