Our People

Experience, expertise, dedication – meet the Falmouth team working to
strengthen the tribes and tribal organizations of Indian Country.

Interested in joining our Adjunct Faculty? CLICK HERE!

Adam Bailey

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Raymond Bantum

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Denise Brinkley

Accounting/Office Manager

Melanie Burkhart

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Douglas “Olin” Calderon

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Julia Coates, Ph.D.

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Ed Felker

Designer/Web Manager

Linée Ferguson

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Vince Franco

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

John Friel

Director of Financial Services

Donald Garrett

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law

Marissa Gehley

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Nat Hall

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Lisa Harjo

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

James Harrison

Customer Care Representative

Sam Hill

Learning and Development Consultant

Joe Hobot

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Lisa Jaeger

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Valerie Jensen, DNPc, MSN

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Allison Jones

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Kostan Lathouris

Senior Law and Governance Analyst

Sarah Lawson

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Erin Levant

Curriculum and Instruction Specialist

Jaymond Li

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Jeffrey S. Marciano

President/CEO

Brian Mathers

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Dawn McKeever

Marketing Manager

Desiree McPherson

Curriculum Development Specialist

Mekko Miller

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Wes Miller

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Jennifer Newton

Director of Training Administration

Stephen D. Osborne

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Patina Park

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Brian Pearson

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Terry Rainey

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Lisa Riggleman

Director, Learning and Development

Harold Rivkin

Director of Background and Adjudication Services

Eduardo Sanchez

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Niki Sandoval

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Anita Shah

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Kurt Tucker

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Evelina Y-Maho, MAdm.

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Stephanie Zehren

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Adam Bailey

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Adam Bailey, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, joined the law firm Hobbs Straus as an associate in February 2013. He is a 2011 graduate of the UCLA School of Law, where he received his J.D. with a specialization in Critical Race Studies. During law school, Mr. Bailey was an active member and officer of NALSA. He worked on UCLA’s Journal of Environmental Law and Policy and the Dukeminier Awards Journal on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and the Law. Mr. Bailey was a term-time clerk for the Hualapai Court of Appeals and the Hopi Tribal Appeals Court. He was also a member of the UCLA Law Review, where he was selected to be a Senior Editor. He authored his student note entitled Threading the Needle: The Fort Peck Tribe’s Associate Membership: A Modern Model for Tribal Affiliation.

Mr. Bailey has returned to Hobbs Straus, having worked for four years in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a legislative specialist before enrolling in law school. Prior to his previous work at the firm he served as a legislative associate for the National Congress of American Indians. Immediately after graduation from the UCLA School of Law, Mr. Bailey practiced labor and employment law for Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton.

Mr. Bailey graduated with honors from Harvard University. His thesis exploring President Clinton’s executive order on tribal consultation received magna cum laude.

Mr. Bailey enjoys fishing and hunting, hiking, cooking, traveling, keeping current on news and politics.

Raymond Bantum

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Mr. Bantum is the President of Bantum Consulting Services, which specializes in providing Information Technology consulting services to faith based, non-profit, for profit, governmental and healthcare organizations. He has over 25 years of accounting and technology consulting experience, including experience in providing consulting, database and forensic accounting services to the healthcare industry. Mr. Bantum is a CPA, a CITP (Certified Information Technology Professional) and a CMC (Certified Management Consultant). He has served in the U.S. Air Force and received a Top Secret Security clearance while in service to his country. He was also an auditor with the accounting firm of Deloitte and Touche. He is a member of the AICPA, the Maryland Association of CPA’s, and the National Association of Black Accountants.

Denise Brinkley

Accounting/Office Manager

Denise Brinkley has spent over 30 years in the accounting/office manager roll, 15 of those years with Falmouth Institute. Denise manages all the accounts receivable/payables, as well as maintains the upkeep of the office.

Denise is originally from Louisiana but has most recently moved from Virginia to Texas. When not working you can find her outdoors near water (beach or lake) always with a good book to read.

Melanie Burkhart

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Melanie Burkhart, OD Specialist II and National Strategy Manager for the Oneida Tribe of Indians of WI, brings over 18 years of experience working within the Tribal Structure. She worked for many years in the Human Resource field specializing in interviewing, project management, facilitation, team building, consensus building, and conflict resolution. As the National Strategy Manager she worked closely with Executive and Divisional level staff with their strategy execution, including developing objectives, measures and implementation. Her current role is with the Oneida Business Committee, helping with their reorganization efforts and reviewing strategy, vision and mission. She has been conducting orientation with newly elected Business Committee members for the past 12 years.

Ms. Burkhart has many years of experience working on organizational development projects, including HRIS system implementation, policy analysis, compensation study, and most recently Balanced Scorecard. She has a BA in Business Management and Communications and an MA in Organizational Behavior.

Douglas “Olin” Calderon

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Douglas “Olin” Calderon (pronounced Olēēn) brings over 20 years of human resource management and leadership experience with a strong concentration as a HR Generalist. He is currently the Human Resources Director at the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (DWS) since 2015. He is responsible for leading DWS’s human resources strategy, talent acquisition, training and development, compensation and design, employee relations, and labor relations.

