Leadership
Sarai Cook - servant leader
With an ACES score of nine (9), Ms. Cook continues to be directly impacted by many systems and cycles of oppression and poverty. Through these experiences, she has made it her life's work to empower and encourage others by modeling the possibilities of overcoming cycles of oppression. Since graduating law school in 2011, Ms. Cook has worked in community development, and public service at the Tribal level with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, National level with the United States Department of Energy, and Internationally.
Ms. Cook is the recipient of the National Center for Native American Economic Development 40-under-40 award, the Muscogee Creek Nation's professional of the year award, and the New Leadership Oregon outstanding alumni award. In addition to leading the National Trauma Awareness Initiative, Ms. Cook writes and speaks about the intersection between mass incarceration, disability law, civil rights law, and criminal justice system reform. She brings valuable first-hand insight into policy work, where many impacted people do not have a voice.
BOARD MEMBERs
Isabel Coronado
Isabel Coronado, MPH, is a dedicated advocate, research scholar, and thought leader in criminal justice reform, focusing on the rights and well-being of vulnerable populations, particularly children of incarcerated parents. She is a Research Scholar in the Litmus program at NYU’s Marron Institute, where she leads initiatives within the Family-Based Justice Center. This center, a national technical-assistance hub, supports localities, states, and tribal nations in creating programs that provide comprehensive services to keep families intact, preventing the incarceration of primary caregivers.
Isabel is a citizen of the Mvskoke Nation, from the Wind Clan. Her advocacy work is deeply informed by her personal experiences as a child of incarcerated parents, motivating her to create systemic change to reduce generational cycles of incarceration in Native communities. As a board member of the National Trauma Awareness Initiative, Isabel brings her expertise and personal insights to shape policies that consider the trauma experienced by families impacted by the justice system. She is a 2018 recipient of the Champions for Change award from the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute, was named Mvskoke Women’s Leadership’s College Student of the Year in 2019, and was honored as Youth Visionary by the Mvskoke Youth Council in 2020. Isabel holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northeastern State University and a Master’s in Public Health, with a focus on rural and underserved populations, from Oklahoma State University.
JENIFER LITTLESUN - BOARD MEMBER
Ms. Littlesun educates formerly incarcerated people, and their family members on the long-term trauma effects from Post Incarceration Syndrome or (PICS). In 2016, she co-founded the American Indian Criminal Justice Navigation Council, a non-profit group that provides public speaking, resources, and services to impacted people in order to keep families together. AICJN created a monthly Family Reintegration Support Group meeting for family’s effects by PICS. Jenifer speaks in DOC prisons, community centers and conferences, sharing the story of a wife affected by incarceration. Jenifer has devoted her time to working with spouses and children of FIP affected by PICS, with the goal of eradicating shame and empowering self-worth. Currently, Jenifer is the Director of Operations for Gallagher. She specializes in operations, change management, and project management.
ELIZABETH DAVENPORT - BOARD MEMBER
Ms. Davenport comes from a long history of trauma, thus has been dedicated to advocating for victims of trauma. She is 1 of 7 children from her mother and 1 of 12 children from her father. Elizabeth is an avid supporter of those who have gone through traumatic events. As a first-hand witness, Elizabeth has seen and/or been through it all. Whether domestic violence, child abuse, gun violence, gang violence, discrimination, or other traumatic events, she has lived through them and helped others who have gone through them.
During Elizabeth’s first 18 years of life, she experienced and witnessed various traumatic events within her household and community. As a result, she grew up without her mother and father for several years and moved around from state to state and city to city. She was placed in several homes with family, friends, distant relatives, and church members, along with her younger sister and older brother. Gun violence, drive-by shootings, police brutality, poverty, shelters, and many other life experiences directed her into changing her mindset and seeking a better future.
Despite the trauma that Elizabeth faced, she continued to move forward. Elizabeth received her BA Degree in Political Science and Journalism, from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. She went on to receive her Juris Doctorate Degree from Ohio Northern University, Pettit College of Law, in Ada Ohio. She is currently a licensed and practicing Attorney in Atlanta, Georgia. She focuses on Family Law and International Law cases such as divorce, child custody, child support, and domestic violence. She is currently doing pro bono work for low-income clients who cannot afford to pay a lawyer. She takes on cases from Atlanta Legal Aid Society and Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation.
