Marisa Miakonda Cummings

Marisa Cummings’ first day with ANA was August 28^th. She will be joining the ANA team for a year-long contract as a Senior Advisor with a focus on MMIP and VAWA policy. She will report to the Policy Director. Please reach out to welcome her to the ANA team at marisa.cummings@acf.hhs.gov.

Marisa Miakonda Cummings is dedicated to Indigenous models of governance, education, food systems, birthing, ceremonies, and sovereignty. She studies and teaches knowledge rooted in matriarchy and advocates for dismantling systems of oppression that impact our Native communities, including resource extraction and personal violence. 

Marisa has worked across the U.S to consult on culturally specific healing practices and intentional and systemic equity regarding American Indian populations. She trains on the impact of federal Indian policy on American Indian people and the relationship between historical trauma and contemporary challenges in our families and communities.

Marisa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from the University of Iowa and a certificate in American Indian/Native Studies as well as a minor in African American World Studies. She earned her master’s degree in Tribal Administration and Governance from the University of Minnesota Duluth.  Marisa has over 12 years of experience in higher education.  She has served her people as the CEO of the Omaha Tribe and most recently served as the President and CEO of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center in Minneapolis, MN.  

Marisa is Umonhon and a citizen of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa. She was born in Winnebago, Nebraska and raised in Sioux City, Iowa. Marisa belongs to the Buffalo Tail Clan of the Sky People as well as the Walker and Springer families and the eldest of eight children born to Mike (Tenuganatide) and Kathy Cummings. She is the mother of four adult children and grandmother to one grandson. Marisa enjoys teaching traditional food practices and spaces where culture and traditional ways are alive and thriving.