Our Staff
Connect With Our Team
Ingrid Anderson
Public Policy Director
Ingrid Anderson has been serving victims and survivors of violence for more than fifteen years; her life’s work is to serve and meet victims where they are while holding a vision of an Indigenous-centered world free of violence. She is honored to serve Indigenous communities as the National Policy Director at MIWSAC. Ingrid has served on numerous issue-based political campaigns, national political campaigns, and as a community organizer. She has served her community through child advocacy centers and in systems-based victim/witness assistance programs. Ingrid was raised by a mother of Standing Rock Lakota descent who was a powerful advocate for women and children; her mother’s strong work is Ingrid’s foundation. Ingrid holds a B.A. in Political Science and Indigenous Studies from the University of South Dakota and earned her Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado.
Please contact Ingrid for support around legislative advocacy, political issue/campaigns, collaboration and coordination with governmental agencies, civic engagement, voter empowerment, or any other issue you may need support with. Ingrid looks forward to meeting you and engaging to support improved political engagement of tribal coalitions and governments.
Shayla Beaumont
Elevate | Uplift Coordinator
Shayla Beaumont (she/her) is an enrolled member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe in Rocky Boy, MT and affiliated with Gros Ventre, Assiniboine and Crow Tribes. Shayla serves as the Elevate|Uplift Coordinator for MIWSAC and is an active board member of the YWCA Missoula. With a Bachelors in Criminal Justice Shayla is passionate about expanding services to underserved populations and community safety. She began working in survivor services as a residential coordinator at a young mother’s shelter then transitioned to the children’s and domestic violence shelter. Worked in Social Work for Child and Family Services and education in the classroom setting as well. Served as a Human Trafficking, Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence advocate for 7+ years in the urban setting and working closely with Tribal Communities.
Stephanie Bridwell
TSASP National TA
Stephanie Bridwell (she/her) is the Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program Technical Assistance Coordinator, and is Lakota and enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe from Eagle Butte, South Dakota. She is a survivor of sexual and intimate partner violence and an advocate that began working in the victim services field in 2001. Stephanie has served as an advocate for State and Tribal domestic violence shelters, legal assistant for the Tribal prosecutor’s office, Family Service Specialist and has been providing National training and technical assistance to Tribal victim service programs for 6 years. Stephanie is honored to work with so many amazing people fighting for safety in tribal communities and to be able to use her own experience and healing journey to help others. Above all, Stephanie’s greatest honor in life is being a mother of four amazing children.
Debbie Thompson-Bush
TSASP National TA
Debbie Thompson-Bush (she/her) is a member of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe in Akwesasne. She has worked 20 plus years of experience working in the field of health, survivor-centered advocacy and addiction. She worked on the Protecting the Sacred: Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Indian County during covid-19 project with the Urban Health Institute in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. She is currently involved with the STTARS Indigenous Safe Housing Center. The workgroup plays a significant role in the shaping of the mission and work of STTARS (Safety, Training, Technical Assistance, Resources and Support). She is a board member for the Seven Dancers Coalition. She is a Certificate Tribal Trial Legal Advocacy along with being a consultant on two re-entry boards.
Cristine Davidson
Education & Prevention Coordinator
Cristine Davidson (she/her)(White Earth Anishinaabe) is a survivor of multiple incidents of sexual violence, as well as long-term child sexual abuse by a self-proclaimed medicine man. To her, sexual violence is rooted in oppression that we dismantle by raising our collective voices. Addressing sexual violence in a community way- our whole community- we are breaking the silence in a most powerful and traditional way. By restoring traditional Native life ways, holding each other accountable as Relatives, and strategizing as a collective, her dream is that we can all live free from violence. Cristine grew up in Red Lake, Minnesota, but now lives on her home reservation of White Earth. She served four years in the Marine Corps, and has been with MIWSAC since 2007.
Afton Delgado
Tribal Clearinghouse National TA
Afton Josette Delgado (she/her/winyan) is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe of Pine Ridge and descendant of Santee and Sisseton-Wahpeton. Currently based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Afton approaches her role as the National Tribal Clearinghouse Program Coordinator with a commitment to uplifting others and fostering positive change. With over a decade of advocacy in various capacities, Afton’s experiences emphasize community engagement, health equity, and decolonization. With a focus on fostering real community connections. Her advocacy is driven by a commitment to dismantling systemic barriers and addressing disparities. Afton’s approach to decolonization centers on honoring our inherent knowledge and traditions as Indigenous people. Afton holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In her free time she enjoys creating as a multimedia artist.
