Newsroom Archive

Colin Kippen, Native Hawaiian

Executive Director, National Indian Education Association

Colin oversees all aspects of NIEA including institutional and policy development, fundraising, communications and long-term planning. Prior to joining NIEA, he was the Executive Director of the Native Hawaiian Education Council where he worked to foster a strong sense of resiliency, well-being and cultural identity for Native Hawaiian students. He is a long-time advocate for American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians as well as a clear and constant voice for the restoration of Native languages across the United States. Colin has served as a judge for Indian tribes in the Pacific Northwest, as a member and chair of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee, as the Director of Hawaiian Rights for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and as Senior Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. President Obama recently appointed Colin to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.