Commission Terms & Bios

Commission Composition

Recognizing the sovereignty and self-determination of the adjacent tribal nations, the Commission shall consist of 6 members, for three year terms, with one member from each of the following represented: Pueblo of Santa Ana, Pueblo of Isleta, Pueblo of Laguna, Pueblo of Sandia, the To’hajiilee chapter of the Navajo Nation, and the All Pueblo Council of Governors, each of whom shall be chosen by the Pueblo, Chapter, or Council and not subject to appointment by the Mayor or the advice and consent of the council.  

The remaining 9 members of the Commission, the Mayor shall appoint one member representing each of the following sectors: Education, Health, Workforce/Employment, Environment, Government, and Culture. The remaining 3 positions shall be At-Large positions.

The term of office of each member of the Commission shall be three years from the date of appointment. The Commission may change the number of positions and sectors by resolution.

Commission Members

View Membership on This Board

Member Bios

	At-Large Member Maggie George, Ph.D. owns and operates Indigenous Research Associates, an educational consulting firm. She has served in numerous leadership roles at the tribal, state, and federal levels with successful experiences in education advocacy and policy development for underrepresented populations. As an educational leader, she has contributed and participated actively in Higher Education and the Tribal College movement in the US. Her professional career spans being an educator, college president, and political appointee for Tribal Colleges and Universities under the Obama Administration. She is a Leadership Coach for Achieving the Dream, a non profit serving Community Colleges. She is a board member of theAlbuquerque BioPark Society, National Indian Youth Council, and the Native American Disability Law Center.
	At-Large Member Lloyd L. Lee, Ph.D. is an enrolled citizen of the Navajo Nation. He is Kinyaa’áanii (Towering House), born for Tl’ááschíí (Red Bottom). His maternal grandfather’s clan is Áshiihí (Salt) and his paternal grandfather’s clan is Tábaahá (Water’s Edge). He is an Associate Professor and the Graduate Director in the Department of Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico (UNM). He is the Director of the Center for Regional Studies. He sits on the Executive Board for the Institute for American Indian Research (IFAIR), the Internal Advisory Board for Advance at UNM, UNM Diversity Council coordinated by the Division for Equity and Inclusion, the Council of the American Indian Studies Association (AISA), is a faculty member of the Institute for American Indian Education (IAIE), and is a member of the Native American Faculty Council at UNM. He is the author of Diné Identity in a 21st Century World (2020), Diné Masculinities:Conceptualizations and Reflections (2013), co-author of Native Americans and the University of New Mexico (2017), and edited Navajo Sovereignty: Understandings and Visions of the Diné People (2017) and Diné Perspectives: Reclaiming and Revitalizing Navajo Thought (2014). His research focuses on American Indian identity, masculinities, leadership, philosophies, and Native Nation building.
	Commission Secretary  Thelma Antonio is from the Pueblo of Laguna who enjoys working with tribes in advocacy and environmental issues.  Her educational background is in Environmental and Architecture & Community Planning with certification in historic preservation.  Current employment involves hazard mitigation, drought planning, and construction monitoring with a women-owned, Native-owned environmental services company serving Pueblo tribes.  Previous work in Laguna involved water/wastewater compliance and renewable energy studies.  Other prior work was with HUD housing and in tribal engineering. She is involved with an ad hoc committee to bring awareness of the impacts of climate change, tribal resiliency, promoting renewable energy and TEK (traditional ecological knowledge).  As a member of the NM Historic Society she is conducting an independent research project regarding the socio-economic impact of the early century unwritten “Flower of Friendship Agreement” that involved Laguna people working for the railroad and living in Laguna colonies in Gallup, NM; Winslow, Arizona; Barstow and Richmond, California. She is also involved with her community in traditional building and agriculture projects, an artist and a gardener experimenting with drought tolerant plants.
	Commission Chair and Health Sector Rebecca C. Riley is a citizen of the Pueblo of Acoma, and works as an Early Childhood Consultant and Native Community Health Educator. She has dedicated herself to improving home visiting and early childhood services for Native American families of young children ages 0 -5 years old and families who are expecting. She received her degree from the University of New Mexico in Community Health Education with a minor in Native American Studies and began her career working for tribal Head Start on the Pueblos of Isleta and Acoma. Her most established experience and growth developed when working for Tribal Home Visiting, a home visiting program serving Native families living on and off reservations through NAPPR, inc. a non-profit early childhood organization located in Albuquerque. As program director, she contributed to the development and advancement of Tribal Home Visiting at a local and national level. Today, her interests endure to positively contribute and impact the overall quality of life for Native families through mindful, responsive, equitable and inclusive practices that are reflective of family and community goals. She has served on many advisory councils and committees at both local and national levels in the field of Early Childhood Education. Having lived on and off the Pueblo of Acoma reservation, she currently resides in Albuquerque with her family, and continues to practice direct services to Native families as an Infant Massage Facilitator.