Upcoming Webinar: Strengthening Community Outreach and Engagement 

Johanna Farmer
Associate Director
National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA)

Johanna Farmer, a proud member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, has dedicated her career to advocating for indigenous rights and advancing tribal justice systems. Johanna serves as the Associate Director for the National American Indian Court Judges Association. Johanna works shaping policy and providing crucial training and technical assistance on a range of tribal justice issues. Her expertise spans from addressing collateral consequences to tackling complex challenges in child welfare. Before her tenure at the National American Indian Court Judges Association, Johanna spent over thirteen years with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. She served in various capacities focused on community and family strengthening through tribal driven and culturally relevant service models. Johanna received her Juris Doctorate and earned her Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Certificate from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. 

Mary Rodriguez
Program Attorney
National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA)

Mary Rodriguez began her law career training as a public defender at the University of Washington Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic and worked as a tribal public defender for several Washington State tribes. Mary became the Director of Advocacy at the Center of Indigenous Research and Justice, and continued practicing tribal public defense. In her current role, as a Program Attorney at the National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA), Mary works on the policy side of tribal courts and programming related to traditional justice and holistic defense. Mary is a former resident of Seattle, having received both her B.A. and J.D. from the University of Washington. Mary currently works remotely for NAICJA and her home base is Los Angeles, CA.

Ansley Sherman
Program Attorney
National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA)

Ansley Sherman, Muscogee (Creek), has an extensive background working with tribes and tribal courts, especially on specialized trainings resulting from Training and Technical Assistance requests. Ansley’s expertise include collateral consequences, best practices, holistic defense issues, and drafting estate planning documents for tribal members. She also has considerable knowledge of federal grants and deliverable work. Prior to working for NAICJA, Ansley worked as a legal fellow and law clerk at the Native American Rights Fund. Ansley is licensed to practice law in the state of Colorado. She obtained her B.A. from Fort Lewis College and her J.D. from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law.

Chantel Cloud
Tribal Court Collaboration Specialist
Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI)

Chantel Cloud (MA) Southern Ute, Tribal Court Collaboration Specialist, is an experienced criminal justice professional. Chantel has served over 25 years in the criminal justice system as a probation officer for juveniles and adults, including specialized caseloads, and has also worked to assist in coordinating a county juvenile detention alternative initiative. Chantel has served the Southern Ute Indian Tribe as a tribal judge, including serving as Chief Judge from 2013-2018, also overseeing the Adult and Juvenile Healing to Wellness Courts, and prior to that serving as the tribe’s Wellness Court Case Manager. Her skills range from administrative grant management and caseload management to working directly with offenders. Chantel holds a BA in Sociology and English Literature, a certificate in Judicial Development, and a MA in Criminal Justice.