Board of Directors

Teresa Brockie, PhD, RN, FAAN, is an Indigenous nurse scientist, educator, and national leader in Native American health research. A citizen of the A’aninin Nation from Fort Belknap, Montana, her work focuses on community-driven strategies to prevent suicide, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences, with an emphasis on Indigenous and underserved communities. Dr. Brockie is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and holds a joint appointment at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center for Indigenous Health. She has led or collaborated on eleven major research projects, including two R01s and two randomized controlled trials, and her scholarship is internationally recognized for advancing culturally aligned, evidence-based interventions in Indigenous mental health. A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and President of NANAINA, Dr. Brockie has received numerous awards, including the ISPN Diversity and Equity Award (2024), the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship (2023), and the Brilliant New Investigator Award (2020).

Mechem is a nurse of 22 years and has a background in ICU and Urgent Care nursing. She obtained her MBA from The George Washington University and her BSN from Georgetown University, both in Washington, D.C. As an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, Mechem hails from Sanders, AZ, which is located near the Navajo Nation in Arizona.

She began her career with the Indian Health Service and has worked with various organizations in the Albuquerque Area. Most recently, she helped lead the COVID testing team for Presbyterian Healthcare system by setting up a mobile testing unit site during the pandemic, helping the local Indigenous communities with COVID testing.

Mechem’s decision to enter nursing came when she saw a hospice nurse care for her terminally ill grandmother during high school, and wanted to follow. As her career grew, she knew her place in healthcare was best fit in managing operations of practice in healthcare environments and delivery settings. She enjoys caring for patients by helping remove barriers that patients encounter to make it easier for patients to access their healthcare needs. Mechem is active in amplifying the voice and practice of Indigenous nurses by mentoring nurse leaders.

Mechem resides in Placitas, NM with her husband, kids, and their two dogs. When not working Mechem enjoys reading, doing Spartan races, skiing, and cooking for her family.

Sadie Anderson, MSN RN is an enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in Wisconsin. She moved to Alaska at the age of 12 and traveled to many villages all over the state with her parents and grew to love Alaska. She started her nursing career with a bachelor degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2006. She graduated with a master’s degree in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner 2016 from the University of Alaska Anchorage. In 2018 she earned a graduate certificate in Alaska Native Executive Leadership through Alaska Pacific University.

Sadie has worked at the Alaska Native Medical Center since 2007. She started as a nurse on the orthopedic/neurosurgery unit. She became the manager for that department in 2012, and director of nursing in 2013. In addition to being the director of the medical/surgical units, Sadie’s efforts focus on mentoring entry-level employees, developing a Certified Nursing Assistant Training program with yearly conferences, and coordinating student nurse rotations within the hospital.

Sadie resides in Anchorage, Alaska with her husband, Ian and their four children. They have a passion for helping others and house yearly foreign exchange students, baseball players, and soccer coaches in the summer. Sadie enjoys photography, skiing, snowboarding, and doing beadwork.

Sandy is a retired nurse but remains professionally active as a board member of Southcentral Foundation (SCF) and Stone Soup Group (SSG). She attended Baylor University where she received her BSN in 1981, and the University of Alaska Anchorage where she received her MSN, concentrating on Nursing Administration in 2007. Sandy spent most of her nursing career working for the Indian Health Service (IHS) as a USPHS Commissioned Officer and as a Civil Servant. Her IHS history includes: Santa Fe Indian Hospital in NM as a new graduate and staff nurse, the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) as a staff nurse, assistant manager, Assistant Director of Nursing, and Chief Nurse Executive (CNE), the Alaska Area Nurse Consultant, and as the Director Division of Nursing Services and Chief Nurse at IHS Headquarters in MD. She returned to AK in 2012 as the administrator of Maternal Child Health for Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and SCF. She spent the last six years of her career as a School Nurse with the Anchorage School District, retiring in 2023. Sandy was active in the formation of NANAINA in 1994 and went on to serve NANAINA in all offices except Treasurer through 2008. Sandy is originally from Metlakatla, AK and is of the Tsimshian Tribe, but she grew up in Anchorage.

Dr. Cody Bruce is an enrolled member of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb, Louisiana, and currently serves as Associate Professor and RN-BSN Track Coordinator at the University of North Texas Health College of Nursing in Fort Worth. As one of a handful of Native American nursing professors with a Ph.D. in the United States, his work in nursing education reflects his commitment to his cultural heritage and the healing traditions of his people.

Dr. Bruce earned his doctoral degree in Nursing Education from Capella University in 2022, with his dissertation focusing on "The Experiences of Native American Nursing Students with Retention Activities." With 18 years of clinical nursing experience beginning at LSU Health in Shreveport and 13 years in nursing education, his expertise spans trauma surgery, orthopedics, and psychiatry. He is a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE), and his commitment to excellence in teaching has been recognized through The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty (2023) and the Association of Former Student's Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching at the College Level (2019).

Dr. Bruce's research focuses on improving Native American retention in nursing education, addressing critical healthcare workforce shortages in Indigenous communities. He serves as Co-Investigator on multiple HRSA grants totaling over $6 million to develop Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner programs and is a subject matter expert on Native American culture with the Texas A&M University Center for Excellence in Forensic Nursing. Beyond his professional accomplishments, he serves as Tribal Genealogist and Founder of the Natives of Zwolle & Ebarb Historical & Genealogical Society, continuing his family's legacy of education and healing that began with his ancestor Jose Antonio Sepulveda, who built the first tribal school for their people. He often speaks of his great-great-aunt Martha Toby, a respected Choctaw midwife and healer who exemplified the caring traditions that inspired his nursing career.

