Announcing Changes to Leadership; New Indigenous-Majority Board of Directors to Pave the Way for Change

BLOOMINGTON, IND. – The Language Conservancy (TLC), a leading nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous and endangered languages, announces a recent change in leadership.

TLC announces the departure, as of January 30, 2024, of Chairman and CEO Wilhelm Meya, from all roles that held at the organization, as well as from any roles with any affiliated Indigenous language consortia. The Language Conservancy recognizes Mr. Meya for his service and contributions toward Indigenous language revitalization. Furthermore, during the months of January and February, 2024, the following Members left the Board: Ben Black Bear, Jr., Sičháŋǧu Lakȟóta, Dr. Serafín Coronel-Molina and Michael Fitzgerald; The Language Conservancy is grateful for their service to its mission of preserving and revitalizing Indigenous languages.

The departure of Mr. Meya, Mr. Black Bear, Mr. Fitzgerald and Dr. Coronel-Molina is counterbalanced by changes at the board level that will strengthen the organization’s mission to uplift Indigenous languages and voices – The Language Conservancy proudly welcomes Šišókaduta, Alex FireThunder and Curtis Yarlott to its Board of Directors.

Šišókaduta / Joe Bendickson, Sisíthuŋ-Waȟpéthuŋ Oyáte, joins the organization’s Board of Directors as an active board member of the Lakota Language Consortium. Additionally, he serves as the board chair of Dakhóta Iápi Okhódakičhiye, a nonprofit committed to revitalizing Isáŋathi Dakota. Through his work there, he played a key role in publishing the Dakota language dictionary app, Dakota language books and continues to facilitate learning opportunities. Šišókaduta has been dedicated to teaching and learning the Dakota language for over two decades.

Alex FireThunder, Oglála Lakȟóta, is currently the executive director of the Lakota Language Consortium. FireThunder obtained his Master of Arts in Lakota Leadership and Tribal Administration from Oglala Lakota College. A traditional singer and Native American Music Award winner, he is also the author of five Lakota picture books slated for release later this year.

Curtis Yarlott, Apsáalooke, is the executive director of St. Labre Indian School Educational Association in Ashland, Montana. He serves on the boards of both the Crow (Apsáalooke) Language Consortium and the Northern Cheyenne Language Consortium. An active speaker of the Apsáalooke language, he has lent his voice to recordings of several Apsáalooke-language picture books and has assisted in the development of Crow-language picture books and textbooks.

Continuing on the nonprofit organization’s Board are Janine Pease, D. Ed., Apsáalooke, of the Crow Language Consortium in Montana and Jan Ullrich, Ph.D., linguist, whose work focuses on language documentation and analysis, curriculum development and teacher-training. With these appointments, The Language Conservancy has achieved an important milestone; for the first time in its existence, four of five Board Members are Indigenous.

A Senior Management Team of Dorothea Hoffmann, Ph.D. (Operations), Alayna Leonard (Finance), and Ian Titus (Human Resources) will lead TLC through this transition. The nonprofit assures its continued dedication to working collaboratively with Indigenous communities, developing innovative educational resources and supporting language revitalization initiatives.

The Language Conservancy looks forward to the future of Indigenous language work, and remains committed to amplifying Indigenous voices and languages so that they may resound for generations to come.

For further inquiries, please contact pr@languageconservancy.org

About The Language Conservancy

The Language Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005, dedicated to preserving, protecting, and promoting Indigenous and endangered languages. With a mission to revitalize languages, foster cultural heritage and amplify the voices of Indigenous peoples, The Language Conservancy collaborates with Indigenous communities. Through various initiatives, including the development of educational materials and language resources, the organization strives to ensure the continued vitality of linguistic diversity and the empowerment of Indigenous cultures.

TLC’s Board of Directors consists of Šišókaduta (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), Alex FireThunder (Oglála Lakȟóta), Dr. Janine Pease (Apsáalooke), Curtis Yarlott (Apsáalooke) and Dr. Jan Ullrich.