When Local Contexts transitioned from a university project to become an independent non-profit organization in 2022, we established a governing Council. At that time, four people stepped up to serve as Founding Councilors, to nurture and guide the organization through this important phase: Dr. Jane Anderson, Dr. Kim Christen, Maui Hudson, and James Eric Francis, Sr. Since then, the Local Contexts Council has been responsible in shaping the strategic framework that not only reflects our core values but also ensures the ongoing success of our mission to advance Indigenous Data Sovereignty.

Over time, the Local Contexts Council has also welcomed the service of interim councilors in establishing our processes and protocols for Membership. As we prepare to launch nominations and elections as part of our governance process, we are currently seeking additional council members to assist in this effort. This is all the more important as Dr. Kim Christen has announced she is stepping aside from the Council to dedicate more time to her university responsibilities. Dr. Christen, alongside Dr. Jane Anderson, co-founded Local Contexts in 2010. 

“Dr. Kim Christen has been a staunch advocate for Indigenous rights in a digital realm. Her creative vision has enabled communities to protect their digitized cultural assets in a ‘copy and paste’ age. Kim is a true ally and advocate for the global Indigenous world,” shares James Eric Francis Sr.

“We are so appreciative of all that Dr. Christen has done for Local Contexts,” says Stephany RunningHawk Johnson, Founding Executive Director. “Without her invaluable leadership and contributions, we would not be where we are today!”

Reflecting on her journey with Local Contexts, Dr. Christen shared, “Working with Jane to launch Local Contexts and seeing it grow with the new Council and structure has been incredibly meaningful and humbling. Although I won’t be involved in the operations of Local Contexts any longer, I will continue to advocate and support the significant and impactful work being done by the team and all the communities putting the tools to use.” Dr. Christen currently serves as a Professor in the Department of Digital Technology and Culture at Washington State University and was the founding director of the WSU Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation. She is the Associate Vice President for Research Advancement and Partnerships at WSU, and is also the founder of Mukurtu CMS, an open-source software platform designed with Indigenous communities globally to meet their unique information, curatorial, and data needs.

Interested in being part of our Council? Know someone you would like to nominate? Please reach out to us at info@localcontexts.org.