Vibrant\, Resilient\, Still Here: Contemporary Native Americans in Illinois
\nLearn about the lives of contemporary Native Americans in Illinois in this exciting prese ntation. Pamala Silas\, a member of Menominee Indian Tribe and an Oneida d escendant\, will explore issues about how the public learns about and sees Native Americans and some of the misconceptions\, demographic data\, and topical issues that the community has prioritized. Together we will discus s provoking questions in smaller groups and end in an informal circle\, si milar to a talking circle\, to connect some of the themes with participant s own family and community experiences.
\nSpeaker Bio: \; \;Pamala M. Silas\, CAE \;
Over the past 30 years\
, Pam has been a recognized Native American leader. \; \;She has s
uccessfully led regional and national Native American and other non-profit
organizations. She currently serves as Associate Director\, outreach\, an
d engagement for Northwestern University\, Center for Native American and
Indigenous Research. \;Pam has a BS\, Economics from DePaul University
and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE). \; \;She is an en
rolled member of the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin and descendant of the On
eida Tribe of Wisconsin.
Pam has provided executive management and consulting services with groups throughout the U.S. She has served as Exe cutive Director for the National American Indian Housing Council and Nativ e American Journalists Association. \; \;Prior to forming her own Association Management &\; Consulting Company\, Pam served 8 years as C EO of American Indian Science &\; Engineering Society&rsquo\;s national operation in New Mexico and AISES Publishing Inc./Winds of Change Magazin e. \; \;In Chicago\, she served as Executive Director for Metropol itan Tenants Organization\, leading housing campaigns and aggressive direc t organizing efforts with low-income tenants. \;In 2020\, Pam was appo inted by Governor Pritzker to serve on the first \;ever Statewide Nati ve focused council\, \;Illinois\, Native American Employment Plan Advi sory Council. \; \;She is an active member of the Chicago urban Na tive American community and continues to serve in various leadership roles in the nonprofit sector Nationally. \;
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