Janeen Comenote is Quinault and Oglala on her father’s side and Hesquiaht and Kwakiutl First Nations on her mother’s side. Comenote is the founding executive director of the National Urban Indian Family Coalition (NUIFC). The NUIFC is a national coalition representing 38 urban Indian centers in 26 cities and more than two million Native Americans living away from their traditional land base. The NUIFC remains one of only a few national organizations dedicated to “Making the Invisible Visible” and providing a platform and voice for this underrepresented population in America.
Janeen is a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow, a regional leadership program; is a 1999 alumni of the prestigious Americans for Indian Opportunity Ambassador program; and was chosen and highlighted in O (Oprah) magazine for her participation in Women Rule: 80 Women Who Could Change America. She is a recipient of the Potlatch Fund Fran James Cultural Preservation Award and the prestigious Eco Trust Indigenous Leadership Award for her work with urban Indians. She has presented urban Indian issues at The White House, the United Nations, and as a keynote speaker at numerous conferences.
