We are pleased to welcome Lila Crank to our office. She is moving into the role previously held by Cibonet Salazar, who left to take a position with her home Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico.
Lila is Diné, originally from Farmington, New Mexico. She is Ashkenazi Jewish, born forÌýTł’ááshchÃ’Ã, Ashkenazi Jewish of her cheii (maternal grandfather), andÌýTáchii’nii of her nalà hastiin (paternal grandfather). She is an alum of CU Boulder Ethnic Studies, class of 2023, receiving her degree summa cum laude, her honors thesis titled,Ìý"'Until They’re All Home': An Examination of State Violence and Transformative Possibilities in the Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women."ÌýThroughout her time at CU Boulder, Lila worked with initiatives promoting justice and inclusion, including within the College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Office for Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. Lila also served as a Leadership Council Member and President of the Oyate Native American Student Organization, as well as a member of the Native Grad Student Group Leadership Council, dedicated to building warm community spaces for Native students within academia. She has also worked with First Nations Development Institute in Longmont, Colorado Common Cause, and the CU Boulder Volunteer Resource Center. Currently, Lila holds a joint position as Administrative Coordinator assisting the Graduate School's DEI initiatives and the Office Manager for the Center for Native American Indigenous Studies.
Moving forward, Lila will be a point of contact for CNAIS inquiries, alongside Andy Cowell. Please feel free to reach out to her at lila.crank@colorado.edu or at cnais@colorado.edu.Ìý