Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission
2015 Self-Governance Board Community election
The Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission would like to announce the outcome of its 2014 community elections. There were five vacant community seats, and five candidates, which means all candidates join the commission as the result of an uncontested election. The five community elected seats constitute the Self-Governance Board, and will serve a four-year term. The members will take their seat for their first commission meeting on Tuesday November 18th.
Please join us in welcoming Andrea Monique Diaz, Dawn Jackson, Eugene Martinez, Tracy M. Perez and Jason Erik Reed to the Los Angeles City/County Indian Commission.
Andrea Monique Diaz (Seminole)
In the beginning of 2007, Andrea Diaz began her involvement working with the American Indian community at UAII Seven Generation department. As a parent advocate for American Indian mothers and through her education Andrea soon co-facilitate groups at UAII. The majority of the groups were Domestic Violence and parenting classes. Panelist for multiple conferences Andrea presents about domestic violence in American Indian perspective and the link to multi-generational trauma. Today Andrea is the Outreach Program Assistant for Torres Martinez Tribal TANF. Daily Andrea provides administrative assistance, informational engagement with the American Indian community of the highly need social and welfare services provide by Torres Martinez Tribal TANF.
In recent months, Andrea was elected Chair of Title VII Parent Committee, a Los Angeles Unified School District Parent Committee for Indian Education. Title VII Parent Committee works with the Program Advisor to assure effective operation, implementation and evaluation of the District’s Indian Education Program.
Andrea is obtaining a certification in Alcohol and Drug with a BS in Sociology. She plans to apply her educational skills with an Indian organization for the betterment of the American Indian community.
Dawn Jackson (Saginaw Chippewa)
Since 1990 Dawn has been an active member of the Los Angeles American Indian community. Over the past two decades she has worked in the entertainment industry in many roles, from production executive, project manager, artist to an independent producer. Throughout her career she has served as a liaison to the native community, both locally as well as nationally. During this time she also worked with many organizations to create opportunities for Native people interested in pursuing careers in entertainment:
- American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts – Board Chair (1991-1994)
- First Americans in the Arts – Co-Founder & Board Chair (1992 – present)
- American Indian National Center for TV & Film – Executive Director (2005 – 2007)
- Red-Horse Native Productions – Vice President of Development (1997 – present)
- FNX-TV (First Nations Experience) – Cultural Consultant (2011 – 2013)
- Through Indian Eyes: Native American Cinema (UCLA Film Dept.) – Co-curator (2014)
- American Indian Scholarship Fund of S. California – Board Member (2013 – present)
In 2010 Dawn was able to return to being an artist and dedicating a majority of her time to painting. Over the past four years she showed her paintings in major art markets throughout the US, including Santa Fe Indian Market, The Heard Museum Marketplace and the Autry Art Marketplace. In March 2014 she was part of exhibit of Ojibwe women artists at the Gustave Heye Museum (Smithsonian) in New York City.
Dawn has served as a community elected commissioner for the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission since 1994 and currently lives in Burbank, CA. She is an enrolled member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan.
Eugene Martinez (Choctaw)
Eugene Martinez is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the University of California, Riverside (2003) and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Redlands (2009). He began working for United American Indian Involvement, Inc. in February 2003 and currently serves as the Director of Public Health and Case Management for the Los Angeles American Indian Health Project. Eugene works to ensure that American Indian/Alaska Natives are provided access to health care services and insurance. He lives in Pasadena with his family and when he is not working, Gene enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter.
Tracy M. Perez (Navajo)
Tracy Perez an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation resides in Los Angeles for over 17 years. She is an active member of Los Angeles Native American community since early on by volunteering and being involved with many community programs and activities. Tracy started working as a Community Liaison for LA urban Indian Health program, United American Indian Involvement (UAII) for native families with the Veteran Affairs for about 14 years ago. Passionate for the community, Tracy recently became a board member for two organizations, American Indian Community Council and APLA-Red Circle Projects. In the past 4 years she has assisted the LA Indian Commission as a consultant and volunteer in outreach and coordination of the commission’s youth and family activities with the professional sports teams. Other involvements would be the ICWA taskforce of the Los Angeles County DCFS as an active taskforce member. Giving back to my community has always been my passion.
Jason Erik Reed (Cherokee)
Jason Reed has been working in the Native community (Los Angeles & Riverside County) as an employee of Torres Martinez Tribal TANF for the past 7 years and is currently a Regional Director in Los Angeles County. Torres Martinez Tribal TANF is the second largest tribal TANF program in the U.S. and provides cash aid assistance and supportive services to Native-American families residing in Los Angeles and Riverside County. Jason has a sincere passion for giving back and working in the Native-American community. For most of his childhood he was raised in Los Angeles, California, but later relocated to Muskogee, Oklahoma during his teenage years. He graduated from Muskogee High School in 1998 and it was during this time period that he learned to truly appreciate and identify with the Native American community. Jason also serves on the council for Tsa-La-Gi LA, which is an official satellite group of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Tsa-La-Gi LA provides cultural programming and other services to Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma tribal members and descendants residing in Los Angeles County.
Last modified: November 19, 2014