Summary of NASA Tribal Forum and Listening Session

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Summary of NASA Tribal Forum and Listening Session

Rebecca Klein, NASA Liaison for Native American Consultation

April 2023
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Summary of NASA Tribal Forum and Listening Session 1

1. Overview

In support of Executive Order (EO) 13175 and the 2021 Presidential Memorandum on Tribal Consultation 

and Strengthening Nation-to-Nation Relationships, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(NASA) hosted a virtual forum and listening session with tribal leaders and representatives on January 11, 

2023, at 11:00 a.m. Pacific/2:00 p.m. Eastern. The goal of the forum was to begin a conversation with 

federally recognized tribes, and to solicit feedback on how NASA can enhance its consultation process and its 

engagement in areas of potential shared interests.

Forty-eight tribal leaders and representatives from 19 tribal nations participated in the forum. Seventeen 

NASA representatives were in attendance to listen and respond to questions and comments. Mr. Robert Gibbs, 

Associate Administrator for the NASA Mission Support Directorate, served as the Senior NASA Official. Prerecorded welcoming remarks were provided by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam 

Melroy, and Colonel Nicole Mann, the first indigenous woman in space. A complete list of NASA attendees and 

tribal nations represented at the Tribal Forum is included in the Attachment.

NASA provided additional opportunities for tribes to submit comments via a NASA website comment form or 

through email. The comment period was open from September 22, 2022, through February 10, 2023. Tribal 

nations who provided written comments are listed in the Attachment. 

2. Tribal Input Themes

A total of 15 tribes provided comments either live during the forum or written via email or the online 

comment form. The input is summarized as follows:

• Numerous comments expressed a limited familiarity with NASA’s work and its current engagement and 

consultation activities with tribal nations. There were questions about the objective of this effort.

• Several comments focused on Science Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) partnerships and 

educational opportunities, particularly for pre-college students and rural communities. These comments 

were provided to the Minority University and Research Education Project (MUREP) for American Indian 

Alaskan Native STEM Engagement (MAIANSE) within NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement for further 

action.

• A few comments focused on science opportunities, specifically areas for collaboration between NASA and 

tribes. Suggestions and contact information were shared during the forum.

• A few comments focused on providing tribes access to NASA data for their tribal research projects, 

particularly in regard to landscape monitoring and management. Suggestions were provided during the 

forum, and these comments were provided to NASA’s Earth Science Division and Indigenous Peoples

Initiative for further action.

• Several comments addressed ideas for NASA’s consultation process with tribes. These comments 

emphasized the importance of meaningful consultation, the need for transparency, and requests to 

ensure tribes are given sufficient notice and adequate information to engage in consultation. These 

comments will be addressed in a Plan of Action for consultation that NASA is preparing in accordance 

with EO 13175. 

• One comment requested information on small business opportunities. This comment was forwarded to 

NASA’s Office of Small Business.

• One comment expressed skepticism on the authenticity of NASA’s Human Spaceflight Program.

• Many comments expressed general appreciation of NASA’s support, partnering, and outreach efforts.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Summary of NASA Tribal Forum and Listening Session 2

3. Resources Shared with Forum Participants

The following are resources shared with participants during the forum, in response to specific comments or 

questions.

• NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement 

• NASA’s MAINSE: MAINSE’s mission is to increase American Indian and Alaska Native engagement in 

STEM through authentic and unique NASA experiences.

• NASA Office of Procurement: The vision of the Office of Procurement is to explore and execute innovative, 

effective, and efficient acquisition business solutions to optimize capabilities and operations that enable 

NASA's missions.

• DEVELOP National Program: DEVELOP, part of NASA Earth Science Division’s Applied Sciences Program, 

addresses environmental and public policy issues through interdisciplinary research projects that apply 

the lens of NASA Earth observations to community concerns around the globe. An example of a project 

included implementing NASA’s Earth observations to validate spectral detection models of northern wild 

rice.

• NASA’s Prizes and Challenges Program: The program is within the Applied Sciences Program and solicits 

crowdsource ideas, technologies, scientific advances, and other “solutions” from people around the world 

through incentivized competitions called prizes and challenges. An example of a challenge created by 

NASA in partnership with other entities, is to use satellite imagery to detect and classify the severity of 

cyanobacteria blooms in small, inland water bodies. 

• NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission: This project is currently in the design 

phase of mission development. It is scheduled to launch in 2024 and will extend and improve NASA’s 

over-20-year record of satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols, and clouds.

4. Next Steps

NASA is actively working to review the feedback provided during the forum and comment period to 

determine the best path forward for addressing these comments. Comments relating to NASA’s processes for 

compliance with EO 13175 will be considered in the development of the Plan of Action. Additional actions will 

be taken for other topics through the appropriate NASA office.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Summary of NASA Tribal Forum and Listening Session A-1

Attachment

NASA and Tribal Participants

The following NASA representatives attended the virtual Tribal Forum:

• Robert Gibbs, Associate Administrator for Mission Support Directorate

• Dr. Rebecca Klein, Federal Preservation Officer and Agency Liaison for Native American Consultation 

• Shahra Lambert, Senior Advisor for Engagement and Equity, Office of the Administrator

• Michelle Barth, Special Assistant for Engagement, Office of the Administrator 

• Dr. Xaivian Raymond, Special Assistant to the Senior Advisor for Engagement and Equity, Office of the 

Administrator

• Regan Hunter, Projects and Initiatives Manager, Office of the Administrator

• Glenn Delgado, Associate Administrator of the Office of Small Business Programs 

• Marc Hone, Deputy Associate Administrator of the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs

• Ted Gutman, Deputy Associate Administrator of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity

• Torry Johnson, Program Manager for the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP), 

Office of STEM Engagement

• Caroline Montgomery, Activity Lead for the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) 

for American Indian and Alaska Native STEM Engagement, Office of STEM Engagement

• Charlotte Bertrand, Director of the Environmental Management Division

• Dr. Dave Draper, Deputy Chief Scientist, Office of the Administrator

• Dr. Julie Robinson, Deputy Director of the Earth Science Division

• Dr. Nancy Searby, Capacity Building Program Manager, Earth Science Division Applied Sciences Program

• Nikki Tulley, Assistant Research Scientist for Applied Sciences’ Indigenous Peoples Initiative and 

Associate Program Manager with the Equity and Environmental Justice Program, Earth Science Division 

Applied Science Program

Table 1 lists the tribes who participated in the Tribal Forum by attending the virtual forum and/or providing 

verbal or written comments during the comment period.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Summary of NASA Tribal Forum and Listening Session A-2

Table 1. List of Participating Tribes

Tribal Nation Name Forum 

Attendance

Forum 

Comments

Website 

Comments

Email 

Comments

Blue Lake Rancheria X

Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of the Chemehuevi 

Reservation X X

Chickahominy Indian Tribe X X

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma X

Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde X X X

Hoopa Valley Tribe X

Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe X X

Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma X

Knik Tribe X X

Lummi Nation X X

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe X

Native Tribe of Kanatak X

Native Village of Atka X X

Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation X

Passamaquoddy Tribe X X

Pinoleville Pomo Nation X

Saginaw Chippewa Tribal of Michigan X X

Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians X X X

Skagway Traditional Council X X

Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation X

United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians X X