Rodina Cave Parnall (Quechua) became the Executive Director of the American Indian Law Center, Inc. in July 2022 after serving five years as the Director of the Pre-Law Summer Institute for American Indians and Alaska Natives. 

Rodina served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior. Before that, she practiced law in New Mexico and Arizona representing Indian tribes and tribal entities in legal and administrative proceedings and on several large breach-of-trust cases in federal courts. In addition to her Indian law practice, she is experienced in complex litigation and appeals in federal and state courts.

Rodina has been an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law and an Associate Judge on the Southwest Intertribal Court of Appeals (SWITCA). In 2014, she received the New Mexico State Bar Indian Law Section Outstanding Achievement Award. She graduated from Arizona State University College of Law in 2001 with a Certificate in Indian Law and the Outstanding Law Graduate Award for 2001. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Rodina clerked for the Honorable William C. Canby, Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

 Savannah R. Lee is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation (Bit’ahnii – Folded Arms People born for Ts’ah yisk’idnii-Sage Brush Hill) serves as the Law Center’s Administrative Coordinator and the Southwest Intertribal Court of Appeals (SWITCA) Court Clerk. She has been with the Law center since August 2022. Lee received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health from New Mexico State University in 2018. Prior to AILC, she worked for Ideas for Cooking and Nutrition (ICAN), a New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service (NMSU CES), providing nutrition education to low-income and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligible participants with a focus on tribal communities in New Mexico.

Danielle Montgomery (Mvskoke Creek) is a Project Coordinator with the American Indian Law Center and a 2020 alumna of the Pre-Law Summer Institute (PLSI). She earned her J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2023 and holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine, which she received in 2016. While at UNMSOL, Danielle was a member of NALSA, served as an editor for the Tribal Law Journal, and worked as a Research Assistant with the AILC. Her law school legal experience includes interning as a law clerk in prosecutorial offices at the city (Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office), county (Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, state (New Mexico DOJ), and federal (USAO DNM) levels in both California and New Mexico. Additionally, Danielle completed a data security internship in Washington, D.C., working with the Executive Office of the President’s Office of Administration Information Technology and the Office of the Director of White House Information Technology.

Kandice Seum is a Diné woman born and raised on the Navajo Nation. She is the Administrative Assistant for the American Indian Law Center, Inc. as of July 2024. She is an Alumna of UNM having graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor’s in University Studies with a focus on Communications and Psychology. Other degrees are an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice and an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts. Previously, she worked for a private business that investigated the backgrounds and eligibility of potential employees to work with tribally affiliated businesses. Other experience includes administrative and financial work with the Navajo Nation’s Emergency Rural Mapping department and local Chapter Houses within the Northern Agency of the Navajo Nation. She currently volunteers on committees within the Navajo Nation, such as the Authorized Local Emergency Response Team (ALERT, which responds to natural disasters/epidemic related crises) and Veterans organizations, such as AMVETS Post 120 and The Two Grey Hills Veterans Organization.

Scott Willie (Diné)    

PLSI Project Coordinator

Scott comes from the University of Utah, where they have worked for almost eight years in research and medical programming with the Native American Summer Research Internship and the Medical Scientist Training Program.  Scott has received the 2017-18 Leadership in Inclusive Excellence Staff Award and the 2021 Staff Excellence Award in Health Academics District from the University of Utah. Scott has a passion for health policy, and they will complete a certificate in American Indian Health from Johns Hopkins University, Center for Indigenous Health. Scott’s experiences in community outreach and community ways of knowing will support the Pre-Law Summer Institute participants. Scott received his bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Psychology from the University of New Mexico. 

Danielle Her Many Horses, Oglala Lakota from Wounded Knee, South Dakota serves as the Deputy Executive Director, General Counsel and Seminar Institute Director for the Indian Gaming Association, focusing on law and policy affecting tribal sovereignty, economic development and tribal governmental gaming.

Prior to joining the Indian Gaming Association, Ms. Her Many Horses was a Staff Attorney for the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, Economic Development Unit, where she provided legal support while they legalized tribal gaming. She currently is the President of the American Indian Law Center, Board of Directors. She graduated with her J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2002. 

A strong proponent of food sovereignty, Ms. Her Many Horses spends her free time preserving food and attempting to grow a vegetable and herb garden from the alkaline soil at her home in Wounded Knee, under the hungry and watchful eyes of her family and pets. An accomplished home chef, she specializes in native food preparation and meals serving 10 or more.

