AICD Leadership Council
Mary Travis-Allen - Council President
Mary (Mayagna, Chortega, Seneca) volunteers for Indian Ed and sits on the SFUSD School Names Advisory Committee. Mary was born, raised and educated in San Francisco. She has roots with Alcatraz, Wounded Knee occupation, and the American Indian Movement. In the 70's she frequently spoke at rallies and networked with many other emerging political activist groups in the San Francisco Bay Area that advocated for racial equality, freedom of political prisoners and more. Mary retired after thirty-two years of employment with the City & County of San Francisco, SFMTA, as a Senior Operations Manager. During her employment she stayed focused on the needs of the people we served and the employees that worked hard to provide service to the City.
Mary is privileged to know and stand with many leaders that fought against the racial and political oppression that was prevalent in this Country (and still exists). “I have learned that every step you take and experience in your life takes you on your path and knowledge in this existence. We learn from those that have come before us, traditions and knowledge, to give us strength and value to live and survive this life. We learn, we cultivate and we continue to plant these ways for those that will follow.”
“It is an Honor and Privilege to be a part of the work to establish the American Indian Cultural District here in San Francisco, to give recognition to our people, culture and contribution to San Francisco. But most importantly, to reclaim the land and give respect and recognition to the Ramaytush Ohlone people whose unceded land this City has been built. Blessings and love to all my relatives.”
Gregg Castro - Policy Chair
Gregg (t'rowt'raahl Salinan, Rumsien-Ramaytush Ohlone), has worked to preserve his Ohlone and Salinan heritage for three decades. Gregg is the Society for California Archaeology’s Native American Programs Committee Chairperson. Gregg is a Facilitator for the annual California Indian Conference, a 30+ year annual gathering about California Indigenous culture. He is a Founder/Advisor to the California Indian History Curriculum Coalition, based at CSU-Sacramento. He is “Principal Cultural Consultant” to the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone, advising within their San Francisco Peninsula homelands. Gregg is a writer-activist within the California indigenous community.
"It is vital to the spiritual well being of everyone now inhabiting this place: of the newcomers that came to colonize our homelands, the later native relatives that have found this place to be their new “home”, as well as the Ramaytush survivors of colonization in our homeland area, that we be a respectful and integral part of the revitalization of Indigenous culture here in ‘Yelamu’, San Francisco. This is in the fulfillment of our sacred obligation, given to us at our coming into the world by Creator and in accordance with the wishes and sacrifices of our ancestors, to continue in our ‘original instructions’ as caretakers of this place of our birth.”
April McGill - Arts & Culture Chair
April M.P.A. (Yuki, Wappo, Little Lake Pomo, Wailaki) is the Director of Community Partnerships & Projects for the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health (CCUIH) leading the violence against women Red Woman Rising Project (RWR) the Traditions of Health Project and currently the Getting Real About Stigma Reduction (GRASP) HCV prevention grant.
April is also the Executive Director for the American Indian Cultural Center (AICC). In her activism and community work pushing for the City to give the Native community a cultural arts and wellness center she became a Co-founder of the American Indian Cultural District. She graduated from San Francisco State University in 2009 with a BA degree (Honors) in American Indian Studies. April moved to the Northwest in 2010 to work as a Research Assistant at Portland State University Regional Research Institute on the System of Care “Nak-Nu-Wit Project” for Native families receiving mental health services. While living in the Northwest, April attended Evergreen State College where she pursued her Masters Degree in Public Administration, Tribal Governance in 2012.
“I try to do that as much as possible in the work that I do for the community. Giving back is what maintains those teachings and nurtures my spirit in my own wellness."
Mytia Zavala - Arts & Culture Committee
Mytia Zavala, MA (Navajo, Pueblo of Laguna, Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde, Fort Peck Sioux), is the Executive Director of the American Indian Film Institute (AIFI), a San Francisco-based nonprofit media arts organization. Founded in 1979, AIFI is dedicated to fostering the understanding of culture, traditions and issues of contemporary Native Americans. AIFI produces the annual American Indian Film Festival® where it will celebrate its 48th festival season (November 3-11) in San Francisco. Mytia has been with AIFI for over 20 years having worked alongside her late father, Michael Smith, who established the American Indian Film Festival® in 1975.
Mytia, a Producer and Video Editor, graduated in 2015 with an M.A. in Multimedia Communications from the Academy of Art University San Francisco and a B.A. in Journalism from San Francisco State University in 2009. Over the years, she has worked in live production with CBS Sports, Fox Sports and in the NBA Finals. She has also led a film production team for AIFI’s Tribal Touring Program-a tribal youth digital video camp, and she helped facilitate the American Indian Film Festival® over the years as lead coordinator working one-on-one with filmmakers, managing digital film content and editing promotional content.
