Leadership Update for Native American Student Affairs

On June 12, Special Advisor to the Provost for Native American Affairs Levi Esquerra sent the following message to Native American students, employees and community members announcing that Steven Martin will return to the University of Arizona to lead Native American Student Affairs.

Dear colleagues, students and community members,

After wrapping up another academic year in which we celebrated one of the largest Native American graduating classes in university history, I am proud of our community's accomplishments and of the newest Wildcats for Life.

Supporting our Native American students and employees and strengthening our relationships with Tribal Nations and communities are central to our mission at the University of Arizona. 

Earlier this week, we hosted our fifth annual Tribal Summit on campus, which brought together Tribal leaders from the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Navajo Nation, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Tohono O'odham Nation, White Mountain Apache Tribe and Yavapai-Apache Nation. This was a great opportunity for university offices and Tribal leaders to explore collaboration in student success, research, the arts, community engagement, online education, and more.

As we continue to build on that commitment, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Steven Martin as director of Native American Student Affairs (NASA), effective June 12.

Introducing the NASA director

This appointment marks a homecoming for Steven, who served as NASA director at the U of A from 2013-2018. He was most recently the director of Tribal Nations Student Affairs at the University of Idaho. Steven will bring extensive experience and a deep commitment to Native American communities as he leads efforts to enhance the health, well-being, academic success and cultural connectedness of the university's Native American students.  Steven will report to me and work closely with our campus community and Tribal governments to advocate for Native American student needs and continue to create a welcoming academic experience in support of student success.

Expressing gratitude

I am grateful to the Native American community members, faculty, staff and students who served on the search committee and those who participated in community forums with the finalists. I want to recognize M. Talia White for her leadership as interim director of NASA. Her meaningful relationships with students helped maintain continuity and success during this transition period.

I also want to thank Tessa Dysart, who will return to her faculty position as the Assistant Director of Legal Writing in the James E. Rogers College of Law effective July 1, after serving two years as assistant vice provost for Native American Initiatives. Tessa will continue her work as the editor in chief of the prestigious Journal of Appellate Practice and Process and her scholarship in the field of appellate advocacy.

Tessa has been a valued mentor and guided many Native American students on the path to graduation. She strengthened services to students and helped improve retention by connecting students with financial resources to help them persist in their academic journeys.

Looking ahead

Our commitment to Native American students and Tribal engagement remains strong. We are working to improve our service model and increase coordination with offices across the university to enhance support for students, faculty and staff. I will share additional information as this work progresses. 

Please join me in welcoming Steven to our team and thanking Tessa and Talia for their dedication. I am grateful for their contributions and wish them continued success. 

I encourage students, faculty and staff who have questions or are seeking support to reach out to my office.

Thank you for your continued support as we move forward with our important work.

Sincerely,

N. Levi Esquerra
Special Advisor to the Provost for Native American Affairs