Kate Rosier (Comanche) serves as the Assistant Dean for Community Engagement and the Executive Director of the Indian Legal Program (ILP) at Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. In the Executive Director role Rosier leads the ILP’s recruitment and retention efforts and has worked with over 1000 Native American students. Rosier is responsible for the ILP’s programs, marketing, development and tribal partnerships. In 2015 she was responsible for bringing together an amazing team from various law schools and programs to launch the national Native American Pathway to Law Initiative. The goal of this program is to help get more Native American students into law school by guiding pre-law students through the law school admissions process and helping to fund LSAT preparation courses. 

Rosier is licensed to practice law in Arizona and served as an Assistant General Counsel for the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and worked as a tribal prosecutor for the Gila River Indian Community. She also serves as the Board Secretary of the American Indian Law Center and is the former President of the Native American Bar Association of Arizona. Rosier received her JD from the University of Utah College of Law and a BA from Capital University. 

Aaron Sims, a member of the Pueblo of Acoma, is a partner at the Chestnut Law Offices, P.A. in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Aaron joined the Chestnut Law Offices in 2014 after receiving his J.D. with an Indian Law Certificate from the University of New Mexico – School of Law. He attended PLSI in 2011.  Prior to attending law school, Aaron graduated from Dartmouth College in 2009 with a B.A. in Government and Native American Studies.  

Aaron’s practice focuses primarily on general counsel representation for Pueblo tribal governments and organizations.  Aaron has worked on a wide range of Indian legal issues including intergovernmental relations, environmental issues, tribal economic development, and water rights. Aaron has worked extensively on, and is especially interested in the protection of cultural resources, including the preservation of sacred sites and repatriation of sacred items.

Aaron serves on the AILC’s board of directors.

Jason Hauter (PLSI Class of 1999) is a partner at Akin Law Firm in its American Indian Law and Policy practice group based in Washington, DC.  Jason primarily represents Indian tribes and tribally owned enterprises, advising on a variety of matters, including federal policy, Indian water rights, Indian gaming, land into trust, economic development, and environmental regulation. 

Prior to joining Akin, Jason served as in-house counsel for the Gila River Indian Community, of which he is an enrolled member.  During his time at the “Community” he advised on many issues, including economic development, construction, labor and Indian employment preference, taxation, and internal policy.  Jason received his B.A. in communications in 1999 from the University of Washington-Seattle. He received his J.D. in 2002 from the University of New Mexico School Of Law, where he was one of the founding members and an editor of the Tribal Law Journal.

Doreen Nanibaa McPaul is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. She is Kinyaa’áanii, born for Bilagáana, her maternal grandfathers are Honaghaahnii, and her paternal grandfathers are Irish. She was born and raised in Chinle, Arizona on the Navajo Reservation. She is a 1995 graduate of Princeton University. She attended the Pre-Law Summer Institute in 1998 and returned as a TA in 1999 before earning her Juris Doctorate in 2001 from the Arizona State University College of Law, where she also received a Certificate in Federal Indian Law and served as a staff writer for the ASU Law Journal. After law school, Ms. McPaul clerked at the Arizona Court of Appeals for the Honorable Jefferson L. Lankford (retired). She has diverse experience serving as a tribal court staff attorney, as an associate attorney at the Nordhaus Law Firm in Albuquerque, and as a visiting clinical law professor and Interim Director of the Indian Legal Clinic at ASU. Since 2008, Ms. McPaul has worked as an in-house tribal attorney for several Arizona tribes, including a 4-year appointment as the Navajo Nation Attorney General. She currently serves as the Deputy Attorney General for the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Ms. McPaul has over 20 years of experience practicing Indian law and is admitted to practice law in Arizona and New Mexico, as well as before several tribal and federal courts.

Ms. McPaul is a 2013 graduate of the State Bar of Arizona’s Bar Leadership Institute and remains active in the State Bar and Indian legal community. In 2018, Ms. McPaul became one of the first American Indians appointed to serve on the State Bar of Arizona Board of Governors and she currently serves as the Vice President of the State Bar. Ms. McPaul is a founding board member of the Tribal In-House Counsel Association and served 10 years as TICA’s President. She also currently serves on the Board of the American Indian Law Center and was elected to membership in The American Law Institute in 2021. Most recently, Ms. McPaul was selected to serve as a Trustee for the Irish Cultural Center in Arizona.

Ms. McPaul has received several honors for her work. In 2021, she received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for Irish Abroad from Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins at a ceremony at the Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin. She also received the 2020 Alumnus of the Year Award from the National Native American Law Student Association in recognition of her work, passion, and dedication to serving Indian Country, and empowering native law students to dedicate their careers to serving their tribal communities.  She is also the recipient of the State Bar of Arizona Indian Law Section’s 2020 Rodney B. Lewis Award of Excellence for exemplifying the honesty, integrity, courage, grace, dignity, and respect of the award’s namesake. Finally, Ms. McPaul received the 2020 Cushing Academy Leadership Award for outstanding leadership, commitment to public service, and invaluable contributions to the Navajo Nation and the legal profession.

