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Article / Interview, Tribal Business News
IN SERVICE | Tracy Canard Goodluck on sovereignty, water policy and elevating Native youth leadership
Tracy Canard Goodluck... has built her career around public service rooted in tribal sovereignty and community responsibility. In Haudenosaunee tradition, leadership carries an obligation to future generations — a principle that has shaped her work across education and federal Indian policy.
Today, Goodluck serves as executive director of [CNAY], as the organization approaches its 15th year supporting Native youth leadership and civic engagement.
leadership, Staff, Mvskoke Creek, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
Article / Interview, Native News Online, Alaska
Q&A: The Yup’ik Language Expert Helping Ease Hospital Visits for Alaska Natives
Moses Wiseman spoke his Yup’ik language before he learned English. As a college freshman, he entered the field of Alaska Native language revitalization with a bit of an inherited purpose.
“I know I qualified very heavily for this because I spoke my Native tongue. I knew how to write it, I knew how to understand it. I know how to comprehend it,” Wiseman said in an interview with Cultivating Culture.
Champions for Change, Fellows, Village of Chefornak, Yup’ik
Article, Confederated Umatilla Journal, Oregon
Confederated Umatilla Journal
“I am very excited to be part of the 2026 CNAY Champions for Change cohort and grateful for the platform and opportunity to advocate for an issue I have been passionate about for several years: financial literacy on reservations,” Wildbill said. “Through this opportunity, I hope to continue sharing my research and work with tribes to highlight the importance of this issue.”
Champions for Change, Fellows, Youth, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Interview / Podcast / Radio, Native America Calling
Young ‘Champions’ inspire positive change
Four of the 2026 Champions for Change (Moses Wiseman, Kaylah Toves, Summer Wildbill & McKaylin Peters) interviewed live on air about their ongoing advocacy work.
Moses Wiseman (Yup’ik) always knew he wanted to be a leader. Specifically, one with qualities that Wiseman learned from elders and other community members in the Village of Chefornak. At 24 years old, he is pursuing an MBA in strategic leadership at Alaska Pacific University, while also helping to create a Yup’ik glossary for health care providers. He and five other young, emerging Native leaders from all parts of the country have been selected for this year’s CNAY Champions for Change.
Champions for Change, Fellows, Youth, Acoma Pueblo, Confederated Tribes of Umatilla, Kanaka Maoli, Menominee Indian Tribe, Village of Chefornak, Yup’ik
Video, The Aspen Institute, Washington, DC
WATCH: 2026 Champions for Change Panel Discussion
View the recording of the 2026 Champs' first public speaking engagement as a group.
Champions for Change, Fellows
Newsletter, Knifemaneveryday Substack
KnifemanEveryDay [Substack]
2026 Champion for Change announcement featured as the “Cultural Highlight” of the day on Dallas Goldtooth's Substack. "It’s about trusting the future — trusting the young people who carry both the weight of history and the hope of tomorrow. When Indigenous youth step into leadership roles, they walk with a whole community behind them — ancestors, relatives, traditions, and responsibility. These aren’t symbolic titles. They are calls to action."
Champions for Change, Fellows, Youth
News Roundup, Tribal Business News
People on the Move in Indian Country
The Aspen Institute promoted Maria Samaniego to managing director of the Center for Native American Youth. Samaniego previously served as associate director of operations and strategic partnerships for the center and as interim executive director from April 2024 to March 2025. Before joining CNAY, she served as acting executive director and senior program manager for the Aspen Institute's Latinos and Society Program.
Staff
Article, Bezos Family Foundation
From Our Partners and Team: Encouraging Trends in the Learning Ecosystem
CNAY Executive Director Tracy Goodluck was quoted in a Bezos Family Foundation partner article highlighting encouraging trends in the learning ecosystem, offering perspective on the importance of civic identity and youth leadership as a foundation for 2026.
Partners, Staff, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
Press Release, Native Americans in Philanthropy
Native Americans in Philanthropy Announces Third Cohort of Native Youth Grantmakers
Native Americans in Philanthropy Announces their third cohort of Native Youth Grantmakers—ten exceptional young leaders from across Turtle Island who carry with them the wisdom of their communities and the determination of emerging changemakers. Included in the new cohort is 2025 Champion for Change, Katie Lynch, and 2022 Remembering our Sisters Fellow, Evynn Richardson.
Champions for Change, Fellows, Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Haliwa-Saponi
Resource, Fox 13 Seattle, Washington
Suicide Prevention Resources
CNAY was included on a newly updated suicide prevention resource list for Indigenous people, recognizing the organization as a trusted source of culturally-responsive mental health and well-being support for Native youth and communities.
Teen Suicide