Mr. Calderon received both his masters and undergraduate degrees from the University of New Mexico. He has also achieved several advance certifications in the human resources’ profession. Mr. Calderon has obtained the following professional designations: Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), Certified Labor Relations (CLRP) professional, Professional in Human Resources (PHR), and the Society of Human Resources Management – Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).

Mr. Calderon began his career as a union representative on behalf of various labor unions in grievance handling and contract negotiations. He later transition into human resources management as a labor relations professional. After working several years in the private sector, Mr. Calderon went on to work for various Native American communities. Mr. Calderon was the Human Resources Director for the Isleta Business Corporations/Pueblo of Isleta and later the Human Resources Director at Buffalo Thunder Casino and Resort and Cities of Gold Hotel and Casino (Santa Fe, NM). In both positions he worked closely with tribal governors and tribal council members assisting both tribes in navigating tribal and employment law matters.

Mr. Calderon is an adjunct-instructor at Central New Mexico College Ingenuity Program, teaching classes in management and leadership. In addition, he is currently the Chapter President of the New Mexico Public Employers Labor Relations Association (NMPELRA).

Mr. Calderon believes that providing exceptional human resources experience for every customer and client. He believes positive changes come from within an organization and human resources is an instrument for change.

Outside of work, Mr. Calderon enjoys camping, martial arts and spending time with his two children.

Julia Coates

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Julia Coates is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Born in Pryor, Oklahoma and raised in northern California, she holds BAs in Anthropology and English from San Francisco State University, and a PhD in American Studies from the University of New Mexico. She has worked for Native American non-profits, tribal governments, and non-governmental organizations. Dr. Coates was a delegate to the Cherokee Nation Constitutional convention, was the Project Director for the award-winning Cherokee Nation History Course, and served two terms on the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council. She has worked on research, grant writing, and conference production for the American Indian Studies Center at UCLA, and presently is an adjunct professor of American Indian subject courses in the Social Sciences division at Pasadena City College. She also co-founded the Cherokee PINS Project: Education and Engagement for Sovereignty, a non-profit dedicated to building civic engagement within Cherokee communities and bridging the divides between the Cherokee citizens within and outside the tribal boundary.

Ed Felker

Designer/Web Manager

Ed Felker has spent the majority of his 30-year graphic design career with The Falmouth Institute. As designer and web manager, Ed is responsible for maintaining the Falmouth brand, creating compelling marketing materials, and managing the company’s web site.

A writer, photographer and outdoorsman, Ed can most often be found outdoors near his Virginia home overlooking the Potomac River, usually with a camera, often with a fly rod, always with a dog.

Linée Ferguson

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

With more than 20 years’ experience in Human Resources management, Linée Ferguson’s expertise includes HR startups, recruiting strategy, compensation, coaching leaders through difficult employee issues and implementing HR Technology. For 11 years, Ms. Ferguson was the Human Resources Manager for the Education Division of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Ultimately, Ms. Ferguson’s mission is to help build extraordinary organizations that fulfill their potential. In pursuit of this mission, she launched Master the Workplace, LLC in 2013, a firm dedicated to promoting and helping businesses achieve success through effective people management practices.

Ms. Ferguson is a trained mediator, certified background investigation adjudicator and certified workplace financial education trainer. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems and a Master’s degree in Urban Studies (Human Resources concentration) – both from Georgia State University. She also holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation. Ms. Ferguson serves on the City of Mesa’s Merit System Board in Arizona.

Vince Franco

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Vince Franco is the Founder and Owner of Next Venture Consulting (NVC), which provides training, consulting and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations and associations, for-profit firms, Native American Tribes, Tribal Entities and Tribally Determined Housing Authorities (TDHEs).

Before creating NVC, Vince was the Compliance and Resource Development Director for the Native Learning Center (NLC) - Seminole Tribe of Florida from 2011 to 2022. In that capacity, he supervised a funding award of the Indian Housing Block Grant from the Office of Native American Programs - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He developed and supervised several other major funding awards for the NLC. Vince also developed and facilitated numerous onsite and virtual training programs and sessions on a nationwide basis for Native American Tribes, Tribal Entities and TDHEs in internal controls and compliance, grant writing, federal grants management, federal funding regulations, goal development and strategic planning, parliamentary procedure and more. Vince has a degree in Economics from Northern Illinois University.

John Friel

Director of Financial Services

John Friel, CPA, is Director of Financial Services with the Falmouth Institute, where he provides a wide range of financial management services to tribal governments. Mr. Friel leads the team that prepares and negotiates indirect cost proposals for hundreds of Falmouth IDC clients. Other services include: training, internal controls analysis, cost allocation policy facilitation and corrective action plans in response to audit findings issued in accordance with single audits.

Mr. Friel achieved the status of master trainer due to his outstanding achievements in workshop presentation and methodology. He has consistently demonstrated an understanding and sensitivity to the issues faced by attendees in the workshops he conducts.

