Native Edge

Any questions or comments please send here! And last but not the least of our RES 2026 interviews, we welcome journalist (among many other professions) and 40 Under 40 program alumni Kate Nelson (Tlingit). Chris and Yvette sat down with Kate to talk about her fascinating career and journey of self discovery. This includes collaborating with renowned Indigenous chef Sean Sherman on his new cook boo...

Any questions or comments please send here! We're continuing our series of conversations from RES with DJ Carrasco (Tewa-Puebloan), a former professional baseball pitcher who is now the founder and CEO of Native Nations. Native Nations is a nonprofit that seeks to boost Native American participation in diamond sports (baseball and softball) through programming, training, hosting tournaments,...

Any questions or comments please send here! In the latest Native Edge, Chris and Yvette welcome Amber Schulz-Oliver, Executive Director of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI). Based in Portland, Oregon, ATNI is a nonprofit organization representing 57 Northwest tribal governments from Oregon, Idaho, Washington, southeast Alaska, Northern California and Western Montana. Amber shares h...

Any questions or comments please send here! Episode 51 of the Native Edge features a conversation with Larry Wright, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians. Larry shares his journey from (unexpectedly) entering tribal leadership with the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, to leading an 80-year-old organization in NCAI.  Chris and Yvette talk about the extensive collaboration between...

Any questions or comments please send here! In the fourth installment of our RES interview series we welcome Mark Fox, Chairman of the MHA Nation in North Dakota. Chairman Fox chats with Chris and Yvette about his leadership and the investments the tribe made after reaching the difficult decision to responsibly development its energy resources. Now, crude oil developed on MHA lands are responsible...

Any questions or comments please send here! In the third installment of our RES interview series, Chris and Yvette chat with John Oceguera. John is the CEO and owner of the public affairs firm Strategies 360, which has had a long relationship with The National Center. He is also a member of the Walker River Paiute Tribe. John shares his fascinating story of going from fire chief, to politician (in...

Any questions or comments please send here! We have a very special guest for episode 48 of The Native Edge podcast - Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas! Taboo was a major presence at RES 2026, where he participated in a conversation with Chris on the mainstage and performed an impromptu set at the Indigenous Fashion Show that brought the house down. We were lucky to grab Taboo for a few minutes for an a...

Any questions or comments please send here! The first episode from our RES conversations features Mary Jane Oatman, Executive Director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association. Mary Jane - and yes, she confirms that is indeed her given name - chats with Chris and Yvette about how she found her way into the cannabis industry and plant medicine, its potential for Indian Country, and the chall...

Any questions or comments please send here! We're back! Over the coming weeks we'll be sharing some fantastic interviews from RES, ranging from rock stars to distinguished tribal leaders. But first, we have a special episode recorded prior to RES featuring an old friend of the National Center - Dr. Eric Trevan. Dr. Trevan is a former President and CEO of The National Center and current P...

Any questions or comments please send here! One of the best parts of the Reservation Economic Summit is recognizing the latest class of the Native American 40 Under 40 award winners. The awards reception will take place on the evening of Tuesday, March 24 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. To talk about the 40 Under 40 program - which just welcomed its 18th class - we invited the two members of our s...

Any questions or comments please send here! In the latest episode, Chris and Yvette visit the Western Spirit Museum in Scottsdale for a conversation with museum CEO Todd Bankofier. Yvette recently joined the Board of the museum - billed as Scottsdale's Museum of the West - and has personal connections to the art and artists featured in its impressive building located in downtown Scottsdale. T...

Any questions or comments please send here! Episode 43 features a very special guest - National Center Board Chairman Derrick Watchman. Chairman Watchman has served the organization for decades, and his involvement with The National Center goes back nearly 40 years, when he first attended the very first RES for the same reason that many people do - to find a job! Derrick shares his story - a &quot...

Any questions or comments please send here! For Episode, 46 Chris and Yvette welcome OXDX founder Jared Yazzie to the Mesa studios. Jared shares his journey from an engineering student at the University of Arizona to finding his true passion in graphic arts and screen printing - and becoming one of Indian Country's most sought-after artists. Learn more about some of Jared's collaboration...

