Board of Directors

Roger Groghan: Chairperson, Roger is naturalist who is active in the preservation of the Sierra Nevada Foothills, volunteering with the Protect American River Canyons (PARC) and is a State Park Canyon Keeper. Roger is a docent for the Placer Nature Center where he shares his knowledge of Native plants, along with Maidu history, life and traditions with children and adults.

Shelie Meylor, Vice-Chair.

Dr. Emma Blackthone- Secretary, Emma is a citizen of the Ojibwe Nation from the Bad River Band of Chippewa. Emma describes herself as a social justice warrior, works to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in education.Emma is the Sr. Dean of Research and Planning at Contra Costa Community College District andserved as the Director of the North Central Adult Education Consortium where she created programs to provide life and business skills training across five counties in northern California.

Jeremy Stevens: Board Treasurer, Jeremy is a White Bison Alumni Member and is a representative for SNA’s Community Advisory Group on the board. Jeremy is an electrician by trade, a leader in the recovery community, and is a dedicated volunteer for many community and recovery activities.

Matthew Thompson: Youth Liaison, Matthew is a Senior at Colfax High School and a Youth Liaison to the board. He has been a member of the Sierra Native Alliance Youth Leadership group for six years and enjoys our annual Youth Culture camp. Matthew is proud of his tribal heritage and assists SNA as a Youth Leader to host cultural and community events.

Anno Nakai, MA- Executive Director, Anno a community health advisor who has over twenty years of experience building capacitywith Native health, education and cultural organizations. With a MA from John F. Kennedy University, Anno specializes in community assessment, planning and development of health promotion programs and materials. Anno is Indigenous Saami, and enjoys traditional joiking and storytelling.

Sierra Native Alliance is recruiting new members to serve on our 5-7 person board. Potential members must be active in the Native community in the Sierra Foothills.