The position of the Special Advisor to the President on American Indian Affairs was created by ASU President Michael Crow to oversee University initiatives and programs that relate to American Indian issues and programs. The Special Advisor effectively fosters and develops relationships with Tribal nations and their members on behalf of the University.
The Special Advisor is responsible for advising ASU on programming and initiatives that are designed to help improve outreach, retention and graduation rates of American Indian students. The position began with former special advisor Peterson Zah (Navajo), who served as President of the Navajo Nation and was sought out for his expertise in tribal relations by President Crow. Following Peterson Zah was Diane Humetewa (Hopi), who served as U.S. Attorney for Arizona before being appointed as Special Advisor. Dr. Bryan Brayboy (Lumbee) was appointed in October 2014 and also served as President's Professor in the School of Transformation in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and as the Director of the Center for Indian Education. Jacob Moore began in the role on July 1, 2023.
Jacob Moore
Appointed 2023 to present
Jacob (Lakota, Dakota, Akimel O’odham, and Tohono O’odham) began in the role of Vice President and Special Advisor to the President on American Indian Affairs on July 1, 2023. Jacob advises the University on programming and initiatives that are designed to help improve outreach, retention and graduation rates of our American Indian students. He brings with him years of experience in tribal government, economic development, health policy, banking, gaming, and nearly a decade at the Arizona State Board of Education.
Moore serves on the board of directors for the Arizona Community Foundation, ASU Morrison Institute, WestEd, Arizona Minority Education Policy Analysis Center, Xico and Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise. He is a senior global futures scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory and a health solutions ambassador with ASU’s College of Health Solutions. Moore started at ASU in 2007. He is the former associate vice president of tribal relations in the Office of Government and Community Affairs at ASU. He was responsible for the intergovernmental affairs between ASU and tribal nations and communities.
jacob.moore@asu.edu
(480) 965 – 7473
ASU Directory – Jacob Moore
Dr. Bryan Brayboy
Appointed 2014 to 2023
With his extensive experience working in higher education, Dr. Brayboy was appointed by ASU President Michael Crow to serve as Special Advisor in 2014. In his role, Dr. Brayboy served as a “thought leader,” advising ASU on internal capacity building and strengthening. This included engaging in programming and initiatives that are designed to help improve outreach, retention and graduation rates. It also included fundraising activities and recruiting and retaining Indigenous faculty. He served on several committees and was charged with running the Office of American Indian Initiatives.
Dr. Brayboy was an ASU President's Professor of Indigenous Education and Justice in the School of Social Transformation. At ASU, he was director of the Center for Indian Education and co-editor of the Journal of American Indian Education. He also had affiliations with the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, American Indian Studies, and the Department of English.
Honorable Diane Humetewa
Appointed 2012 to 2014
Diane Humetewa is an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe and is an alumnus of Arizona State University earning her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate degrees in 1987 and in 1993. She served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona (2006–2009), the first American Indian woman to serve in such a capacity. Humetewa was appointed as Special Advisor to the President on American Indian Affairs in March 2011, where she served on various advisory committees and continued to teach law at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. On September 19, 2013, U.S. President Barack Obama nominated Humetewa to the United States District Court for the District of Arizona and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 14, 2014. Humetewa earned another distinguished honor of being the first American Indian woman to serve as a U.S. federal judge.
Peterson Zah
Appointed 1995 to 2011
Peterson Zah served as Chairman (1982–1987) and President (1990–1994) of the Navajo Nation and is an alumnus of Arizona State University earning his Bachelor's degree in education. He has also been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from ASU, Colorado College, and College of Sante Fe. Zah championed Navajo education by implementing new educational policies as well as renogotiating mineral, coal, oil and gas leases with major energy companies and working on efforts to help resolve the Hopi-Navajo land dispute. Zah served as the Special Advisor from 1995 to 2011, and during his tenure significantly grew American Indian student population. Zah helped establish the inaugural Special Advisor position, fostered Tribal relations across Arizona for ASU and developed many of the American Indian initiatives now at the university.