Donald Garrett

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law

Donald Garrett is a member of Falmouth Institute’s adjunct faculty, instructing in governance areas such as Robert’s Rules of Order. Mr. Garrett has been a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) for over 14 years, earning the highest credential, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, in 2013. Mr. Garrett is highly regarded amongst his parliamentary peers. He is consistently invited to present at state and national NAP conferences, and he has served on the Board of Directors of the Virginia State Association of Parliamentarians since 2016.

Based in the Northern Virginia/DC Metropolitan Area, he combines his experience with analysis and member engagement with an expert command of Robert’s Rules of Order to provide accurate and timely advice to organizations of all sizes through his company, Last Minute Meetings. His personal touch puts clients at ease as they navigate through prickly meetings and confusing motions. Past clients of Mr. Garrett have included state and tribal governments, national nonprofit organizations, Credit Unions, Alaska Native Corporations, and homeowner associations.

Mr. Garrett is a recognized expert in modernizing meetings while still staying in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. In the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, he helped numerous organizations convert to electronic meetings and virtual governance. In 2022, he aided a Circuit Court in Virginia with conducting a court-ordered meeting of a religious body where the outcome of the meeting would ultimately determine the future direction of the church. Mr. Garrett also provides advice on streamlining and updating Bylaws, as well as taking perfect meeting minutes.

Outside of his parliamentary consulting, Mr. Garrett is an award-winning analyst with the Federal Government and has a background with nonprofit fundraising and membership engagement. He enjoys volunteering with community organizations and sampling exotic and new cuisine.

Marissa Gehley

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Marissa J. Gehley is the founder of KNOW consulting, Kids Need Our Wisdom. She has more than 30 years of experience in education as a former teacher, counselor, child welfare and attendance specialist and coordinator of school safety and the Burbank OutReach Center. Additionally she is a trainer for the California School/Law Enforcement Partnership.

Ms. Gehley is proud to have contributed to several articles published in the nationally syndicated column “A+ Advice for Parents” by Leanna Landsmann. She has presented hundreds of workshops for community leaders, educators, parents and students in areas such as bully awareness/prevention, suicide prevention, effective communication techniques, school and neighborhood safety, diversity, relationship violence, child abuse and neglect and developing effective community partnerships. She holds a BS in history and social science and an MA in counseling.

Nat Hall

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Nathaniel “Nat” Hall brings more than 28 years of experience in Human Resources Management and Training. He is currently the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at the Memorial Hospital Association in Carthage, IL. Prior to his current position, he had worked as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation, a regional Tribal Healthcare Organization in Southwest Alaska. Before that, he worked for Bristol Bay Industrial, LLC, (Bristol Bay Native Corporation’s holding company for their Oil and Gas businesses) in Anchorage, Alaska, where he served as their Human Resources Director and Employee Concerns Program (ECP) Manager; Health Administrator and Director of Human Resources at Copper River Native Association in Copper Center, Alaska; Director of Human Resources at Memorial Hospital of Texas County in Oklahoma and Director of Human Resources for Norton Sound Health Corporation in Nome, Alaska.

Mr. Hall had also served for 2 years on the Alaska Process Industry Career Consortium (APICC) Board of Directors and was the Treasurer for the Board. Mr. Hall is a member of the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE), the National Association of Employee Concerns Programs (NAECP), The American Institute of Parliamentarians (AIP), the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) and the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).

Mr. Hall holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications from Oklahoma Panhandle State University. He also has earned his Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR) certification as well as his Employee Concerns Investigator certification. Mr. Hall is married with two children and enjoys many outdoor activities. Mr. Hall also has been a play by play sports broadcaster for such sports as High School Basketball and Football, College Basketball and Football, Semi-pro Baseball, Arena Football, and has been the in-stadium/venue announcer for other live events.

Lisa Harjo

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Lisa Harjo works as the Executive Director for Native American Cancer Research. She is the Principal Investigator on a project with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and provides administrative leadership and oversight for the organization. She supervises staff and maintains all corporate documents and standards. She also provides health education, training, recruits American Indians for cancer screening, and supports cancer survivors through education and outreach in the Denver Metro Area.

After receiving her Bachelors of Science in Native American Education and Child Development in 1974, Ms. Harjo spent the next twenty years teaching all ages from preschool through higher education. She also worked for many years in the field of non-profit organization management and development. She received her Masters of Education in Elementary Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado at Denver in the early nineties. She co-authored several books in the field of education. She has worked for decades with American Indian tribes and other organizations, facilitating group meetings and trainings, and assisting communities in building consensus and unity of visions.

Ms. Harjo lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, three daughters, grandson, and three granddaughters.

James Harrison

Customer Care Representative

With over 4 years of customer service experience, James is excited to bring his customer centric approach to our Customer Care team. He will be helping you navigate your way through courses, questions, and concerns you may have.

James is originally from Virginia but has had the opportunity to move around outside of his hometown. When not working you can find him watching some sporting event, pretty much anything but NASCAR, or outside playing with his kids.

Sam Hill

Learning and Development Consultant

Sam Hill grew up in the Hill Country area of central Texas.

He majored in Literature and Creative Writing at Texas State University, the same school that President Lyndon B. Johnson attended as well as the 'King of Country Music' George Strait.