David Littlesun
David has firsthand knowledge of incarceration, and the employment and transition barriers of reintegrating into work, family, and society. He served 20 years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and worked hard, made connections, and found resources to change his life. After experiencing these challenges firsthand, he vowed to help formerly incarcerated people and their families with the emotional, psychological, and financial trials they face from incarceration. Taking the knowledge he gained from his employment and transition challenges, in 2016, he created a non-profit, The American Indian Criminal Justice Navigation Council (AICJNC) to address trauma and reintegration issues, working with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, and their families.
Leander Yatin- Board Member
Leander speaks, sings, and prays about the miracles of walking the red road. He was born and raised on the Yakima Nation Reservation. Orphaned at the young age of fourteen months, Leander’s grandmother took the loss of her only daughter very hard. She had to ask the entire family to help raise Leander. His adolescence was like most rez boys highly defiant, rebellious, ignorant, and senseless. Getting in trouble with the tribal judicial system came at the early age of fourteen. Eventually this life led to jail time in Yakima, Wapato, and Toppenish. Later he was gradually introduced to treatment centers, and was blessed with miracle of recovery through twelve step programs. It took six treatment centers for him to understand that relapse was no longer feasible. There were no more elders in his life to get after him and store their cares and concerns around his downward spiral. He finally called out for mercy body, mind, and spirit and cried out to the creator asking in a desperate prayer to help him get back on the red road of recovery. Today he is walking and living every blessed given day on the healing path of the Red Road. Hoping to achieve nobility, honor, wisdom as our great ancestors had with their lifestyles. “ I dream of living my life as an example to my relations!”
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERs
DR. GINA PEREZ-BARON - ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Perez-Baron is of (Chicana/Apache descent), and is a board-certified Family Practice physician and graduate of Stanford University School of Medical. She is the creator of The Alchemy Model, a trauma-informed, culturally attuned approach to treating heroin addiction. Founded on the premise that addiction is a rational response to systemic insanity, her model - and it's success treating formerly incarcerated and the historically disadvantaged tri-cultural communities of Northern New Mexico - was featured in her contribution to Dr. Gabor Mate’s 2021 “Talks on Trauma” series titled "Addiction and Treatment through an Indigenous Lens".
In addition to the utilizing the tools of evidence-based practice – addressing the biochemical, physiological and behavioral targets of addiction – her work is rooted in understanding trauma and it's genesis in the broader social and historical context. Epigenetic changes tie ancestral trauma to present struggle; in Indigenous communities, this includes the Doctrine of Discovery, violent relocation and cultural genocide. Patients are invited to consider the restorative power of tradition and culture..."re-remembering who we have always been and return home "..a concept that comes from lived experience. With an ACE score of 8, Dr. Perez is herself a survivor who advocates for a general reframing of how we understand and address issues like trauma, addiction, mental illness, domestic violence and incarceration.
Past Medical Director at Seattle Indian Health Board, Dr. Perez now serves there as staff physician where she focuses on addiction, myofascial pain and chronic disease. Though her home is in Taos, New Mexico, she now lives in Seattle with her musician/contractor partner who is trying to grow either the most - or the largest - tomato known to man.
J. NICOLE GAMBOA ROSE - ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Nicole grew up in North and Northeast Portland currently lives in Clark County with her Husband and four children. She is a graduate of the Willamette University College of Law, and a former staff attorney at the Portland office of Legal Aid Services of Oregon. She clerked at the Public Defender of Marion County, and for Judge Angel Lopez in Multnomah County. Nicole is a delegate for the House of Delegates for the Oregon State Bar, and formerly served as secretary to the Portland based non-profit Don’t Shoot Portland.
Nicole was placed in the foster care system at the age of 15 in the State of Oregon. This experience shaped how she would go on to interact with power systems. As someone who has experienced the trauma of the state system as a child, Nicole believes in recognizing the impacts of trauma on individuals as they interact with systems of the status quo. She currently works as a public servant advancing health equity for Multnomah County as a contract and procurement supervisor for the Multnomah County Health Department.
DAVE JANVIER - ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Dave resides on the Cold Lake First Nations reserve in Alberta, Canada. He is a former Band council member. As far back as he can remember, his life has been full of Trauma stemming from early childhood. As a young adult he dealt with trauma including the abuse that took place in residential day school. I am a Survivor of the Day School system. As a result of his recovery, he wants to help all indigenous peoples from both Canada and the USA deal with the Trauma that afflicts the indigenous people of “Turtle Island,” best known as the North and South American Continent. He advocates to end all traumatizing and retraumatizing practices.