Dear Friends and Family of TLC,
We’d like to share an important update regarding our leadership team at The Language Conservancy.
As of January 30, 2024, Chairman and CEO Wilhelm Meya has departed from all roles held at The Language Conservancy, as well as from any roles with all affiliated Indigenous language consortia.
The Language Conservancy recognizes Mr. Meya for his service and contributions toward Indigenous language revitalization.
Additionally, 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; we are grateful for their service to our 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 further strengthen our mission to uplift Indigenous languages and voices.
We proudly welcome Šišókaduta, Alex FireThunder, and Curtis Yarlott to our Board of Directors!
Šišókaduta / Joe Bendickson, Sisíthuŋ-Waȟpéthuŋ Oyáte, joins our Board of Directors as an active board member of the Lakota Language Consortium (LLC). Additionally, he serves as the board chair of Dakhóta Iápi Okhódakičhiye (DIO), 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 Language Consortium (CLC) and the Northern Cheyenne Language Consortium (NCLC). An active speaker of the Apsáalooke (Crow) 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 our 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 our 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 our organization through this transition.
We would like to assure our continued dedication to working collaboratively with Indigenous communities, developing innovative educational resources and supporting language revitalization initiatives.
We look forward to the future of Indigenous language work, and remain committed to amplifying Indigenous voices and languages, so that they may resound for generations to come.
Thank you for your continued support,
The Language Conservancy
