Alumni

NAPLP students gather with partners of AT&T CIPP — NAPLP students visit with Tom Brooks (Mohawk Nation), Vice President of External Affairs, AT&T, and Joanne Rashbaum, Director of Project Management, AT&T

Hundreds of NAPLP and INSPIRE program alumni are now engaged in activities, practices, and professions that have a direct, positive, and lasting impact on the lives, fortunes and futures of Native communities. Over the past ten years the number of alumni has grown and the positive impact of their activities has multiplied.

Alumni involvement strengthens and promotes an invested alumni community that paves the way for future generations. As an alum you can:

Connect and network with hundreds of alumni around the world;
Serve as a student mentor;
Share your news and information.

Meet Our Alumni

Christina Haswood, Navajo Nation, was elected to represent the 10th District in the Kansas House of Representatives. She is the youngest to represent the 10th District and only the third Native American in Kansas history to join the House. Christina completed the Native American Political Leadership Program (NAPLP) in 2019. Check out her recent interview about NAPLP and her journey from student to political candidate.

Born and raised in Nampa, Idaho, Rudy is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation and completed the NAPLP Program in the spring of 2011. He now serves as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's State Director for Idaho. In 2020 he was the Democratic nominee for Idaho's 1st District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Alayna Harkreader, Cherokee Nation, completed the NAPLP Program in the Spring of 2020, interning with the National Council of Urban Indian Health. In the Summer of 2020 she was recognized as a UNITY "25 under 25" Native Youth Leader.

Freddy Gipp is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where he studied advertising and marketing at the William Allen White School of Journalism. He completed the NAPLP Program in 2017 and was named a UNITY "25 under 25" Native Youth Leader the same year. He is the founder of Lead Horse LLC, an art, recreation, and entertainment company.

Brook Thompson, Yurok and Kuruk, completed the NAPLP Program in 2018 as a distinguished Milanovich Fellow, interning with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Minority Staff. In the Summer of 2020 she was recognized as a UNITY "25 under 25" Native Youth Leader. Visit Brook's website to learn more about her work and accomplishments.

Betsy Waller, Chickasaw and Choctaw, completed the NAPLP Program in 2017, working as a Congressional Relations intern with the National Indian Health Board. She was named a National Indian Health Board Policy Fellow in 2018 and is now combatting the opioid crisis as a Field Representative with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

We love hearing from our alumni! Reach out to us to share and celebrate your great news, to reminisce, and to learn about our current student cohorts. We invite you to schedule a visit, arrange to meet with current students, or share your journey with our Alumni Interviews!

It's great to keep in touch! Please consider providing us with your updated contact information so you can stay up-to-date on the Center for Indigenous Politics & Policy and our student programs (NAPLP, INSPIRE).

Request access to the NAPLP Alumni Facebook Group.