By Dahlton Brown
As we close out the year, I want to reflect on what it meant to return to NAFOA this past fall as a sponsor for the 2024 Fall Finance and Tribal Economies Conference. Looking back, I cannot help but consider just how impactful this organization has been on my life. Without exaggeration, NAFOA changed my life with a single phone call.
In 2009, shortly after Wilton Rancheria, my father’s Tribal community, gained federal recognition, I learned about NAFOA and its partnership with the LEAD Summer Business Institute through a professional connection. I applied for a scholarship and was selected to attend the program, which focused on Tribal sovereignty, economic development, and governance.
Originally, I was set to attend the program at Dartmouth College—an exciting prospect for a teenager from Northern California. However, then-NAFOA staff called and offered me to attend the same program but at Stanford University, much closer to home. Of course, I said yes, although I did not have a single clue about Stanford.
That decision was life-changing. Over those three weeks, my perspective on the possibilities for Indian Country and my own future expanded dramatically. I left the program with clarity: I knew I wanted to study Native American Studies with an emphasis on governance and economic development so that I could serve Indian Country professionally. I also knew for certain that I wanted to do that all at Stanford.
Well, one application deferral and eventual admission later, I had my college!
Fast forward 15 years, two Stanford degrees, a wife, a daughter, and a career later, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that NAFOA changed my life all for the best.
Attending #NAFOAFall24 this year brought everything full circle. Spending time with Indian Country’s brightest leaders and innovators reminded me of why this work matters. It was an honor to connect with peers who share a commitment to building stronger Tribal nations and creating opportunities for the next generation.
I encourage you to consider supporting NAFOA and its mission to continue empowering Native professionals and Tribal communities. Your contribution can help provide opportunities for the next generation of leaders, just as NAFOA did for me. Together, we can make a lasting impact on Indian Country.
