Elena Nourrie

Elena Seymana Nourrie (Hopi, Cherokee and Chicanx) was born and raised on traditional Tongva territory. Thanks to the teachings of her mother and grandmother, Elena has a deep personal commitment to advancing social justice and equity for Native Americans in order to strengthen tribal peoples' right to self-determination. Elena reciprocates these teachings to her young son, Kekoa, so that he may continue to strive to honor our ancestors.

Her evolving career roles reflect her values for learning, growing, and building community. She has worked in multiple professional capacities within local K-12 districts including in elementary and high school special education classrooms. She has also held several roles within private academic success sectors and with the Association for the Study of Higher Education, an international scholarly society. Elena has also served in the Native American community of Los Angeles through professional roles with Torres Martinez Tribal TANF, the Native American Student Center at Cal Poly Pomona and with California Native Vote Project. She now serves as Co-director of Education and Community Engagement for Indigenous Circle of Wellness.

Elena completed her bachelor's degree in English with an emphasis in Education and a minor in Psychology at Cal Poly Pomona. She also earned her master's degree in Higher Education with an emphasis in Student Affairs from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Elena’s capstone research focused on fostering a sense of belonging among American Indian/Alaska Native students in higher education to advance the visibility, equity and inclusion of Native American students.