Meet the Native Nations Community Advisory Panelist (NNCAP) Team#
The Equity and Inclusion Office is honored to welcome the Native Nations Community Advisory Panelist (NNCAP) team to the City of Fort Collins. The creation of the panelists/advisory group was a high-priority request by the Fort Collins Native American/Indigenous community during the 2021-2022 engagement process to build and deepen good working relations and trust between the Native community and city staff. The NNCAP team will work 4-6 hours/month (1 and 2-year commitments) under the supervision of the Native American Engagement Specialist, Dr. Valerie A. Small, and other relevant City Departments, to guide the development of Land Acknowledgement, protocols for direct Tribal consultation, and provide guidance on City projects related to land and cultural resource management decisions involving the Native and Indigenous community. This initiative is possible with ARPA COVID-19 Recovery funds.
Lisa Ansell Frazier#
![Picture of Lisa Ansell Frazier](https://www.fcgov.com/equity/img/lisa-ansell-frazier_small.jpg)
Lisa Ansell Frazier is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She is Mdewankanton/Mniconjou Da/Lakota. She is the Founder and Director of Buffalo Youth Nation Project, an Indigenous Native for Native Non-Profit. She currently virtually attends the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Sante Fe, NM on her path of Indigenous Studies, and is in the process of moving to Fort Collins. She is a mother, daughter, friend, and partner. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her family, adopting huskies, and playing contact sports. Her passion for healing community is the driving force of her work, and she looks forward to working with and on behalf of the Fort Collins Native American community.
Lydia Lerma#
![Picture of Lydia Lerma](https://www.fcgov.com/equity/img/lydia-lerma_small.jpg)
Lydia Lerma is an enrolled citizen of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas. She is a first-generation high school and college graduate and has dedicated her adult life to community activism and advocacy. Lydia serves on the Community Volunteer Advisory Board for the Office of the Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives and the Colorado State Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors (CSAS) State Task Force. She is a current member of the American Legion Auxiliary and Native American Fish & Wildlife Society. Lydia is an avid outdoorswoman and enjoys hiking, hunting, camping, snowshoeing, and spending time in the Colorado Wilderness areas. Lydia plans to utilize her extensive network within Indigenous communities and through several agencies to be a voice for Fort Collins Natives in service on the Native Nations Community Advisory Panel.
Sierra Bitsie#
![Picture of Sierra Bitsie](https://www.fcgov.com/equity/img/sierra-bitsie_small.jpg)
Sierra Bitsie (she/her/hers) is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. She is White People clan, born for Black Sheep clan. Sierra has served as a fourth-grade teacher in Poudre School District for six years, as well as working as a Graduate Assistant for Asian Pacific American Student Services and Native American Student Services at the University of Northern Colorado. This upcoming year, she will be teaching high school social studies. Sierra is passionate about education and strives to represent both contemporary and historical Indigenous perspectives in her classroom. During her personal time, she enjoys gardening with her husband, cultivating native plants, and spending time with her two dogs. She is looking forward to connecting with more members of the community in this position.