TEAM UPDATE: IndigenizeSNAC project welcomes new team members

Thanks to catalyst start-up funding from UMD’s College of Information and a recently approved grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the IndigenizeSNAC project is pleased to announce some additions to the team! To start, Dr. Diana Marsh and PhD student Ia Bull will continue to help lead the team, and are joined by a new Co-PI, Dr. Shelbi Nahwilet Meissner. Please see their bios below followed by additional bios for the rest of the team!

Diana Marsh | Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, College of Information

Diana Marsh is an Assistant Professor of Archives and Digital Curation at the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies (iSchool) and current member of the Society of American Archivists’ new Archival Repatriation Committee. She previously worked at the Smithsonian’s National Anthropological Archives and American Philosophical Society. Her current work focuses on improving discovery of Native and Indigenous collections held in colonial repositories.

Shelbi Nahwilet Meissner (Luiseño and Cupeño; first generation descendant of the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians) | Co-PI, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Shelbi Nahwilet Meissner is an Indigenous feminist philosopher. Shelbi researches, teaches, and consults on Indigenous research and evaluation methods, cultural and language reclamation, Indigenous epistemologies, Indigenous feminist interventions in critical social work, and land-based feminist coalition-building. Shelbi is fascinated by the intersections of Indigenous knowledge systems, caretaking, power, and trauma. Shelbi is a proud first-generation descendant of the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians, and is of both Luiseño (Payómkawichum) and Cupeño (Kupangaxwichem) descent. She is an assistant professor in the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at University of Maryland, College Park and the founding director of the Indigenous Futures Lab, a hub of Indigenous feminist research and evaluation.

Ia Bull (ᎦᏚᏩᎩ/Gaduwagi) | Graduate Assistant, PhD Student, University of Maryland, College of Information

ᎠᏴ ᎪᎳᏄ ᏓᏆᏙᎠ. ᏌᎶᎵ ᎤᎾᏓᏢ ᏂᎦᏘᏲ ᎠᏆᎨᎵ ᎨᏟᏙᎯᏃ. ᏥᏄᏓᎴ ᏥᏎᎩᏳᏍᏗ ᏥᎦᏚᏩᎩᏃ ᏥᎾᏥᏃ. Ia Bull (ᎦᏚᏩᎩ/Gaduwagi) is a second-year doctoral student at the University of Maryland iSchool PhD in Information. They have an M.L.I.S. & Archives Certificate from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Cherokee Language Revitalization from Northeastern State University. Their work concerns evaluating information disciplines and academia more broadly for Indigenous self-determination through language and cultural revitalization efforts. They are currently the research assistant on the Indigenize SNAC project.

Their past work includes the lead developer of the Natchez Indigital Community Archive project, a collaborator with the Mapping Tahlequah History project, and an archive professional working at such institutions as the Helmrich Center for American Research at the Gilcrease Museum, the Cherokee Heritage Archives, and the American Philosophical Society.

Rachel Bickel | Project Manager, MLIS, The University of British Columbia

Rachel Bickel, a longtime cultural heritage worker, has spent the last eight years supporting Indigenous information management and reparative description projects throughout the United States and Canada. Aside from her work with IndigenizeSNAC, Rachel teaches art at a community school in DC and can otherwise be found exploring the outdoors with her family.

 

Scotty Beland | Training and Outreach Coordinator, Graduate Student, MLIS, University of Maryland, College of Information

Scotty Beland is a recent graduate from UMD’s College of Information, earning a Master’s in Library and Information Science. Relevant archival work has centered around outreach and instruction which has included working with various Indigenous communities, curation of small and large exhibitions, creation of outreach and archival research skills content, and supervision of undergraduate and graduate internships.

 

Abigail Hardy (Monacan Indian Nation) | Research Assistant, Undergraduate Student, Anthropology, University of Maryland

Abigail is a current anthropology major at UMD with a focus on Indigenous and multicultural experiences. Awarded the #IndigenousUMD Ashley Minner Indigenous Art Award in 2023 and enjoys finding ways to create art based on passions and interests. When not working, I enjoy reading, playing rugby, and spending time with my cats. 

 

Rebecca Ridge (Indigenous Chicana) | Research Assistant, MA, Native American Studies, University of Oklahoma

Rebecca Ridge is an Indigenous Chicana from San Antonio, Texas who currently resides with her two children in Norman Oklahoma where she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Oklahoma. Rebecca holds a Master’s degree in Native American Studies from the University of Oklahoma, and is currently serving as the Project Manager for OU’s Indigenous Media Portal. Rebecca is excited to join the Indigenize SNAC team as a Graduate Research Assistant.

Work is already well underway and we are looking forward to sharing news with you all in the upcoming months!