His literary work has appeared in various publications, including Persona; the arts & literary magazine of Texas State University, and SXSWorld Magazine, the official magazine of the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. He has also had the privilege of interviewing prominent figures for articles, such as the rapper Logic, Native American musical artist Black Belt Eagle Scout, and London Mayor Sadiq Kahn, & numerous
others.

For the past decade Sam has been working for the Legislature of the State of Texas providing Training and Instructional Design consulting.

When not behind a desk, Sam can be found behind an easel working on an oil painting, at a live music show, or on the hiking trails in his beloved Arizona, but more than likely he is enjoying the constant company of a furry, four-legged friend.

He joined the Falmouth Institute in the summer of 2022.

Joe Hobot

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Dr. Joe Hobot is a descendant of the Hunkpapa Band of the Lakota Nation from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and was born and raised in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Minnesota, a Master’s Degree from the University of St. Thomas, and a Doctorate of Education from Hamline University.

He is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Indian OIC, having served with the organization since 2006. He previously held the position of Director of Education, overseeing the progress of the organization’s alternative high school, its Adult Basic Education/GED program, and the Takoda Institute of Higher Education. He also served as the Lead Teacher of Takoda Prep with an emphasis on Social Studies, and as an Instructor in the AIOIC post-secondary school as well.

Dr. Hobot was recently appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to serve on the Minnesota Jobs Skills Partnership’s board of directors. He is also a director on the boards of the Native American Community Development Institute, the Women’s Environmental Institute, chairs the Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors group, and is a member of Equity Works. He is the 2015 recipient of the Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce’s Bear Award and was named a 2016 40 Under 40 by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Most recently, Dr. Hobot became a fellow through the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. In August 2018, Dr. Hobot was selected by the Aspen Institute for an Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship.

Lisa Jaeger

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Lisa Jaeger has served as the tribal government specialist for the Tanana Chiefs Conference in Fairbanks Alaska since 1979. The Tanana Chiefs is a non-profit Native corporation that provides technical assistance and service delivery to 37 federally recognized tribes in the Interior of Alaska. She has traveled extensively into the villages of the Interior and other parts of Alaska assisting tribes in designing tribal government structures and procedures; drafting constitutions, ordinances, codes, and policies; and assisting tribes on land issues and in the development of their tribal courts.

Ms. Jaeger has also been incredibly involved in the development of Circle Peacemaking in Alaska and collaborative efforts between the Alaska Court System and Alaska tribal courts. She teaches Indian law and tribal government courses for the University of Alaska, National Judicial College and through a wide variety of other collaborative training efforts. She has written handbooks for Alaska tribes on tribal government, code drafting, Alaska Native lands, and tribal court development. Ms. Jaeger is the producer of multiple films on tribal court development for Alaska tribes, such as the documentary film entitled, "Tribal Nations, The Story of Federal Indian Law." And a 60-minute documentary film called "Alaska Tribes: The Story of Federal Indian Law in Alaska in 2012,". She also produced a website on Federal Indian Law in Alaska in collaboration with the University of Alaska.

Ms. Jaeger has undergraduate degrees in biology and secondary education and a master’s degree in Northern Studies-Indian Law from the Universities of Arizona and Alaska.

Valerie Jensen, DNPc, MSN

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Valerie is a Diné (Navajo) woman of the Navajo tribe and resides in Arizona. Valerie has a master’s degree in nursing and is completing her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in Spring 2023 from Grand Canyon University. She has over 20 years of experience in healthcare and nursing, with over a decade of executive leadership and C-suite experience. Healthcare practices include ambulatory care, primary care, urgent care, ER, administration, and pre-hospital. She continues to expand her nursing practice and experience with long-term care nursing, nurse consulting for a private, non-profit facility serving the Native American population, and pursuing a career in academics with Colleges of Nursing.

Allison Jones

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Allison Jones has more than thirty years of experience in grant writing and nonprofit management and has an M.Ed. in Adult Education. She is devoted to teaching and provides highly interactive, student-centric learning experiences. Allison is a grant writing professor at Western Washington University, Evergreen College, and Seattle Central College. She is an approved grant writing trainer by the Grant Professionals Association, Grant Professionals Certification Institute, and Certified Fundraising Executives. Allison consults for the Grant Professional Association, Instrumentl, 501 Commons, Washington Nonprofits, the Nonprofit Association of Oregon, Idaho Nonprofit Center, the Montana Nonprofit Association, and Puget Sound Grantwriters Association. She is a columnist for Candid.org.

Kostan Lathouris

Senior Law and Governance Analyst

Kostan R. Lathouris, an enrolled member and former elected Tribal Council Member of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, is an adjunct instructor and the Senior Law and Governance Analyst for Falmouth Institute, Inc.

He is the managing member of Lathouris Law PLLC, a law practice dedicated to asserting and defending tribal sovereignty through tribal law development and litigation. He received his Juris Doctor from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (“UNLV”) in 2015 and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, as a University Honors Scholar, from UNLV in 2009. He is a member of both the State Bars of Nevada and California, and is admitted to practice in multiple federal, tribal, and state courts.

