Michaela Madrid is the program manager of tribal governance at the Native Governance Center, a Native-led nonprofit that supports the sovereignty and governance of Native nations. Madrid focuses on tribal services, programs, and finances.

She’s an expert on the ongoing humanitarian crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and an advocate for combining traditional cultural values and governance strategies to shape policy that will improve the everyday lives of Indigenous people.

Previously, Madrid served as the operations manager for the Sovereign Bodies Institute, an Indigenous organization that works to end gender and sexual violence against Indigenous people through research and data-driven direct services.

Before joining SBI, Madrid worked for the Institute for Tribal Government, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and the Department of Interior in the Indian Affairs’ Office of Self Governance.

She’s a member of the Lower Brule Lakota Sioux Tribe and was born and raised in South Dakota.

Courtesy of Kezia Setyawan

Pronouns: She/her

Expertise: Gender and sexual violence against Indigenous people, Indigenous rights

Location: Eureka, Calif.

Email: michaela@nativegov.org

Heard on KERA: Efforts To Solve Cases Of Missing And Murdered Native American Women Face Historical Roadblocks