Most importantly, Ms. McPaul is a proud military spouse and mom. She is married to SFC Mark McPaul (retired), and they have three sons.

Kyle T. Nayback (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) has over 25 years of criminal and civil litigation and years of Tribal Policy Work in Washington D.C.   

After law school at the University of New Mexico School of Law, Kyle spent 3 years at a nationally recognized federal Indian law firm where he litigated tribal claims against the government and worked on policy matters for clients. 

Kyle joined the National Indian Gaming Commission in 1999 where he served as the Director of Congressional and Public affairs.  His duties included representing the NIGC on Capitol Hill, serving as spokesperson and speechwriter for media and public communications.  He also developed proficiency in gaming compliance and gaming device classifications. 

He then joined the United States Department of Justice in 2001 as  Deputy Director of the Office of Tribal Justice, where he worked on all matters within OTJ’s purview such as contributing to the federal government’s legal strategy on federal Indian law cases before the United States Supreme Court.  He also worked with DOJ grantees from Indian Country on implementation of DOJ grant programs.  

From 2003 to 2023 Mr. Nayback served as an Assistant United States Attorney, Tribal Liaison and Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico.  In those capacities, he served as counsel for the United States in 34 federal trials and 11 Tenth Circuit appeals.  More importantly Kyle served as a liaison to New Mexico’s 22 Indian tribal governments and the individuals victims in those communities. 

Mr. Nayback has represented tribes and tribal organizations in federal, state and tribal courts on matters including gaming compact negotiations, election disputes, water rights, jurisdictional disputes, tribal sovereignty and treaty rights.  Kyle currently sits on a number of Boards and Commissions that serve tribal communities, law students and those underrepresented.  

Michael Petoskey, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, served both as the founding Chief Judge for the Grand Traverse Band and on the bench for each of seven federally-recognized tribal communities in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. He has served as the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians first Chief Judge since his appointment in February 2002. He also is a member of the National Indian Justice Center Board of Directors.

Chief Judge Petoskey began his judicial career with the planning and implementation of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians Tribal Court while he was a staff attorney for Michigan Indian Legal Services. Assisting newly affirmed tribes to develop their tribal court systems became one of his career-long interests. Today, he continues to connect Michigan tribal courts with peacemaking concepts and serves as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Native American Rights Fund’s Indigenous Peacemaking Initiative.

Chief Judge Petoskey has been recognized by the Michigan Bar Journal as a Citizen Lawyer (1992) for his contributions in law to the tribal community and was named 1997 Lawyer of the Year by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. In 2000, the American Indian Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan jointly honored Chief Judge Petoskey and Michigan Supreme Court Justice Michael Cavanagh with the section’s annual Tecumseh Peacekeeping Award for their leadership in moving State of Michigan courts and tribal courts away from conflict and toward cooperation. Additionally in 2013, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National American Indian Judges Association in its inaugural year of making awards.

He studied law at the University of New Mexico School of Law. Upon graduating in 1983, he returned home to Michigan to practice law. He is a Viet Nam veteran, where he served as an infantry medic.

Burton W. Warrington – Menominee, Prairie Band Potawatomi and Ho-Chunk was raised on the Menominee Reservation and currently splits time between Wisconsin Rapids and the Menominee Reservation with his wife and four children. Professionally, he dedicates his time in service to a variety of local and national initiatives. In his home community he serves as the President / Executive Director / Co-Founder of Menomini yoU, Inc. a community level 501(c)3 with the mission of revitalizing the Menominee language. Nationally, he splits time as the President of Indian Ave Group, LLC and serving in a variety of advisory roles.  

Mr. Warrington’s career has included a unique mix of legal, business, management and policy experience. As an attorney he has provided both legal and strategic advisory services to clients across the country. As the President & CEO of a large economic development company he developed and managed economic holdings in both operating companies and private equity transactions. As a Counselor to the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs – U.S. Department of Interior he was involved in a variety of national issues including Indian gaming, economic and energy development, fee-to-trust issues, and natural resource and cultural rights protection. Over his career he has served in various boards roles including with the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, National Native Contractors Association, Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, Kansas University School of Law Board of Governors, and the Chickasaw Nation Community Development Endeavor.  

Mr. Warrington graduated from Menominee Indian High School, holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration from Haskell Indian Nations University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Kansas School of Law. Burton is also a 2006 graduate of the American Indian Law Center’s Pre-Law Summer Institute (PLSI).