Native Edge

Any questions or comments please send here! For episode 16, we welcomed renowned journalist Mark Trahant to the studio for a conversation about his storied career, from a tribal high school basketball radio announcer to interviewing a President of the United States. Mark is currently Editor-at-Large at Indian Country Today, and over his five-decade career he has worked across both Native and mainstream media, and even had stints in government and academia. We hope you enjoy the discuss...

12-05

52:19

Any questions or comments please send here! In Episode 15 - and the fourth installment in our Native American Heritage Month series - we welcome Dr. Jeremy Garcia and Dr. Valerie Shirley from the Indigenous Teacher Education Program at the University of Arizona. Chris and Yvette lead a wide-ranging conversation about Indigenous education and the origins of ITEP, as well as Dr. Garcia and Dr. Shirley's book Indigenizing Education. They share their approach on how they prepare undergraduate s...

11-21

49:59

Any questions or comments please send here! For episode 14, we welcome Sherry Black, who has a long history in advancing economic development throughout Indian Country. Sherry talks about her early involvement with Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), the importance of board representation and networking, and her extensive work across Native organizations and philanthropy, including the Johnson Scholarship Foundation. This is the third episode in our Native American H...

11-14

50:29

Any questions or comments please send here! On Episode 13 of The Native Edge podcast, Chris and Yvette welcomed Fawn Sharp to The National Center's headquarters in Mesa, Arizona. Fawn is well-known throughout Indian Country from her time as President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and leadership in Quinault Indian Nation and Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. Fawn shares her path to leadership; her incredible local, regional, and national efforts during the COVID-19...

11-07

01:02:36

Any questions or comments please send here! Thank you for listening to The Native Edge, and Happy Native Heritage Month! We will be releasing shows weekly, starting with episode 12 featuring a conversation that Chris and Yvette had with Hud Oberly during a recent Native Edge Institute in New York. Hud, a Ralph Lauren model and Founder and Creative Director at Here's to You, is no stranger to The National Center. He is a 40 Under 40 honoree, speaker at RES, and was on a panel at the New York...

11-01

58:13

Any questions or comments please send here! Episode 11 is a continuation of episode 10, featuring our amazing tourism team. During our recent Lake Tahoe NEI, Chris and Yvette lead a conversation - our largest yet - with the six people who will be leading our tourism efforts across five regions. Learn more about our team and what they have planned as we expand Native Edge Tourism. If you want to learn more, please check out a press release when the cooperative agreement was announced. Guest...

10-28

45:58

Any questions or comments please send here! Episode 10 of The Native Edge podcast is all about tourism. Yvette solo hosts (with an assist from producer Mikaela Garcia) this episode, which features a conversation with Ed Hall. Ed is a consultant for The National Center working on our new tourism program. Ed and Yvette talk to the tremendous potential for tourism in Indian Country, as well as some challenges and regional differences. This is the beginning of the conversation about tourism; a f...

10-17

52:31

Any questions or comments please send here! Election Day is just around the corner! To get you ready to cast your ballot and answer some questions about our voting process, we invited Maricopa County, Arizona Recorder Stephen Richer to join us in studio. Stephen has established himself as one of the foremost experts on voting systems and the election process in the country. Chris and Yvette talk to Stephen about his background, why he decided to run for Recorder, how he withstood and fought ...

10-04

51:41

Any questions or comments please send here! On Episode 8 of the Native Edge Podcast, Chris and Yvette sat down with actor and producer John Ambrosino. John recently played the role of "Uncle Ernie" in the hit Broadway remake of the musical Tommy. Members of The National Center's team had the opportunity to see John under the bright lights when they were in New York for a recent Native Edge Institute. John talks about his career, going from behind the stage to a leading role in an iconic roc...

09-30

55:41

Any questions or comments please send here! Episode 7 of The Native Edge podcast returns to a familiar subject - advocacy - with an in-person interview with Tylynn Gordon, a longtime friend of and former consultant for The National Center. Tylynn has a wealth of knowledge about politics and federal lobbying and advocacy across many fields, including Native American and Alaska Native policy. Tylynn was on the cutting-edge of the changing dynamics of federal lobbying, with Fortune Magazine cal...

09-04

43:25

Any questions or comments please send here! Welcome back Native Edge Listeners! In this episode, Chris James and Yvette Fielder sit down with Lance Morgan, CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc., for an insightful conversation about his journey in building a diversified company, changing the law on Indian gaming, and eventually evolving into sports betting. Lance shares advice through the challenges and successes of government contracting, creating a diversified enterprise, and building a system of checks and...

08-15

46:53

Any questions or comments please send here! Episode 5 of the Native Edge Podcast is all about advocacy! Hosts Chris James and Yvette Fielder welcome guest Clara Pratte, who has a long and distinguished history of advocacy across Indian Country. They discuss Clara's background and experience, the importance of advocacy and making your voice heard, Native representation and tribal consultation, voting, and work-life balance. Check it out - and make sure to tell your friends to download! Thank...

07-18

01:01:10

Any questions or comments please send here! What's up Native Edge listeners! On Episode 4, we share more of the conversation from Episode 2 between Chris James, President and CEO of The National Center, and Tedd Buelow, the Tribal Relations Team Lead for USDA's Office of Rural Development. This interview was recorded in April. Buelow gives insight into USDA programs related to telecom infrastructure, rural housing development, commodity foods programs, and more. They also discuss the impro...

07-03

29:07

Any questions or comments please send here! Thank you for tuning in to the Native Edge! In our latest episode, Program Director Yvette Fielder, Business Development Specialist Kyia Jackson, and Producer Mikaela Garcia talk about Native Edge Institutes - the free, one-day training business training sessions The National Center hosts across the country. One of the participants in NEIs is CEO of Turtle Island Protection Services Shawntay Negrete. We share some of her remarks and her business'...

06-21

22:19

Any questions or comments please send here! Welcome back to the Native Edge podcast! Join us as we explore the world of agriculture through business, philosophy, and clips from awesome entrepreneurs and experts. On episode 2, The National Center's Chris James and Yvette Fielder take a deep dive into Indigenous agriculture, with perspective from sisters Andi & Alisha Murphy of the Toasted Sister Podcast; USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack; Tedd Buelow, Tribal Relations Team Lead for the ...