ILLUMINATIVE ANNOUNCES A NEW CHAPTER OF EXCITING GROWTH AND EXPANSION FOR THE ORGANIZATION
Tulsa, Oklahoma – IllumiNative, the Native woman-led racial and social justice organization dedicated to building power for Native peoples, announced today the next phase of growth that will enable the organization to significantly scale up its infrastructure, capacity, and programming.
Founded in 2018, IllumiNative works to fight systemic racism and achieve transformational change for Native communities by transforming how Americans and key institutions think about and engage with Native peoples. To achieve this innovative vision, IllumiNative is entering a new phase of growth to strengthen and expand the organization’s infrastructure of research and organizing in support of its’ mission. This new phase of IllumiNative includes launching and building out a complementary enterprise to support IllumiNative’s increasing portfolio of projects in media and entertainment. A new Managing Director will be hired to oversee IllumiNative’s nonprofit strategy implementation, programming, and operations. IllumiNative’s founder and current Executive Director, Crystal Echo Hawk, will transition to Chief Executive Officer to oversee the full ecosystem including the nonprofit and social enterprise.
“IllumiNative’s success over the last five years has shown that changing the narrative is crucial to advancing equity, dignity and justice for our communities. By working in partnership with Native leaders and allies we have been able to move the needle on important issues affecting Native people,” said Crystal Echo Hawk, Founder and Executive Director of IllumiNative. “I look forward to working with the new Managing Director alongside my amazing team and Board of Directors in this new chapter as we look towards building new possibilities for Native representation, power building and creating radical opportunities for change.”
IllumiNative recently expanded its Board of Directors in advance of this exciting new chapter of growth and innovation. Holly Cook Macarro (Red Lake Band of Ojibwe), Principal at The Angle, serves as Chair and Mary Kathryn Nagle (Cherokee), Playwright and Legal Counsel to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, serves as Vice Chair. Other Board of Directors include: Anna McMurphy, Chief People Officer of MNTN, Bird Runningwater (Cheyenne and Mescalero Apache), Executive Producer, Cloud Woman Media, Cheryl Crazy Bull (Sicangu Lakota), President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, Kathy Baird (Sicangu Lakota/Oneida Nation of Wisconsin), Chief Communications Officer of The Washington Post, Ruben Garcia, Culture and Impact Strategist, Tilane Jones, President of ARRAY, and Wayne Ducheneaux (Cheyenne River Sioux), Executive Director of The Native Governance Center. The Board of Directors will oversee IllumiNative’s growth and expansion in partnership with the founder and CEO, Crystal Echo Hawk.
“IllumiNative’s work is critical to the visibility of Native peoples in this country, and I couldn’t be more excited to lead the Board of Directors through this journey as IllumiNative continues to evolve and grow,” said Holly Cook Macarro, Chair of the Board. “We have made remarkable progress on increasing Native visibility and authentic representation, but there is still so much more to do. IllumiNative’s expansion will accelerate this progress, engaging more people and broadening what is possible for Native peoples.”
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About the Managing Director Position
IllumiNative seeks a highly skilled, passionate, and innovative Managing Director with a strong track record of transformational leadership and management, innovative thinking, and strategic partnership development. This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced nonprofit executive with organizational development, financial management, and strategic planning experience with a proven track record of creative problem-solving and change management to join an innovative, high-impact, mission- driven organization. The Managing Director will oversee IllumiNative’s strategy, programming and operations. Read the full job description and apply now.
About IllumiNative
IllumiNative is a Native woman-led racial and social justice organization dedicated to increasing the visibility of—and challenging the narrative about—Native peoples. Our mission is to build power for Native peoples by amplifying contemporary Native voices, stories, and issues to advance justice, equity, and self-determination. We envision a future where the self-determination and sovereignty of Native peoples is respected and supported; where our children see themselves reflected in the world around them; and where Native peoples author and drive our own narrative.
