Blog

As 2024 comes to a close, we at Local Contexts reflect on an extraordinary year dedicated to advancing Indigenous data sovereignty and governance. From team growth to impactful collaborations, this year has been transformative in countless ways. Here are some of the highlights from across our organization:

Leadership 

“Local Contexts has had an incredible year, and I’m grateful to have been part of it! It is inspiring and humbling to have worked with communities all over the world to support Indigenous data sovereignty and governance. Our team has grown, and we’ve all learned from and with each other. We’ve also added Council members to continue to ensure our governance has a majority of Indigenous voices. I am looking forward to this next year of collaboration and partnership with Indigenous communities, researchers, and institutions!”
— Stephany RunningHawk Johnson, Founding Executive Director (Oglala Lakota Nation)

Operations 

As our leadership team guided us through an incredible year, our operations team worked tirelessly to support this growth and change. Their dedication ensured that Local Contexts continued to evolve and expand efficiently.

“The Local Contexts family keeps growing at the Council, leadership, and operational levels to ensure the mission of Indigenous data sovereignty and governance is implemented. 2024 was a year of pivoting and change for the team, such as new leadership, moving from startup to scaling; including subscription workflows, onboarding new team members, transferring roles and responsibilities, creating new communications and marketing workflows, and so much more. As we consolidate a lot of these changes and find a team flow that works for everyone, we are going to focus on communicating and aligning outcomes—goals and priorities, creating effective systems for efficiency, and engaging in a growth team culture. I am grateful for the team’s tireless effort during this time of change and look forward to 2025 as the year of consolidating operations that flow with grace and ease.”
— Janette Hamilton-Pearce, Chief of Staff

Outreach 

Building on the strong foundation laid by our operations team, our outreach team made incredible strides in connecting with communities, researchers, and institutions worldwide. Their efforts brought Local Contexts to new audiences and strengthened our global network.

“This year, we had the opportunity to connect with many people around the world doing incredible work related to Indigenous data sovereignty. We were able to share about Local Contexts online through regular information and Hub demo sessions, webinars, and presentations, and in-person through conferences and workshops. One highlight for us was hosting a webinar about the first use of a BC Label on thesis research. Another highlight was our new Working Group and Regional Networks—the Library Working Group, Aotearoa New Zealand Network, Europe and United Kingdom Network, Canada Network, Maine Network, and Southwest Network—as well as those continued and bolstered from previous years. We are grateful for the Chairs organizing these groups, and look forward to welcoming new Chairs and members in 2025!”
— Corrie Roe, Director of Outreach & Strategy, and Emily Santhanam (Chickasaw/Choctaw/Tamilian), Outreach Coordinator (Americas)

Development 

While outreach strengthened our connections, our development team focused on enhancing the technical infrastructure that underpins Local Contexts. Their work ensured the Hub remains a robust and evolving resource for Indigenous communities and their partners.

“To support Local Contexts’ vision, mission, and values, the development team has been working on incorporating the new agreement programs into the Hub, adding GIS/mapping functionality, and new Label and Notice metadata mappings. In 2025, we look forward to continuing to add features to the Hub to support Indigenous data sovereignty and ensure the Hub is a lasting resource for implementing and maintaining Indigenous data rights.”
— Ashley Rojas, Software/Web Developer

Communications 

Finally, our newly established Communications team amplified these achievements, sharing our story, fostering engagement across multiple platforms, and providing invaluable support to communities and institutions.

“I joined Local Contexts in October of this year, after spending a few years in research following the work of the growing network and tools for Indigenous Data Sovereignty. Onboarding these last few months (which have flown by!) has been incredible. I’m inspired by the grassroots relationships built by our team over the years. The growing enthusiasm across disciplines for returning and respecting Indigenous rightsholders makes this a very exciting time to be part of Local Contexts!”
— Amy June Breesman, Help Desk Lead (Eastern Shawnee/German/Irish)

“As someone who joined Local Contexts just three months ago, my highlight of 2024 has been getting to know our leadership and my incredible team members. It’s been amazing to see the great work they do and to be part of a group so dedicated to advancing Indigenous data sovereignty. I’m excited to keep learning and growing with this talented team in 2025!”
— Seth Kurke, Communications and Marketing Lead (Blackfeet Descendant/Mixed European)

Looking ahead

In the words of Stephany RunningHawk Johnson, our Founding Executive Director (Oglala Lakota Nation):

“Thank you, so very much, to all the wonderful folks that have interacted with us at Local Contexts this year! We see and appreciate all the work that you are doing to support Indigenous data sovereignty and governance. We are celebrating the new Labels that communities have placed on their cultural heritage items and data, as well as the Notices that researchers and institutions have applied. It is the connections and relationships that these Labels and Notices represent that is where the real progress is being made, and we are honored to be a small part of that process!”

As we look to 2025, we’re excited to build on the foundation laid this year, fostering new collaborations, deepening relationships, and continuing to advance Indigenous data sovereignty and governance. 

Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to an impactful new year!