Any questions or comments please send here! Happy New Year and welcome back to the Native Edge! We're kicking off 2026 with a very special guest - 2025 Native Woman Business Owner of the Year, Chelsee Pettit . Chelsee came all the way from Canada to our Mesa studio to share her inspiring journey, from learning financial literacy on the fly to building an extremely successful Indigenous clothi...

Any questions or comments please send here! As we wrap season 2 of the The Native Edge during the holiday season, The National Center team reflects on their favorite traditions - some unique, and many shared despite growing up in places as different as Washington state and South Louisiana. Regular hosts Chris and Yvette are joined by Nicole Watson, Erin Abrahamson, and Kyia Jackson (with producer...

Any questions or comments please send here! We're bringing you a special episode of the Native Edge, recorded at the Native Art Market in Scottsdale, Arizona. Co-founder Heather Tracy and her mother Denise Rosales joined us during the holidays last year , and we're excited to be on-site with Heather and her sister Shea Tunney in 2025. Learn about the latest developments at the Native Art...

Any questions or comments please send here! For episode 38, we welcome baseball player Jordan Brewer, who will soon suit up for the inaugural season of the Loco Beach Coconuts - one of the six teams that compete in "Banana Ball." Jordan joined us virtually to discuss his career path, from high school football and baseball star, to junior college, to Big 10 Player of the Year at the Unive...

Any questions or comments please send here! For episode 37, co-hosts Nicole Watson and Yvette Fielder welcome hip hop artist Nataanii Means (Oglala Lakota, Diné, Omaha) to the Mesa studio. Nataanii shares his journey from the Navajo Reservation to becoming a successful musician, and explains how hip hop fits squarely in the Indigenous tradition of storytelling. In addition to his music, Nataanii h...

Any questions or comments please send here! For the third installment of our Native American Heritage Month series, we welcomed Ron "Hawk" Spoerl, President and CEO of Aambé Corporation, to our Mesa studio. Aambé is a platinum sponsor of RES 2026, and is doing incredible work across Indian Country, particularly in health care where they are helping tribes tap into a multi-trillion-dollar...

Any questions or comments please send here! In our second episode of Native American Heritage Month, Chris and Yvette welcome Maria Dadgar, Executive Director of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA), to The National Center's headquarters. It's a familiar location for Maria, who spent many years working for The National Center, culminating with a stint as acting President and CEO. M...

Any questions or comments please send here! In episode 34, guest hosts Nicole Watson and Mikaela Garcia welcome Eunique Yazzie to the studio. Eunique (Diné) has a background in graphic arts, and is a founding member of Cahokia, LLC. Cahokia, located in downtown Phoenix, is a cultural space created for Indigenous artists and entrepreneurs to collaborate, innovate, and increase the collective wealth...

Any questions or comments please send here! We head back to the State of Arizona for episode 33 of The Native Edge podcast, where Chris and Yvette welcome Sebastian Aleman, Legislative and Tribal Liaison for the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. Sebastian discusses his office's role in economic and workforce development in Arizona, in particular tribal communities. You'll hear abou...

Any questions or comments please send here! For Episode 32 of the Native Edge Podcast, Chris is joined by guest co-host Nicole Watson for a conversation with UNITY Executive Director Mary Kim Titla. UNITY and The National Center have long had a close relationship, including sharing office space in the same building in Mesa, Arizona and UNITY co-hosting events and programming at the annual Reservat...

Any questions or comments please send here! We're back in our Mesa studio for Episode 31 of The Native Edge podcast, and Chris and Yvette welcome a special guest - Jason Chavez, Director of Tribal Affairs for Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. Jason has a background in voting and election administration, having previously served under then-Secretary of State Hobbs. We was also the voter outreach c...

Any questions or comments please send here! Congress is back from its August recess, so we thought it would be a great time to introduce our policy team! Chris sat down with Kate Boyce and Ryan Seelau, who along with Dr. Ian Record lead The National Center's policy and advocacy efforts. Kate has worked for The National Center for decades, and has unmatched experience in and knowledge of India...