Indigenous Women from Across Nations.

United by Commitment to Sovereignty, Justice, and Collective Liberation.

PLUME is built by the women who have spent their lives defending Indigenous rights — in tribal councils, in courtrooms, in ceremonial spaces, and on the floor of the United Nations.

Meet Our Leadership

Our Foundation

Decades of Frontline Experience. One Shared Commitment.

PLUME brings together Indigenous women leaders with decades of experience in tribal governance, international law, cultural preservation, and grassroots organizing.

Our board includes the first woman Sundance Leader, a former Tribal Chairwoman, and architects of global Indigenous rights mechanisms — including co-leaders of the International Forum of Indigenous Women (FIMI) and coordinators of the Continental Network of Indigenous Women of the Americas (ECMIA).

We are rooted in rematriation and spiritual strength — honoring the matriarchal traditions that have sustained our Peoples through centuries of resistance, and building the infrastructure those traditions require to thrive today.

Our Mission & Vision

We strengthen the rights and leadership of Indigenous women and Indigenous Peoples — protecting what is sacred, restoring balance, and shaping just futures.

A world where Indigenous Peoples' rights are common sense.

Where Indigenous women hold decision-making authority over the choices that shape our lives, lands, and Nations — whether on our homelands or in cities.

Where sovereignty is not a concession granted by colonial governments, but the living reality of our Peoples.

Why We Organize

For generations, Indigenous women have carried the knowledge, governance, and spiritual authority to heal our Nations — and have been systematically blocked from exercising it.

"When Indigenous Women lead, Nations heal."

Colonial systems have fueled high rates of violence against Indigenous women, erased our presence from legal and political frameworks, and severed our communities from the land and knowledge systems that sustain us.

We organize not because we lack power — but because that power has been suppressed, criminalized, and ignored for too long.

When Indigenous women lead, Nations heal. PLUME exists to build the conditions for that leadership to take root and transform systems.

How PLUME is organized

PLUME operates through two interconnected structures that allow us to advance Indigenous women's rights at every level — from community organizing to international advocacy.

PLUME Institute

The research and knowledge arm of PLUME. The Institute conducts Indigenous-led research, develops policy frameworks, creates educational materials, and provides technical assistance to Tribal Nations and Indigenous women's organizations integrating international human rights standards into their work.

PLUME Alliance

The network and movement-building arm of PLUME. The Alliance connects Indigenous women's organizations, tribal governments, and allies across Nations and geographies — building the collective infrastructure for coordinated advocacy, resource sharing, and sustained political action.

Together, the Institute and the Alliance translate community knowledge into legal strategy and political action into systemic change.

Leadership & Board

PLUME is guided by Indigenous women leaders with decades of experience in advocacy, scholarship, and community building. Together, we form a circle of leadership that unites Nations, strengthens voices, and builds power.

Our Circle

  • Portrait of a woman with long black hair, wearing a red top and colorful earrings, smiling slightly

    Rosalee Gonzalez, Ph.D.

    Executive Director

  • A woman with dark hair and light skin smiling, wearing a purple dress with geometric patterns and a large necklace, standing in front of colorful artwork.

    Beverly Jacobs, J.D., Ph.D.

    Board of Directors

    CHAIR

  • A woman with long dark hair smiling, standing against a wooden wall indoors.

    Violet Duncan

    Board of Directors

    VICE-CHAIR

  • A woman dressed in blue traditional clothing with jewelry, sitting against a graffiti-covered brick wall, holding a child in her lap, and the child is playing with a necklace.

    Enedina Banks

    Board of Directors

    SECRETARY

  • Portrait of a woman with black hair wearing a black blazer and white shirt against a white background.

    Dawnafe Whitesinger

    Board of Directors

  • A woman singing or speaking passionately, wearing a black top and a blue striped scarf.

    Charlene O'Rourke

    Board of Directors

    TREASURER

Explore how we work

Our strategy is built on four interconnected pillars — grounded in Indigenous women's knowledge, governance, and political authority.

Explore our strategy