Gail Chehak (Klamath), Executive Director

Gail E. Chehak is an enrolled member of the Klamath Tribes located in Southern Oregon. Gail joined IACA in 2007, after working as an Assistant Manager at The Indian Craft Shop (a retail member of IACA), located in the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. In addition to understanding the Native art industry, Gail has extensive experience with tribal and non-profit organizations, having worked for several years with the National Congress of American Indians, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and YWCA. While working for ATNI, she worked with the 54 ATNI Member Tribes and the tourism department from the States of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, to develop marketing and tourism programs for Northwest Tribes. She co-authored a travel guide, Native Peoples of the Northwest: A Traveler's Guide to Land, Art and Culture. In 1997, she received the Portland Oregon Visitors Association President's Award for organizing a "world-class cultural heritage event to Portland" (Indian Art Northwest). In 1998, she received the City of Portland Mayor's "Spirit of Portland" award and was named one of the "Top 25 Women Making a Difference in Portland" by The Oregon Business Journal. A successful grant writer, Gail has served as a reviewer for a number of federal grant programs and managed multi-year cooperative agreements for non-profits with several federal agencies.

Sandra Anderson (Navajo), Bookkeeper

sanderson@iaca.com

Sandra Anderson is taking over responsibilities as the IACA and IACA Education Fund bookkeeper. Sandra is a citizen of the Navajo Nation. She is originally from Ft. Defiance, AZ. She is from the Towering House clan and born for the Towering House clan. Her maternal grandfather is from the Meadow People clan. Her paternal grandfather is from the Bitter Water clan. Sandra has volunteered at the IACA Trade Show and Markets for more than a year. Sandra is an experienced Senior Office Manager with a strong background in accounting, finance, strategic planning, and information technology. She has a strong financial background and excellent administrative skills combined with an extensive base of knowledge and experience to assist companies in meeting their organizational and financial objectives. She completed a first major in Anthropology and a second major in Native American Studies in 2009 from the University of New Mexico-ABQ, NM. She is currently enrolled as a Master's candidate in the Community & Regional Planning Program with an emphasis in Natural Resources at the University of New Mexico.

Brian Lush is an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe located in the Southeastern tip of South Dakota. He holds an Associate of Arts Degree in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University of New Mexico. He first joined IACA in April 2010 as a volunteer, writing press releases and commercial spots to promote the 2010 Spring Market. As the Membership Coordinator of IACA, Brian is charged with maintaining the membership of IACA and designing campaigns to recruit new members as well as press campaigns to promote IACA events. Brian has extensive experience in both administration and media. He served as the Contract Coordinator for Truesdail Laboratories Inc. in Tustin California where he honed his skills in proposal writing. In 2004, he founded the online music magazine Rockwired.com. He currently produces and hosts the daily online radio show Rockwired Radio Profiles.