endawnis Spears (Diné/ Ojibwe/ Chickasaw/ Choctaw)- received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of Denver and has worked for the Heard Museum, Museum of Northern Arizona, Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, was a Peabody Essex Museum Native American Arts and Culture Fellow, and currently serves on the board of the Federation of State Humanities Councils. endawnis is the Co-Director of the Upstander Academy and Director of Outreach and Programming and founding member of the Akomawt Educational Initiative, an indigenous education and interpretive consultancy for museums, K-12 schools, and colleges/universities. Originally from Camp Verde, Arizona, she lives in her husband’s homeland, occupied Narragansett territory (present day Rhode Island), with their four children.  

ingrid is a neurodiverse, herbalist, food alchemist and radical mother, un-schooling her 2 children & herself for self directed learning toward healing relationship & collective liberation. Since her teens, ingrid has based her community engagement in an emergent decolonial context focused on aligning with support of Indigenous & decolonial lifeways & reparations, and exposing & healing the cultural trauma that is whiteness & other systems of dominance.  She currently serves as the VWS board chair.