Meet the Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Governor Richard Luarkie
Governor Luarkie is from the Pueblo of Laguna and is currently serving as the Governor for the tribe. Most recently, he has served as the Pueblo’s 1st Lieutenant Governor. Prior to serving in the role of Lt Governor, Governor Luarkie served as a member of the Laguna Tribal Council. Over the years, he has also acquired experience in other areas of Pueblo leadership, which includes serving several terms as a village officer, serving on tribal entity boards, and participating in various committees.
Governor Luarkie has been a small business owner and has a passion for supporting entrepreneurs and economic creation. His professional experience includes Digital Migration, Inc., DataCom Sciences, Inc., American Management Systems, AT&T Advanced Network Products & Services-Global Strategy, Pueblo of Laguna and Laguna Industries, Inc. The majority of Governor Luarkie’s professional career has been in the technology industry.
Governor Luarkie has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of New Mexico, and a Masters of Business Administration from New Mexico State University.
Christine Sims, MD
Dr. Sims is an assistant professor in the department of language, literacy, and sociocultural studies in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico. She completed her doctoral work at the University of California at Berkeley, focusing on issues of heritage language maintenance and revitalization among Native American tribes. Dr. Sims specializes in indigenous language revitalization and maintenance issues, providing technical assistance to tribes in Native language program planning, training language teachers through the UNM College of Education’s American Indian Language Policy Research and Teacher Training Center. Dr. Sims is a tribal member of Acoma Pueblo and resides with her family on the Acoma Pueblo Indian reservation in northwestern New Mexico.
Judge William A. Thorne, Jr.
Judge Thorne received a B.A. from the University of Santa Clara in 1974 and a J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1977. He was appointed judge in the Third Circuit Court in 1986 and served in that position for eight years. In 1994 he was appointed Judge in the Third District Court and served in that position for six years. In May of 2000 he was appointed to the Utah Court of Appeals.
Judge Thorne has served as a tribal court judge in Utah, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Michigan. He is the former president of the National Indian Justice Center (a nonprofit that trains tribal court personnel around the country), and a member of the Board of Directors for National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates, a nonprofit group that provides volunteer representation for abused and neglected children in court). He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute (a nonprofit seeking to improve the level of research and practice related to adoptions), and a member of the ABA Steering Committee on the Unmet Legal Needs of Children. He is a former member of the Utah Judicial Council, the Board of Circuit Court Judges, and the Board of Directors for the National Indian Court Judge’s Association. He is also a former chair of the Utah Juvenile Justice Task Force of the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, former vice-chair of the Utah Board of Youth Corrections, former co-chair of the Judicial Council’s Committee on Improving jury Service, former chair of the Judicial Council’s Bail Bonding Committee, former member of the Court Technology Committee, former member of the Salt Lake County Domestic Violence Advisory Committee, and a former member of the steering committee for the Judicial Council’s Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Fairness.
Other Speakers
Juan Rey Abeita, BBA
David Belford, LISW, IMH-E
Randall Berner
Makhpiya Black Elk
Laura Buell, LMHC
Jodi Burshia
Karen T. Campbell, MD
Michele Coleman, LMFT
Anilla Del Fabbro, MD
W. Henry Gardner, PhD
Thomas Gutierrez
Deborah Harris, LISW
Monika Honeyestewa
Keahi Kimo Souza, MS, LMSW
Krystal Lucero, BSW
Gerald S. Maestas
Darin Mallon
Kari Meredith
Mark Moores
Jennifer Padilla, LMSW
Dave Panana, RN, BSN
Jonathan N. Pino
L. Stephine Poston, MA
Beata Tsosie-Peña
Joy Tucker Trigo, DDS
Joshua Yasteya
Hannah Zell, LMHC