Michelle Antone - COVID-19 Task Force Committee
Michelle (Tohono O'odham) is a Native Community Health Worker in San Francisco. Michelle has done work with a Native American Health Center (NAHC) initiative, called the Blanket Weavers that specializes in youth and mental health services. Michelle works to incorporate local Native community members’ voices to ensure they develop programs that best support their children’s healthcare needs. In 2012, she was the Family Involvement Specialist for the Urban Trails program and she continues to do community advocacy work that prioritizes and highlights the importance of wellness in the Native American community.
Michelle Shawnego - Development Chair
Michelle (Shawnee, Creek, Sac and Fox, enrolled in Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma) currently serves as the Human Resources Director at Native American Health Center (NAHC).
Michelle has over 17 years of HR and recruiting experience. She currently manages over 250 employees and excels in strategic recruitment initiatives. Michelle’s expertise HR experience includes: Employment Law, training development, performance management, organizational development, benefits administration and compensation.
“I am excited to be part of the American Indian Cultural District Advisory Board. I am looking forward to preserving and educating others on our culture.”
Karen Waukazoo - Arts & Culture Committee
Karen Waukazoo (Lakota) is the Interim Project Director of the CRDP Project at Friendship House. Influenced by her parents’ dedication to the Native American Health Center and the Friendship House Association of American Indians programs and the local community, she chose to follow in their footsteps by serving the Bay Area’s American Indian population in her own way. Knowledgeable of both sides of treatment and recovery, Karen has worked in many capacities at the Friendship House program – from a youth volunteer, to the Director of the Oakland Lodge Program, Intake Coordinator to her current position. In her over 15 years of service, she has made it her goal to advocate for quality treatment services for American Indian men, women and children affected by substance abuse and alcoholism. Respect and compassion, as well as knowledge all remaining at the forefront.
In addition to serving on the American Indian Cultural District Advisory Board, she is working on Substance Abuse Counseling Certification. Her plan is to continue to serve her people in recovery and she doesn’t take this responsibility lightly. She finds her chosen line of service and connection to the community extremely important.
“I am grateful to be a part of the American Indian Cultural District Advisory Board and continue to serve the San Francisco American Indian community.”
Rose Goldberg - Policy Committee
Rose, JD, MPA, is a Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the California Attorney General's Public Rights Division. She is also a Lecturer at UC Berkeley School of Law. Previously, Rose worked on Native American Affairs at the White House, where she helped create the White House Council on Native American Affairs. She is the recipient of the Native American Law Students Association Writing Prize for an article on tribal judges' citation practices, as well as the California Women Lawyers Fay Stender Award for humanity, courage, and commitment to the underrepresented. Rose was born and raised in the California Bay Area and is a former resident of New Mexico.
“I'm excited and honored to be on the American Indian Cultural District Advisory Board. The Cultural District is critically important: preservation and celebration of the rich American Indian history and culture in my home, the San Francisco Bay Area, is long overdue.”
Sara Moncada - Arts & Culture Committee
Sara (Yaqui), M.A., is a Native educator, dancer, filmmaker, author and cultural arts advocate. Sara is CEO of The Cultural Conservancy where she has worked since 2016, previously as the Chief Program Officer (CPO).
In addition to her work at TCC, Sara is co-founder of Wise Women Circles, a women-owned inspirational media company, and is a dancer and educator with Sewam American Indian Dance, a Bay Area-based cultural arts and education organization.
Prior to her focus in the non-profit sector, Sara was on the team of multiple start-up technology companies with a spectrum of responsibilities that supported rapid growth, positive board and client relationships, and launching successful products and media programs into the market. As a cultural artist, powwow and Flamenco dancer, she has presented on stages around the world and can often be found singing quietly to herself or dancing little steps while planting in the field. For more than a decade, she has presented and taught across the country and internationally on Native American arts and culture and is co-author of the book The Dance of Caring, a book exploring Native American Hoop Dance as a model for wellness. As a media maker, her work includes being producer of the internationally successful documentary film NURSES If Florence Could See Us Now, honoring the work of nurses across the country; producer and contributing editor of the upcoming film project Finding Compás; and producer of TCCs new podcast series The Native Seed Pod.
Helen Pettiford - Education Committee
Helen Pettiford (Apache) is an enrolled member of the Chihene Nde Nation of Southern New Mexico. She is a heart-centered educator. Her experience includes teaching children and adults in the areas of the visual and performing arts, Spanish, and English instruction for over a decade. She has served as a site and district office administrator for the last 14 years. As a classroom teacher and central office administrator, Helen has written, integrated, and collaborated with interdisciplinary teams on various content curricula for both elementary and secondary students. Currently, she leads various supplementary educational services and projects for American Indian Student groups, along with facilitating professional development for teachers and administrators in San Francisco Unified School District. She is passionate about exploring and implementing novel educational, art-based learning, and health & wellness opportunities for learners. In addition, Helen is a Transcendental Meditation Teacher and Self Mastery Coach.
“It's a joy and honor to serve as a member of the AICD board. Collaboration with this Native American leadership collective to bring truth, visibility, wellness, and to uplift Native peoples' knowledge and experience in San Francisco is vital for the rebalancing of San Francisco, nature, and all people.”