In association with Rapport & Marston, Kostan served on the legal team for the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, whereupon the Tribe was able to successfully obtain a federal court decision that the land in question was within the boundaries of the Tribe’s reservation and was therefore Indian country.

Kostan helped represent several federally recognized tribes as part of tribal-state gaming compact negotiations with the State of California. He also served on the tribes’ legal team in the both the subsequent district court litigation. The Tribes prevailed on their motion for summary judgment against the State of California.

In addition, he is the current Chair of the Nevada Indian Commission, a state agency that effectively serves as a liaison between the State of Nevada and the federally recognized Tribes in the State.

Sarah Lawson

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Sarah Lawson is an attorney with Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt. She focuses her practice on Indian law, with over a decade of experience advising tribal governments on a variety of matters including real estate, land use planning and development, and tax. Ms. Lawson is widely regarded as an authority on issues involving Indian trust land, and has increasingly been assisting tribes with Alaskan trust land and the BIA. She is an enrolled member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska.
Ms. Lawson began her work in Indian Country as in intern with the Assembly of First Nations in Canada, where her research on Indian residential school abuse and impacts laid the groundwork for the Indian Residential Settlement Agreement (IRSSA). During law school she was a law clerk for the Oneida Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and the Native American Rights Fund in Washington D.C., where she worked on the Indian trust class action suit Cobell v. Salazar.

Ms. Lawson serves as an appellate judge for the Northwest Intertribal Court System and has taught courses on the history of federal Indian policy, rights of tribes, Indian self-determination, and legal studies for Northwest Indian College. She is as a member of the boards of the Northwest Indian Bar Association, National Tribal Land Association, and is past president of the board of directors for Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theater.

Prior to joining Schwabe, Lawson served as General Counsel for the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, Trust Services Director for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, and Assistant Attorney General for the Tohono O'Odham Nation in Sells, Arizona. Lawson received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, and is admitted to practice in Washington, Wisconsin and Arizona.

Erin Levant

Curriculum and Instruction Specialist

Erin Levant comes to the Falmouth Institute from the field of education, with thirteen years of international classroom, training, and supervisory experience. Erin's expertise includes curriculum creation, instructional design, project management, and cross-cultural communication. Erin is excited to join the Learning and Development team and to ensure quality content and learning for the Falmouth community.

Jaymond Li

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Jaymond is originally from Brooklyn, NY, but attended college at CSU Northridge in Southern California, earning a degree in Business Administration. With 6+ years of experience as an IT professional, Jaymond has assisted hundreds of small-medium businesses and nonprofits in Nevada and California with IT consultation, including implementation, administration, and training. He is currently the Systems Administrator for The Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas.

Jeff Marciano

President/CEO

Mr. Marciano is a highly skilled, hands-on business executive with expertise in the development and delivery of training and consulting projects for Tribal organizations throughout North America. He has served Indian Country for over 30 years, helping Tribes address the challenges posed by self governance issues. In his capacity as CEO/President, he is responsible for developing and implementing all short-and long-term strategic initiatives for all phases of Falmouth Institute, including, the development and delivery of comprehensive training and consulting services. In his previous roles with Falmouth, he served as the Editor of the Native American Law Digest, Publisher of the American Indian Report, a Curriculum Development Specialist, Marketing and Business Development coordinator and Vice President of Operations. Mr. Marciano is an alumnus of Syracuse University where he majored in Political Science and minored in Constitutional Law. He is married to his college sweetheart, Angie, and together they have two wonderful children, Emily and John. He has served on a number of community association boards, including the Southwestern Youth Association, Cardinal Lacrosse and the Brown University Women’s Lacrosse Association. In his spare time, Jeff loves traveling with his family, skiing, coaching lacrosse, boating and playing ice hockey.

Brian Mathers

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Brian Mathers is the Executive Director of the HoChunk Community Development Corporation, a non-profit affiliated with the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. He has been an Adjunct Faculty member for the Falmouth Institute since 2014. He has more than 30 years' experience in community development, non-profit management, social services, and educational settings. Mathers provides training and technical assistance in the areas of Grant Writing, Tribal Grants Management, Financial Literacy, Case Management, Strategic Planning, and other topics.

Dawn McKeever

Marketing Manager

Dawn McKeever has more than 30 years of marketing experience, 20 of those managing Falmouth Institute’s marketing efforts. Dawn’s expertise includes marketing communication, content development, email marketing, strategic planning, social media, website management and marketing analysis.

Desiree McPherson

Curriculum Development Specialist

For 3 years, Desiree has been looking at ways she can make a difference for customers, her colleagues, and Falmouth Institute. Starting a position with Falmouth Institute as a Customer Care Representative, she is now a part of our Curriculum Development Team. Desiree is excited to share the responsibility of ensuring that learning and development needs are met in compliance with policy and strategic objective.

