CNAY’s Youth Advisory Board Announces 2026 Executive Committee

Native youth are in the driver’s seat of the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY), guiding all the work we do. One of the most important ways we seek input and counsel from our youth stakeholders is through our Youth Advisory Board (YAB).

The Youth Advisory Board is made up of the current class of Champions for Change, along with alumni from previous classes and other outstanding Native youth leaders. Each year, the YAB holds elections for the positions of Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary.

The Chair is responsible for managing and providing leadership, and acts as a liaison between the YAB, staff and Board of Advisors. The Vice Chair serves as direct support to the Chair and is responsible for sending YAB meeting agendas to CNAY staff and attending quarterly CNAY board of advisors meetings. The Secretary is responsible for documenting meetings and correspondence of the YAB. One of the most important roles of each position is how they plan on building community within the organization.

The 2026 Youth Advisory Board Executive Committee is as follows:

Chair: Katie Lynch (Citizen Potawatomi Nation)

“I am deeply humbled and privileged to serve as CNAY’s new Youth Advisory Board Chair. Now, more than ever, we need Native youth in rooms where decisions are being made to speak truth to power. Our youth are actively building a better world for Native people and are stepping up because the moment demands it. They remind us that our growth is collective – it always has been, and it always will be. This work belongs to all of us because youth are the medicine our communities need. I am filled with gratitude to represent my Bodèwadmi people in this role and cannot wait to see what we accomplish. Chi migwetch.”

Vice Chair: Joshua Ching (Kanaka ʻŌiwi & Uchinānchu (Okinawan))

“As Vice-Chair of the Youth Advisory Board, I am excited to support and expand CNAY’s programming to Indigenous youth across Indian Country and the Pacific diaspora. At a moment of increasing threats to Native-serving institutions, tribal nations, and Indigenous communities worldwide, I share with my executive committee members a kuleana (responsibility) to defend the rights of all Native peoples to a self-determined future. Ā hiki i ke aloha ʻāina hope loa – until the very last aloha ʻāina.”

Secretary: Tayler Higgins (Yup’ik, Dena’ina & Suqpiaq)

“I’m excited to use this role to uplift Indigenous youth voices, and to elevate our power, creativity and leadership. My goal is to expand opportunities for Native youth – especially in Alaska – by increasing access to resources, decisionmaking spaces and meaningful pathways for growth.”

CNAY congratulates all candidates, and looks forward to a meaningful year with these leaders! Learn more about the YAB: https://www.cnay.org/about/youth-advisory-board/