Laura R. Graham
Laura R. Graham is an anthropologist, filmmaker and activist. She is professor of anthropology at the University of Iowa and president-elect of the Society for Anthropology of Lowland South America. Her research focuses on Indigenous agency and politics of representation among Indigenous Peoples of Lowland South America. She has studied and worked with A’uwẽ-Xavante of central Brazil since 1981 and more recently with Wayuu of Venezuela. Graham has written extensively on Indigenous speech, expressive culture, and forms of self-representation in national and international arenas, including ethnographic spectacle and use of new media technologies. Her books include the award-winning, Performing Dreams: Discourses of Immortality among the Xavante of Central Brazil (1995; Portuguese edition with original field recordings 2018), Performing Indigeneity: Global Histories and Contemporary Experiences (2014) and Language and Social Justice in Practice (2018). With David Hernández-Palmar (Wyauu) and Caimi Waiassé (A’uwẽ-Xavante), she co-directed the film Owners of the Water: Conflict and Collaboration over Rivers (2009).  From 1994-2005, Laura directed the Xavante Education Fund, a Cultural Survival Special Project, and now serves as a coordinator of A’uwẽ-Xavante projects with Cultural Survival. She is writing a book on A’uwẽ-Xavante uses of audiovisual technologies and their efforts to achieve representational sovereignty.

Nicole Friederichs, Clerk
Friederichs is a Practitioner-in-Residence at Suffolk University Law School in Boston, MA, where she teaches the Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples Clinic which serves the Native nation building needs of the New England's Tribal governments as well as engages with international human rights mechanisms on behalf of Indigenous communities and organizations. Prior to joining Suffolk, she practiced federal Indian law and international human rights law working on a range of cases, including jurisdictional cases between Native American Tribes and New England states, and Indigenous Peoples land rights cases before the international and regional human rights bodies. Nicole also has experience in the international development sector supporting community development and education programs located in West Africa. She holds a LLM in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy from the University of Arizona, a JD from Suffolk University Law School, and is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and the London School of Economics. 

Steven Heim, Treasurer

Steven Heim is a Managing Director for Boston Common Asset Management, an investment manager and a leader in global impact initiatives. Steven has over 25 years of experience in the responsible investment field. Steven’s efforts to protect the human rights of Indigenous Peoples have helped catalyze positive policy changes at U.S. and international companies. From 2007 to 2019 he chaired the advocacy subcommittee of the Investors & Indigenous Peoples Working Group. Most recently, he has helped lead global investor engagements with global banks regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline and urging banks to revise the Equator Principles for project finance to respect Indigenous Peoples rights. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples.

Miranda Vitello, Development Coordinator, processes all donations, manages the membership database, and coordinates the internship program. Before joining the Cultural Survival staff in 2011, Miranda assisted with the creation of the Wampanoag teaching kit at the Boston Children’s Museum, conducted research on contemporary Native American artists for the Museum of Fine Arts, and organized cultural awareness presentations in elementary schools during an internship at United Planet. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Master’s degree in Museum Studies from Harvard University. She enjoys painting and her artwork has been displayed at numerous galleries in the Boston area. Contact Miranda at mvitello@cs.org.

Rosy Sul González (Maya Kaqchikel), Indigenous Rights Radio Program Manager, is from the town of Sumpango, Sacatepéquez, in Guatemala. She studied communication sciences at the Universidad de San Carlos in Guatemala City, and for five years volunteered at Radio Ixchel, the local community radio in Sumpango, where she hosted live talk shows and entertainment programs and promoted human rights. She has traveled as a representative of Cultural Survival to communities in Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico, and several international fora, such as the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In each place, she shares the purpose, challenges, successes, and importance of community radio as a tool for community development and organizing, and in the international arena, she has worked to demand that community radio be respected at the global level so that Indigenous Peoples can freely access it. Contact Rosy at rosy@cs.org.

Agnes Portalewska, Senior Communications Manager, is originally from Warsaw, Poland. She studied Anthropology, Latin American Studies, photography, and media production at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University, where her studies focused on Rights-Based Approach to Development. She has traveled extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean, researched Indigenous media, and taught photography workshops to children. For the past 20+ years, Agnes has served as a consultant to several nonprofits in the area of communications, fundraising, and advocacy. Agnes has been working at Cultural Survival since 2002. She started as Membership Coordinator, then from 2004 to 2008, was Program Officer for the Cultural Survival Bazaars Program leading the expansion of the program from two to ten events a year. She currently directs all communications for program and advocacy initiatives, including the Cultural Survival Quarterly and social media efforts. She speaks English, Polish, French, and Spanish. Contact Agnes at agnes@cs.org.

Cesar Gomez (Maya Pocomam), Community Media Program Coordinator. Cesar is from Palin, Escquintla, Guatemala. Palin is a Pocomam town that is located only 25 miles from Guatemala City. Pocomam was once a widely spoken language but, in Cesar’s words, “the colonial Spanish language media in Guatemala City have eroded our language and culture over time.” The Pocomam of Palin are an exception; they have maintained their language and many cultural practices. From a young age, Cesar has been involved in cultural revitalization in his community, as a founder and member of Cultural Association of Poqoman Qawinaqel. In 1999, Cesar started as a volunteer at the Palin community radio station where he worked for five years. In 2005, he was selected as a regional representative to the Association of Guatemalan Community Radio Stations. In 2007, he was hired as the Office Administrator of the National Congress of Community Radios. In 2008, he joined Cultural Survival as Content Production and Training Coordinator for the Community Media Program in Guatemala. Cesar is also the President of the Board of Directors of Asociación Sobrevivencia Cultural. He holds a degree in communications from the University of San Carlos, Guatemala. Contact Cesar at cgomez@cs.org.

Sofia Flynn, Accounting and Office Manager, is originally from Cali, Colombia. Sofia worked in international banking in Venezuela for 10 years before moving to the United States. Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, she has worked at Cultural Survival since 1989. Contact Sofia at sflynn@cs.org.

Danielle DeLuca, Senior Development Manager, has been with Cultural Survival since 2009, when she started volunteering from our Guatemalan office in Antigua. Planning to stay for one year, she fell in love with Guatemalan culture and community and stayed for five years. Danielle has worked in many areas of Cultural Survival's work, including the Community Media Program, where she trained alongside our Guatemalan team in doing legislative advocacy to advance the rights of freedom of expression. In 2012, she began working in our Advocacy Program in defense of Indigenous land and resources, through which she has worked and traveled to Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, Ghana, and Mexico. Between 2013 and 2017, she helped to establish and run the Indigenous Rights Radio content and distribution platform. Starting in 2019, Danielle has been managing fundraising efforts. She speaks English and Spanish and holds a degree in Cultural Studies from McGill University, in Montreal, Canada. Contact Danielle at danielle@cs.org.