Mekko Miller

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

The Hon. Mekko M. Miller currently serves as the presiding judge for the Pueblo of San Felipe Contemporary Tribal Court and as the Chief Judge for the Pueblo de San Ildefonso in New Mexico and as pro tem judge for the Pueblos of Pojoaque, Santa Ana and Nambe. Prior to being appointed to the bench in his respective jurisdictions, Judge Miller served in a variety of leadership and legal representative roles in service to tribal governments, tribal businesses and individual tribal citizens. As an attorney Judge Miller has assisted tribes in numerous legal matters, including the creation of tribal agencies and programs, state-tribal gaming compact negotiations and cultural properties claims. Judge Miller has had the privilege to work as an attorney for the New Mexico Legal Aid, Inc. (NMLA) a non-profit legal services law firm dedicated to representing indigent families and individuals in the state of New Mexico. As an attorney for NMLA, Judge Miller worked in the firm’s Native American Program and practiced in numerous tribal courts and in state court representing Native American individuals and families in matters involving Federal Indian Law, child welfare, public benefits, consumer protection, civil rights and criminal defense. Judge Miller has been recognized nationally for his efforts to reduce and study the impact of Native American defendants’ terms of incarceration in the Federal Court system compared to other groups by his appointment to the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s Tribal Issues Advisory Group (TIAG).

Judge Miller is a proud citizen of the Pueblo of Tesuque in beautiful northern New Mexico with shared ancestry in the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma. He received his undergraduate degree with a B.A. in Political Science from New Mexico State University in 1999 and his J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 2003. Judge Miller is a licensed attorney in New Mexico and in several tribal court jurisdictions throughout the United States. Judge Miller resides primarily in Albuquerque, NM with his wife, daughter and his neighbor’s numerous cats.

Wes Miller

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Wes was born in Pittsburgh, PA and raised in northeast Ohio. He moved to Las Vegas for economic reasons, meaning he needed a job and Vegas was hiring. He has managed the Learning and Development function for various hotel/casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and has been proudly facililtating training sessions for the Falmouth Institute since 1994.

He earned his BA in Business Administration/HR and a Master’s in Education for Instructional Design.

Wes is also an experienced mediator and was appointed by the Nevada Supreme Court as a Foreclosure Mediator during the financial crisis from 2009-2015. He taught a 40 hour mediation certification program at UNLV during that time and still makes occasional guest appearances for current classes. He is passionate about restorative justice practices and other conflict resolution training. He volunteers with the Nevada Mediation Group to offer conflict resolution training for the Las Vegas community.

At this point, Wes has done both training delivery and instructional design for more than half his life. He knew from a young age this is what he wanted to do and has had the great fortune of loving his work. He lives by the mantra “Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life.”

Jennifer Newton

Director of Training Administration

Ms. Newton has over 20 years of experience planning and delivering trainings in Indian Country. She is intimately familiar with the life cycle of training events and is responsible for the logistics and administration of all virtual and in-person training seminars. She oversees a team of training specialists to ensure seamless planning, delivery, and evaluation of programs. She is a skilled professional well versed in all aspects of training administration.

Stephen D. Osborne

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Steve Osborne is an attorney and partner in the Portland, Oregon office of Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, LLP. He works with tribes on issues arising from the negotiation, performance, and enforcement of tribal contracts and compacts under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. He also works on tribal jurisdictional issues, economic development, administrative law, and litigation. Mr. Osborne has provided technical support to national tribal-federal workgroups addressing tribal self-governance, contract support costs, transportation issues, and data management. Over the last 15 years, Mr. Osborne has helped many tribes and tribal organizations obtain court rulings and settlements establishing important legal rights and obtaining substantial financial recoveries, including some 70 contract support cost settlements with the Indian Health Service totaling over $200 million.

Mr. Osborne’s published articles include The History, Status, and Future of Tribal Self-Governance Under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act in the American Indian Law Review (with Geoff Strommer) and Placing Land Into Trust in Alaska: Issues and Opportunities in the American Indian Law Journal (with Geoff Strommer and Craig Jacobson). Prior to law school, Mr. Osborne taught writing and literature courses at the university level for 15 years and served as the technical editor for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

Patina Park

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Patina Park, J.D. serves as a senior advisor and Executive Director of Tribal State Relations in the Office of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan where she directs the government-to-government relationship between the Governor’s office and Tribal Nations, and works closely with staff across the Enterprise to advise on issues affecting policy and legislative affairs impacting the Tribal Nations and tribal communities. Over the past 20 years, she has worked with both tribal and state governments, and with urban Native communities in various roles. She has represented Native families in state and tribal courts as an ICWA attorney and served a tribal court appellate judge. She has taught Federal Indian Law as an adjunct law professor and held leadership positions with the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, Minneapolis Division of Indian Work, and the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Justice. Ms. Park has been faculty with the Falmouth Institute for over 12 years.

Ms. Park is Mnicoujou Lakota, her biological family comes from the Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux Tribes and her adoptive family is Osage. She graduated from Arizona State University with an undergraduate in Psychology and obtained her Juris Doctorate from Hamline University School of Law. Ms. Park is married and the mother of 3 boys. She also has 2 demanding cats and a very naughty but adorable dog.

Brian Pearson

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

As a long-time Las Vegas local, Brian Pearson has spent the last 30 years working with technology to get the most out of office automation. Brian earned his Bachelor’s degree and Master's degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He has been instructing classes in Microsoft Office, Network Security, Records Retention and Electronic Document Management for Falmouth for the past 15 years. He is a devoted husband and father of three children. He enjoys spending time with his children, volunteering with youth baseball programs and working with computers.

