Chrissie Castro, Diné and Chicana, is the Vice-chair of the Los Angeles City and County Native American Indian Commission, and co-led the change to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day in the city and County of Los Angeles; She was a co-founder of Indigenous Women Rise, which organized the Indigenous women’s contingent of 1,000 Indigenous Women at the Women’s March in DC. She is the Network Weaver of the Native Voice Network, a national network of 35+ Native-led organizations that mobilize through indigenous cultural values; and recently launched two projects to build community and political power of Native communities – locally, the California Native Vote Project and nationally, Advance Native Political Leadership. Castro is a seasoned leader with more than 15 years of community organizing and consulting experience. Currently, she is spearheading a research project, funded by the Women’s Donor Network, to address historical and contemporary reasons for Native Americans remaining grossly underrepresented in the local and state political landscape, as well as to propose viable strategies to increase representation. She also leads a national collaborative network of Native American families and organizations that mobilize through indigenous cultural values to inspire positive change in Native communities; is the vice-chairperson of the Los Angeles City-County Native American Indian Commission; and is an elected member of the Native American Caucus of the California Democratic Party.