Working professionals seeking training in indigenous governance leadership now have more educational opportunities, thanks to flexible new offerings from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law’s Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program and the University of Arizona Native Nations Institute.   

Beginning in the spring 2020 semester, students can pursue a Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Indigenous Governance through an expanded hybrid model that offers classes both in person and online and allows students to finish the degree in one year.  

Apply today!

Tina Dion Appointed to Provincial Court of British Columbia 

IPLP alumna Tina Dion was appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council as Judge to the Provincial Court of British Columbia. 

Judge Dion received a bachelor of laws (LLB) from the University of British Columbia and a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) from the University of Arizona, and was called to the bar in 1999. She started her career as a lawyer in a small criminal defense practice before moving on to a large national firm where she worked in civil litigation. From there she was in-house counsel for the Tsawwassen First Nation before becoming a managing lawyer of a small firm. Most recently she has been a sole practitioner. She also taught as an adjunct professor at UBC for 12 years. Judge Dion was appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 2016. 

IPLP Alumna Appointed as Chair of Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission 

IPLP alumna Cheryl Knockwood has been appointed as chair of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.  

“I look forward to working with my colleagues, and the managers and staff at the commission to continue to protect and promote the human rights of all Nova Scotians,” Knockwood said. 

Knockwood currently serves as the governance coordinator for the Membertou First Nation. She has previously worked as senior policy analyst for the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs and as an instructor at Cape Breton University, teaching Aboriginal and treaty rights, Mi’kmaw governance, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

IPLP Alumnus Named Associate Professor 

Adam Crepelle was hired as a tenure track Associate Professor of Law at the Southern University Law Center (SULC) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

Crepelle was also appointed as the managing fellow of SULC’s newly created Native American Law and Policy Institute (NALPI). NALPI is the first Indian law program in the Southeastern United States. Through NALPI, SULC will offer courses and experiential learning opportunities to students focusing on issues important to Indian tribes and indigenous communities across the globe. NALPI works directly with tribes to implement law and governance reforms. NALPI is also working with tribes to build educational pipelines from their reservations to institutions of higher education.  

Crepelle is an enrolled citizen of the United Houma Nation and serves as a judge on the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's Court of Appeals. He is a former vice president of the California Indian Law Association and is co-founder of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana. He has authored several articles on topics including tribal federal recognition, violence against American Indian women, and American Indian economic development. Adam is also an award winning film producer. His film, Indian Santa, screened at numerous venues including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.

IPLP alumnus Grant Christensen published "Civil Rights Notes: American Indians and Banishment, Jury Trials, and the Doctrine of Lenity." Christensen is Associate Professor of Law at the University of North Dakota School of Law. The article explores how Indian defendants appearing before tribal courts are not protected by the Bill of Rights and instead, Congress enacted the Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA) in 1968 to extend some, but not all, constitutional protections unto Indian reservations.

IPLP class of 2018 alumnus Francisco Olea (Pascua Yaqui Tribe) recently published “The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act: How Its Invalidation Will Impact Indian Gaming's Legal and Regulatory Framework” in the UNLV Gaming Law Journal. Congratulations to Francisco, who was also awarded the Shannon Bybee Scholarship in recognition of his research and contributions to enhancing the understanding and practice of gaming law.  

Loren Ruiz, Yesenia Gamez-Valdez, and Marjolaine Olwell (left to right) after their first round of oral arguments.

Marjolaine Olwell, IPLP teaching fellow and LLM alumna, coached two University of Arizona Law students to participate in the Inter-American Human Rights Moot Court Competition. Yesenia Gamez-Valdez and Loren Ruiz both prepared for the competition as part of the International Human Rights Advocacy Workshop, co-taught by Professor Rob Williams and IPLP teaching fellow Olwell.

Yesenia and Loren completed a total of three rounds during the competition, with Yesenia winning the prize for second best oralist. Their impressive performance is heightened by the fact that both students had no prior experience in international or human rights law before January of this year, and this was the first time that the University of Arizona participated in the competition. Congratulations to Yesenia and Loren! 

Yesenia Gamez-Valdez receiving the prize of Second Best Orator, from Diego Rodriguez-Pinzón and Claudia Martin, the co-directors of the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law of American University, and organizers of the Inter-American Human Rights Moot Court Competition.