Terry Rainey

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Terry Rainey is the President of Ink Impressions, Inc. and its Automated Election Services division. With more than 14 years of service, he has seen the company through its evolution from a business forms manufacturer and distributor to its position today as a nationally known provider of automated election, enrollment, voter registration and security data management products and services to public, private and Native American organizations. He has supervised the management of over 700 elections in the public and private sectors and has supervised the design and installation of over 30 of the company’s enrollment and database management applications.

Lisa Riggleman

Director, Learning and Development

As the Director of Learning and Development, Lisa Riggleman is responsible for leading the design and delivery process of culturally-appropriate, business related training initiatives for Falmouth Institute. She has worked and traveled extensively in Indian Country for nearly 30 years. Lisa has decades of experience in the nonprofit, education and gaming professions. Most recently, she held senior leadership positions with The Mob Museum and The Neon Museum-both in Las Vegas. She is an avid volunteer and serves on the board of various Las Vegas nonprofits. She earned a Master of Arts in journalism and telecommunications from the University of Wyoming and a Bachelor of Science in journalism and broadcasting from West Texas A&M University as well as post graduate studies and a human resources certification at The University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Harold Rivkin

Director of Background and Adjudication Services

Mr. Rivkin has is the Consulting Services Manager for Falmouth Institute, an American Indian Consulting firm based in Fairfax Virginia and facilitates educational classes in Indian Country. He has been with Falmouth for the last seventeen years.

Mr. Rivkin, a former Chief of Police with a suburban Chicago Police Department and former Corporate Director of Assets Protection for a major Wisconsin retail organization, has been a member of the Fox Valley ASIS Chapter since 1979. He held several offices including President of the local ASIS chapter. Through ASIS he obtained the designation of Certified Protection Professional (CPP) which he maintained for over twenty years. Mr. Rivkin has served as a Door County Sheriff Reserve Deputy for five years. Mr. Rivkin has also served on the executive board of Crime Stoppers for ten years, and as President of Green Bay Area Crime Stoppers chapter. Mr. Rivkin is the owner and operator of Assets Protection Solutions, LLC, a Private Security Consulting firm based out of Door County Wisconsin.

Eduardo Sanchez

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Eduardo Sanchez has over 25 years of experience in Health Information Administration with various healthcare facilities. He is currently the Regional Director of Health Information Management and Privacy Officer for nine (9) hospitals scattered throughout the Southeast U.S.. He has experience in implementing electronic patient care records and other various healthcare systems.

Mr. Sanchez's expertise is coding and billing functions, HIPAA policies, and the appropriate release of patient care information, along with other aspects in patient information administration. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, and his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix. Credentials are: (RHIA)-Registered Health Information Administrator, (CCS)-Certified Coding Specialist, and (CHP)–Certified HIPAA Professional.

Niki Sandoval

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Dr. Sandoval is the Education Director for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and a Continuing Lecturer in UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. She is a Trustee of the Santa Barbara Foundation and has served two terms as a member of the California State Board of Education (2013-2020). Her career began at the J. Paul Getty Museum of Art and continued at the Smithsonian Institution, where she held the position of Assistant Director of Community Services for the National Museum of the American Indian. Dr. Sandoval holds a Ph.D. in Education from UCSB, M.A. in Museum Studies from the George Washington University and a B.A. in Public Relations from Pepperdine University.

Anita Shah

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Anita Shah is a Senior Manager with Moss Adams LLP’s Tribal Services Group. Ms. Shah has practiced public accounting since 2008 and has been working exclusively with Tribal governments since 2009. She specializes in financial statement audits and single audits under the standards required by OMB for Tribal governments. Ms. Shah also has experience working with Tribal housing authorities, health facilities, schools, casinos, and other Tribal enterprises. Having served various Tribal governments and their enterprises throughout the country, Ms. Shah is able to provide valuable insight and best practice recommendations to Tribes about their internal controls, policies and procedures, and overall operational improvements to better serve their membership. Additionally, as part of providing audit services, Ms. Shah has technical expertise in the laws and regulations of GASB, GAGAS (“Yellow Book”), and OMB Single Audit, to provide clients with useful and timely recommendations to help them successfully implement new standards and remain in compliance with applicable requirements.

Kurt Tucker

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Kurt Tucker is a partner with the Michigan firm of Midwest Professionals. For the Falmouth Institute, he consults with tribes in the areas of accounting and auditing. Kurt specializes in conducting training sessions in the Finance arena, including OMB Circular compliance, Indirect Cost Proposal preparation and Understanding Federal Travel Regulations. Mr. Tucker spent many years as a staff CPA, conducting and participating in tribal audits for over 20 tribes. He worked extensively in a partnership with Egghardt and Associates, where he participated in tribal audits. After spending several years as an independent consultant, he joined forces to form Midwest Professionals. His goal with Midwest Professionals is to provide quality service specializing in the tribal auditing. He received his BS from Wake Forest University and his Accounting degree from Central Michigan University.