Jolene Engelking
National Tribal Sexual Assault Resource Center Coordinator
Jolene Engelking (White Earth Descendant) is an advocate and skilled trainer/facilitator who has worked with MIWSAC since 2020. Jolene’s current focus is on launching and leading MIWSAC’s new National Tribal Sexual Assault Resource Center, while supporting MIWSAC’s other national training and technical assistance projects. Jolene received Dual Masters in Divinity and Social Work from Loyola University Chicago, and is a Licensed Independent Social Worker in Minnesota. She has been in the anti-sexual violence movement for over 15 year, in both community based-advocacy and national training and technical assistance. Her work has focused on supporting advocates, systems
professionals, and sexual assault response teams to strengthen the response to sexual violence and sex trafficking and better support survivors. An advocate at heart, Jolene thrives when talking with communities about increasing genuine collaboration and reimagining justice, accountability, and advocacy to better meet the needs of all survivors and create safer communities.
Morgan Hawes
National Sex Trafficking TA
Morgan “Momo” Hawes (she/her) serves as the National Training and Technical Assistance Sex Trafficking Program Coordinator at MIWSAC. She is an enrolled member of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians in Oakhurst, California but currently resides in Southeastern, Massachusetts on the ancestral lands of the Wampanoag peoples.
Prior to joining MIWSAC, Morgan worked in higher education, and was employed on two federally funded violence against women initiatives, including VAWA MEI, where she assisted with training, technical assistance and program support, as well as extensive data analysis. In addition, Morgan supports the work of Gray O.A.K., LLC, an evaluation consulting company serving Tribal communities throughout the U.S. and Alaska.
Morgan has an educational and professional background in social work, research, policy, and evaluation that extends over 15 years. She is passionate about social justice, ending gender-based violence, reproductive justice, and developing shared spaces for healing and connection.
Becki Jordan
Communications & Design Specialist
Becki Jordan (she/her) is the Communications and Design Specialist at MIWSAC, helping to build the organization’s capacity through storytelling while supporting its programmatic work. Becki’s experience and expertise centers around sexual and domestic violence advocacy and anti-trafficking work, youth-centered/informed services, coordinated community team development and technical support, and law enforcement training and education.
Becki’s personal and professional interests include organizational capacity building, grant writing and oversight, policy development, and promoting holistic, person-centered support for survivors. Please reach out to discuss strategies for communication, outreach, collaborative work with systems, and more! A mother of two currently residing in South Dakota, Becki’s family is enrolled in the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate in northeastern South Dakota.
Nicole Matthews
Executive Director
Nicole Matthews (she/her) is Anishinaabe from the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and is the founding Executive Director of MIWSAC; with nearly 22 years in her role, and nearly 30 years in the anti-violence movement. She is an experienced trainer, facilitator, national and international speaker, and organizer. She has served on many boards, task forces, commissions, and working groups. As one of the key researchers, she was instrumental in MIWSAC’s research on the prostitution and trafficking of Native women in Minnesota, and has spoken widely about their findings.
Nicole’s most important role is as a mother, grandmother, and auntie; to three adult children, one grandson, one cat furbaby, one dog furbaby, and one grandpup. She loves spending time with her family and friends, baking, and enjoying the outdoors (when it’s warm and sunny).
Naida Medicine Crow
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR
Naida Medicine Crow (she/her)
April Russell
COVID-19 SUPPORT COORDINATOR
April Russell (she/her)
Linda Thompson
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Linda Thompson (she/her) is a member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa in northern Minnesota, she also is a lineal descendent to both Leech Lake & Mille Lacs Lake Tribes. She is committed to social justice, social change work and ending all forms of violence, with a specialized focus on ending gender-based violence. With proven leadership in developing and leading a Tribal domestic violence-sexual assault program and co creating a Tribal Coalition Linda has gained great understanding of the challenges and realities of service providers that are leading and working in a Tribal advocacy program. She has worked side by side with her sisters in this work and has gained experience with policy and legislative efforts on Tribal, state and national levels, as well as extensive experience serving rural, reservation and urban areas. Working within these different positions has also given her experience administering federal, state, and local grants. Linda has specialized knowledge and both programmatic and personal experience with LGBTQ, Indigenous, trauma-informed and survivor work, including labor and sex trafficking and MMIR, as well as serving on the ND AG Fatality Review Team.
Panda Whiteman
PROJECT BEACON COORDINATOR - NATIONAL TA
Panda Whiteman (she/her)
Vision statement
Creating Safety and Justice Through the Teachings of Our Grandmothers
Survivors of sexual violence cannot be blamed for the trauma and pain inflicted upon them. As a community, we must educate ourselves and rise up to hold harm-doers accountable and interrupt all forms of violence.