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.
Speake
r Bio: \; \;Pamala M. Silas\, CAE \;
Over the pa
st 30 years\, Pam has been a recognized Native American leader. \;&nbs
p\;She has successfully led regional and national Native American and othe
r non-profit organizations. She currently serves as Associate Director\, o
utreach\, and engagement for Northwestern University\, Center for Native A
merican and Indigenous Research. \;Pam has a BS\, Economics from DePau
l University and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE). \; \;
She is an enrolled member of the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin and descenda
nt of the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin.
Pam has provided executive ma nagement and consulting services with groups throughout the U.S. She has s erved as Executive Director for the National American Indian Housing Counc il and Native American Journalists Association. \; \;Prior to form ing her own Association Management &\; Consulting Company\, Pam served 8 years as CEO of American Indian Science &\; Engineering Society&rsquo \;s national operation in New Mexico and AISES Publishing Inc./Winds of Ch ange Magazine. \; \;In Chicago\, she served as Executive Director for Metropolitan Tenants Organization\, leading housing campaigns and aggr essive direct organizing efforts with low-income tenants. \;In 2020\, Pam was appointed by Governor Pritzker to serve on the first \;ever St atewide Native focused council\, \;Illinois\, Native American Employme nt Plan Advisory Council. \; \;She is an active member of the Chic ago urban Native American community and continues to serve in various lead ership roles in the nonprofit sector Nationally. \;
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