Sandy is an enrolled member of the Lower Sioux Mdewakanton Dakota Community of Morton, Minnesota. She received her Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) from St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, and her Master of Art (MA) in transcultural nursing and community care at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN. She holds a certificate in healthcare management from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.

Sandy’s 40-year nursing career has spanned long-term care, clinic, and hospital care settings. She has been at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, WI for the past 32 years and has held a variety of leadership roles in clinical operations and presently is clinical operations director of the Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders, Hospice, Palliative Medicine, Spiritual Care and Advanced Care Planning.

Sandy has been an active contributor for many academic, state, and national nursing initiatives related to diversity and Native American nursing priorities. She is immediate-past President of the National Alaska Native American Indian Nurses Association (NANAINA), current Treasurer of NANAINA and represents NANAINA on the board of the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurses Association (NCEMNA), having recently completed a 6-year term as Treasurer of NCEMNA.

Sandy was honored to have co-authored with her dear friend, the late Dr. Roxanne Struthers, “The Essence of Native American Nursing” in 1999, which was then presented at the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in London, England. In June 2020, Sandy was a contributing author to “Culturally Congruent Health Care of COVID-19 in Minorities in the U.S.: A clinical practice paper from The National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations”, published in the Journal of Transcultural Nursing. Sandy also contributed to the development of “Diversifying the Nursing Workforce: Mentoring for Student Retention and NCLEX Success at AI/AN Serving Institutions”, a curriculum to guide nursing schools serving AI/AN students. In 2021, the curriculum was presented to a select group of nursing faculty from across the country.

Sandy has been married to her husband Greg for 39 years. They have children and grandchildren that light up their lives. Sandy is an avid golfer, likes going to pow wows and enjoys beading caps and visors for her family and friends.

LaVerne (Anagick) Ayuu Saccheus is an Alaska Native Inupiaq nurse leader with more than 21 years of experience at Norton Sound Health Corporation, where she has advanced patient advocacy and case management in rural Alaska. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Alaska Anchorage and completed her MBA in Health Services Administration at Alaska Pacific University, bringing together clinical expertise and healthcare leadership. A Member-at-Large for NANAINA, she is committed to strengthening Indigenous representation in healthcare governance, improving rural health systems, and ensuring Alaska Native voices are included in policy and decision-making. Her subsistence lifestyle, family, and strong roots in Unalakleet, Alaska form the foundation of her values and guide her service.

Renee Fliris, RN, BSN is Unangan and an enrolled member of the False Pass Tribe. A lifelong Alaskan, she grew up in a rural community on the Aleutian Chain with her parents and siblings. In 2001, she moved to Southcentral Alaska to pursue higher education at the University of Alaska Anchorage, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (2009), an Associate of Science in Nursing (2013), and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (2015). In Fall 2024, she was accepted into the Doctor of Nursing Practice in Health Innovation & Leadership program at the University of Minnesota, where she is expected to graduate in 2028.

Renee began her nursing career at the Alaska Native Medical Center in 2014 on a medical-surgical and oncology unit, later cross-training in telemetry, orthopedics, and transfer center nursing. She now serves as a RN Case Manager at the Benteh Nuutah Valley Native Primary Care Clinic. She is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of Alaska Native and American Indian People through a holistic approach that honors culturally appropriate care.

Renee lives in Wasilla, Alaska with her family. Together they enjoy camping, fishing, snowmachine riding, berry picking, and hunting. Staying connected to the land and her culture remains central to her life and work.

Lillian Tom-Orme, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, a member of the Navajo Nation grew up in northern New Mexico; her first language is Dine’. She holds graduate degrees in transcultural nursing and public health from the University of Utah. She is currently adjunct faculty in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, and has held an adjunct appointment in the College of Nursing in addition to serving as Diversity Coordinator. Dr. Tom-Orme has been active in numerous local and national committees including the American Diabetes Association’s Awakening the Spirit Program (co-chair and national/regional board member), the National Alaska Native American Indian Nurses Association (president, secretary and currently as emeritus board), the American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiians Caucus of the American Public Health Association (twice chair and current board member), Advisory Member of the NIH Center for Health Disparity and Minority Health, Panel of Experts member to the Office on Women’s Health of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Native Research Network (Founder and co-chair), the Network for Cancer Control Research among American Indian and Alaska Native Populations, the national Indian Health Service Institutional Review Board, the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurses Associations, Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Tuberculosis through the CDC, and as reviewer for the Journal of American Indian Education, Journal of Transcultural Nursing, Nursing Communication, and Qualitative Health Research. Additionally, she served as External Advisory Board member to Montana State University’s Center for Native Health Partnerships and the Little Bighorn College Research Infrastructure Development via NIH grants. She served as Academic, Cultural, and Community Mentor to the Native American Research Internship’s summer students while on faculty at the University of Utah Department of  Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology Dr. Tom-Orme received the National Impact Award twice by the National Indian Health Board, the American Diabetes Association Reaching People Award, the Living Legend Award by N-NURSE, Inc., and the National Cancer Institute’s Award of Merit for her work on outreach and improving cancer data among American Indians/Alaska Natives.