#  People 

 



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##  Staff 

 



  [### Randall Akee

 ](/people/randall-akee)Native Hawaiian

Director, Project on Indigenous Governance and Development and Julie Johnson Kidd Professor of Indigenous Governance and Development, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University

 

 

 

      ![Man with dark hair wearing a light blue collared shirt.](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/akee_randy.jpg?itok=TkZCpR39) 

 

 

 

   [### Amy Besaw Medford

 ](/people/amy-besaw-medford-brothertown) <abmedford@hks.harvard.edu>Brothertown

Senior Program Director

Director, Honoring Nations

 

 

 

      ![Woman in black blazer and white collared shirt, headshot only.](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2026-02/Amy%20Headshot%20Close%20Up%20color.jpeg?itok=n8oUoHEj) 

 

 

 

   [### Stephen Cornell

 ](/people/stephen-cornell) <IndigenousGov@hks.harvard.edu>Director (Emeritus)

 

 

 

      ![cornell_photo.gif](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/hpaied/files/cornell_photo.gif?itok=nPQBDC6U) 

 

 

 

   [### Chris DeCoster

 ](/people/chris-decoster)Program Assistant, Faculty Assistant

 

 

 

      ![Male with brown short hair wearing a burnt orange button up shirt.](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2026-01/Chris%20color%20headshot.jpg?itok=6KhombTl) 

 

 

 

   [### Eric C. Henson

 ](/people/eric-c-henson-chickasaw) [eric\_henson@hks.harvard.edu](mailto:eric_henson@hks.harvard.edu)Chickasaw

Program Director, Ittapila Program for Nation Building Education and Outreach

Lecturer

 

 

 

      ![Black and white photo of Eric Henson](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/hpaied/files/eric_henson_headshot.jpeg?itok=rmyhHDOh) 

 

 

 

   [### Miriam R. Jorgensen

 ](/people/miriam-r-jorgensen) [miriam\_jorgensen@harvard.edu](mailto:miriam_jorgensen@harvard.edu)Research Director

 

 

 

      ![Headshot of female with hair pulled back, dangling earrings, black jacket, in a natural setting.](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2026-04/Headshot%20at%20Gunditjmara.png?itok=eWcpBXZM) 

 

 

 

   [### Joseph P. Kalt

 ](/people/joseph-p-kalt) [joe\_kalt@harvard.edu](mailto:joe_kalt@harvard.edu)Director (Emeritus), Project on Indigenous Governance and Development and Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy (Emeritus), Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University

 

 

 

      ![Male speaking at microphone against blue backdrop](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/hpaied/files/joe1.jpg?itok=-ZG1s8rf) 

 

 

 

   [### Jael Whitney Brothers

 ](/people/jael-whitney-brothers)Choctaw

Assistant Director of Honoring Nations

 

 

 

      ![Female with below shoulder length brown hair, headshot image.](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/hpaied/files/jael_brothers_headshot_0.png?itok=Tt3n3FEW) 

 

 

 

   [### Annabel Yu

 ](/people/annabel-yu)Student Intern

 

 

 

      ![Female with below shoulder length brown hair, headshot image.](/sites/g/files/omnuum6806/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/hpaied/files/annabel_headshot_1.jpg?itok=wYU76_Pt) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

##  Affiliates 

 



  [### Amber Annis

 ](/people/amber-annis-cheyenne-river-sioux)Cheyenne River Sioux

Research Affiliate 

 

 

 

   [### Misko Beaudrie

 ](/people/misko-beaudrie-anishinaabe) <miskodagaaginkwe@gmail.com>Anishinaabe

Research Affiliate

 

 

 

   [### Catherine Curtis

 ](/people/catherine-curtis) [catherine\_curtis@ksg.harvard.edu](mailto:catherine_curtis@ksg.harvard.edu)Research Affiliate

 

 

 

   [### Donald "Del" Laverdure

 ](/people/donald-del-laverdure-crow) Crow

Research Affiliate 

 

 

 

   [### Michael Lucas

 ](/people/eliza-bemis)Research Affiliate 

 

 

 

   [### Heather Raftery

 ](/people/heather-raftery)Research Affiliate

 

 

 

   [### Kāwika Riley

 ](/people/k%C4%81wika-riley)Native Hawaiian

Research Fellow 

 

 

 

   [### Drake Rushford

 ](/people/drake-rushford)Visiting Researcher, Spring Semester (2026)

 

 

 

   [### Alyssa Schatz

 ](/people/alyssa-schatz)Research Affiliate

 

 

 

   [### Laura Taylor

 ](/people/laura-davidoff-taylor)Research Fellow 

 

 

 

   [### Jonathan B. Taylor

 ](/people/jonathan-b-taylor) [ jonathan@taylorpolicy.com](<mailto: jonathan@taylorpolicy.com>)Research Affiliate 

 

 

 

   [### Burton Warrington

 ](/people/burton-warrington-menominee-prairie-band-potawatomi-and-ho-chunk)Menominee, Prairie Band Potawatomi, and Ho-Chunk

Research Affiliate 

 

 

 

   [### Jennifer Weddle

 ](/people/jennifer-weddle)Research Affiliate