Evelina Y-Maho, MAdm.

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Evelina is a member of the Navajo tribe and resides in Northern Arizona. Holds a master’s degree in Administration with an emphasis in Health Sciences, undergraduate degree in Clinical Dietetics and Chemistry from Northern Arizona University; carries executive leadership and directorship experience in the healthcare arena. Evelina currently works with the National Council for Urban Indian Health (NCUIH). At, NCUIH, supports over 41 Urban Indian Health Organizations in the US. Evelina’s career started and continues to be in the Public Health arena. In addition to her Public Health work, she is part-owner and founder of YM Solutions, LLC a newly established consulting business. As one of the Adjunct Faculty members, enjoys delivering courses to support and build capacity with Tribal Nations at Falmouth Institute.

Stephanie Zehren

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Ms. Zehren graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law after graduating in the top of her class and being admitted to the Order of the Coif for her law school achievements. In 2007, Ms. Zehren joined Daniel W. Hester to form the law firm of Hester & Zehren, which is solely devoted to the practice of Indian law. Ms. Zehren represents Indian tribes and Indian organizations primarily in the areas of protection and enhancement of water rights and tribal natural resources. In addition, she represents clients on a myriad of employment, health, and tribal sovereignty matters, and has been involved in cases involving the Indian Child Welfare Act, tribal economic development, and Native American prisoners’ religious rights. She is admitted to practice law in the State of Colorado and in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Teresa Choyguha

Emcee

Teresa, also known as Sh-Girl, is a citizen of the Tohono O'odham Nation in southern Arizona. Teresa performs stand-up comedy and is part of the all-female comedy group, "The Ladies of Native Comedy:' Teresa promotes culture and language in her community. She is part of a group dedicated to reviving traditional pottery making in her Nation. She lives with her family Where the Turtle is Wedged (Sells, Arizona). She is currently employed by the Tohono O'odham Utility Authority.

Karla Bylund

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Karla Bylund, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, founded Soaring Bird Solutions in 2015. Soaring Bird Solutions is a Native American Woman-owned consulting firm which provides professional Human Resource consulting services including HR outsourcing and special projects such as compensation and organizational analysis, human resource audit and assistance, policy review, employee relations investigations, engagement surveys, career development and customized training.

She has over 25 years’ experience in Human Resources and has worked with over 30 Tribal Nations. Her credentials include:

Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Phoenix
Master of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Kansas State University
Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion, Cornell University
Senior Human Resource Certification, Society for Human Resource Management
Speaker, National Native American Human Resource Association
Speaker, National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development
Speaker, TribalNet Annual Conference
Adjunct Instructor, Falmouth Institute

Evelina Y-Maho

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Evelina Y-Maho is Co-Owner/Founder of YM Solutions, LLC, a native women-own consulting firm. Worked many years in the public health and healthcare arena. Holds a Masters Degree in Administration with an emphasis in Health Sciences and an undergraduate degree in Clinical Dietetics and Chemistry from Northern Arizona University. Early in her career, much of her work focused on Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease among American Indian populations. Experienced and skilled in project design, implementation, evaluation, and fiscal management. Much of her work entails collaborative work with Tribal Health Programs, Hospitals (IHS/638) Facilities and Urban Indian Health Centers. Currently, Evelina works with the National Council of Urban Indian Health and continues to support AI/AN programs. At Falmouth Institute, she serves as an Adjunct Faculty Member.

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Our People

Experience, expertise, dedication – meet the Falmouth team working tostrengthen the tribes and tribal organizations of Indian Country.

Adam Bailey

Raymond Bantum

Denise Brinkley

Melanie Burkhart

Douglas “Olin” Calderon

Julia Coates, Ph.D.

Ed Felker

Linée Ferguson

Vince Franco

John Friel

Donald Garrett

Marissa Gehley

Nat Hall

Lisa Harjo

James Harrison

Sam Hill

Joe Hobot

Lisa Jaeger

Valerie Jensen, DNPc, MSN

Allison Jones

Kostan Lathouris

Sarah Lawson

Erin Levant

Jaymond Li

Jeffrey S. Marciano

Brian Mathers

Dawn McKeever

Desiree McPherson

Mekko Miller

Wes Miller

Jennifer Newton

Stephen D. Osborne

Patina Park

Brian Pearson

Terry Rainey

Lisa Riggleman

Harold Rivkin

Eduardo Sanchez

Niki Sandoval

Anita Shah

Kurt Tucker

Evelina Y-Maho, MAdm.

Stephanie Zehren

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Accounting/Office Manager

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Designer/Web Manager

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Director of Financial Services

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Customer Care Representative

Learning and Development Consultant

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Senior Law and Governance Analyst

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Curriculum and Instruction Specialist

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

President/CEO

Adjunct Faculty ~ Finance

Marketing Manager

Curriculum Development Specialist

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Director of Training Administration

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Adjunct Faculty ~ Human Resources

Adjunct Faculty ~ Law & Governance

Experience, expertise, dedication – meet the Falmouth team working to
strengthen the tribes and tribal organizations of Indian Country.