The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) announces the appointment of Stacy Leeds as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees. Leeds brings a wealth of experience and passion for agricultural law, education and economic development. NAAF is the largest philanthropic organization providing grants to advance agriculture through tribal communities and support for Native American farmers and ranchers.  

 Leeds currently serves as Willard H. Pedrick Dean, Regents and Foundation Professor of Law at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. She was the first Indigenous woman in the United States to become a law school dean, having led the University of Arkansas School of Law. During her tenure at the University of Arkansas, Leeds co-founded the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI), a legal and policy research educational institution that provides Tribal governments, producers and food businesses with educational resources, policy research and strategic legal analysis to inform tribally driven solutions that advance agriculture in tribal communities.  

“Indigenous agriculture is key to the economic prosperity of Native American communities, but legal barriers often limit potential. NAAF’s grants aim to remove those barriers and support Native producers, avoiding the harms faced by Keepseagle claimants,” Leeds said. “As Chair, I’m excited about NAAF’s future and grateful to the Trustees for their foundational work. With dedicated leadership, we will continue creating lasting impact and investing in innovative solutions to increase capital access for Native producers.”  

The Board of Trustees for NAAF serve in an important role as fiduciaries of the fund that provide grantmaking to Tribes, educational institutions, nonprofits and community development financial institutions (CDFIs).  

“We are thrilled to welcome Stacy Leeds as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees,” said NAAF CEO Toni Stanger-McLaughlin on the impact of the board. “Her leadership, goodwill and visionary strategies in the field of Indigenous law and education will bring valued experience to our board and diversify the expertise among our Trustees in order to best serve Native producers. We also want to extend our deepest gratitude to our previous board Chair, Dr. Joe Hiller, who was with NAAF from the very beginning as the organization was being stood up. In reflection of the past five years of grantmaking, and as we are about to announce our 2024 grantees, the vision of the Trustees that have served their appointed tenure on the board have guided our organization to invest in a stronger, more vibrant community in Native agriculture.”  

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About the Native American Agriculture Fund:

The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) provides grants to eligible organizations for business assistance, agricultural education, technical support, and advocacy services to support Native farmers and ranchers. The charitable trust was created by the settlement of the landmark Keepseagle v. Vilsack class-action lawsuit. NAAF is the largest philanthropic organization devoted solely to serving the Native American farming and ranching community.