NCAI Leadership

NCAI members elect the organization’s Executive Committee - the NCAI President, 1st Vice President, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer. These are elected by the entire membership. The 12 Regional Vice Presidents are elected by their respective regions. All board members serve for two-year terms. The current President of NCAI is Jefferson Keel (Chickasaw Nation), serving in his second term.
 

President, Jefferson Keel

Jefferson E. Keel serves as the President of NCAI. President Keel is the 20th President of the organization.  In November 2011 at NCAI’s 68th Annual Convention he was unanimously re-elected to serve a second term as President of the organization. He is currently elected to his fourth term as the Lt. Governor of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, and previously served two terms as NCAI’s First Vice-President.

Read President Jefferson Keel’s Full Bio

Executive Committee

The NCAI Executive Committee consists of the President, 1st Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and 12 regional Vice-Presidents, in addition to 12 Alternate Regional VPs.

At the 68th Annual Convention held in Portland, Oregon, in 2011, NCAI elected the members of the 2012–2014 NCAI Executive Committee.

View NCAI's full Executive Committee

Executive Director, Jacqueline Pata

Jacqueline Pata is in her tenth year as the Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), She is a member of the Raven/Sockeye Clan of the Tlingit Tribe (pronounced – Kling-get) and a member of the Central Council of the Tlingit-Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Mrs. Pata served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Native American Programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) during the Clinton Administration.

Read Executive Director Jacqueline Pata’s Full Bio

Past Leadership

The past and current NCAI leadership and membership represent the prominent leaders and advocates who have helped shape the past and future of Indian Country.

View the full list of past NCAI Leadership