Introducing Office on Violence Against Women Tribal Affairs Division
The mission of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) at the U.S. Department of Justice is to provide federal leadership in developing the national capacity to reduce violence against women and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
OVW administers grant programs authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA of 1994) and subsequent legislation. The Tribal Affairs Division (TAD) within OVW is responsible for the administration of Tribal specific grant programs and initiatives, management of Tribal specific training and technical assistance, and coordination with other federal departments and offices within the Department of Justice on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and stalking in Tribal communities. TAD plays a vital role in assisting federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations in securing OVW funding.
By providing tailored support and guidance, the TAD helps Tribal entities navigate the often complex application process, ensuring they understand and meet the specific requirements and criteria. This assistance includes offering technical support, facilitating access to essential application resources, and organizing workshops and training sessions to enhance the applicants’ knowledge and skills. Through these efforts, the TAD helps strengthen the capacity of Tribes and Tribal organizations to develop and implement projects that address and prevent violence, ultimately contributing to greater safety and justice for American Indian and Alaska Native people. More information can be found at https://www.ovwconsultation.org/Leveraging-TAD.
There are currently 14 staff members in TAD, many of whom have extensive experience working with Tribes and Tribal organizations. Some of the TAD team members come from Tribal communities, bringing a deep understanding of the complexities and dynamics within these communities and the challenges survivors face. Their dedication ensures that survivors have access to necessary services and that Tribal communities receive federal funding.
Sherriann Moore
Rosebud “Sicangu” Lakota
Deputy Director, Tribal Affairs Division
Sherriann Moore serves as the Deputy Director for Tribal Affairs, a position established within VAWA to provide federal leadership, national oversight, and guidance for Tribes and Tribal organizations to strengthen their capacity and improve federal responses to end domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, sex trafficking, and stalking in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Darla Nolan
Associate Director, Tribal Affairs Division
Darla Nolan supervises policy and program development, contract management, division oversight, and planning. Darla began her work with OVW in 2005 and shifted her focus to organizational and program development for the Tribal Affairs Division in 2014. Throughout the years she has been instrumental in the development and enhancement of multiple grant programs, special initiatives, and projects, as well as the much-needed growth of the Division. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in social work.
Rebekah Jones
Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska
Assistant Director, Tribal Affairs Division
Rebekah Jones works remotely from Mayetta, Kansas, near the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation reservation where her adult children are enrolled. Rebekah supervises the Fundamental Assistance to Support Tribal Responses (TAD FASTR) unit, which includes the Tribal Governments Program, the Tribal Special Assistant United States Attorney (TSAUSA) initiative, as well as several other special initiatives and cooperative agreements. She also coordinates division-wide projects, including Tribal-specific training and technical assistance. Rebekah started at OVW Tribal Affairs in 2015. Prior to that she worked for many years serving Native victims and survivors in northeast Kansas.
Tia Farmer
Assistant Director, Tribal Affairs Division
Tia Farmer joined OVW in 2007. Mrs. Farmer supervises the TAD Justice League Division Unit, which includes the Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program, Tribal Jurisdiction, Tribal Jurisdiction Alaska Project, and the Tribal Reimbursement Program. Mrs. Farmer also collaborates with numerous technical assistance providers on policy and programmatic development on issues and matters relevant to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Before joining OVW, Mrs. Farmer was the membership and marketing manager at the Food Marketing Institute.
Renee Stapp
Muscogee Nation
Grant Management Specialist, Tribal Affairs Division
Renee Stapp lives and works in Oklahoma. She manages awards under the Grants to Tribal Governments Program, the Tribal Special Assistant United States Attorney (TSAUSA) initiative, and the Technical Assistance Project for Men’s Work. Renee has over 25 years of experience serving Indian Country victims and survivors. She has lived on numerous reservations and has a vast knowledge of the diversity across Indian Country.
Jennifer Marsh
Grant Management Specialist, Tribal Affairs Division
Jennifer Marsh focuses her time on the Grants to Indian Tribal Governments Program. She also serves as the grant manager for the National Tribal Trial College. Ms. Marsh has over 20 years of experience working with victims and survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence on the local, state, and national levels. Ms. Marsh and her family live in Lawrence, Kansas.
Samantha Dziatkiewicz
Grant Management Specialist, Tribal Affairs Division
Samantha Dziatkiewicz is responsible for managing grants and technical assistance awards. With over 22 years of experience living in Alaska, Samantha brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities faced by Tribal governments in the region.
Lisa Arnold
Choctaw Nation
Grant Management Specialist, Tribal Affairs Division
Lisa Arnold works remotely from Oklahoma and manages awards under the Grants to Tribal Governments Program. Lisa has over 10 years of experience serving Indian Country victims and survivors. Lisa has worked as a paralegal in family and criminal law, supervised visitation, and certified mediation for over 17 years. She has served on the board of directors for the NAAV (Oklahoma Tribal Coalition) and Northeast Oklahoma RISE (Respect Inspire Support Empower which is the Northeast Oklahoma chapter of the NAAV) for over six years. Lisa is passionate about bringing culturally relevant services and tangible sources of help to all Native victims and survivors to assist them in regaining hope, strength, and sustainability.
Tammy “Paniiqchuugak” (Bu-nick-chuck) Ashley
Unangan (Aleut) descent from Unga Island on the Aleutian Chain and Inupiat (Eskimo) from White Mountain of the Fish River Tribe on the Seward Peninsula
Grant Management Specialist, Tribal Affairs Division
Tammy “Paniiqchuugak” (Bu-nick-chuck) Ashley resides in Anchorage, Alaska, with her husband, her family, and her dog, Tank. Ms. Ashley is responsible for managing grants and technical assistance awards. She has worked in Native communities for over 20 years, primarily focusing on Native healthcare and social services in Alaska, and has worked with many Tribes, villages, and Tribal organizations.
Yulonda Candelario
Grant Management Specialist, Tribal Affairs Division
Yulonda Candelario is responsible for managing grants and technical assistance awards. She is a United States Army veteran and spent 17 years as a law enforcement officer. Ms. Candelario has worked with Native communities in Alaska and Wyoming for over 10 years, focusing on victim services, including serving victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. She has also worked on issues related to the lack of law enforcement in rural Alaska, including on the Alaska Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Working Group and the Law Enforcement Tribal Response Working Group. She has also worked with the Anchorage Reentry Coalition. In 2019, Ms. Candelario received the Director’s Award from the Justice Department’s Executive Office of United States Attorneys for her superior performance in prevention and reentry activities in Alaska. Ms. Candelario has an Associate of Arts from Central Texas College, an Associate of Science in Criminal Justice, and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (2017).
Mary Mummaw
Contracting Officer Representative and Grant Management Specialist, Tribal Affairs Division
Mary Mummaw serves as the Contracting Officer Representative as well as a Grant Management Specialist for the Tribal Affairs Division. She has 26 years of hands-on work experience with grants focused on Tribal nations, veteran populations, persons with disabilities, and other underserved communities. She has been involved with each step of the process, from project conception and grant writing, to grant administration and program fulfillment. Her background also includes addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking through resource management, mental health counseling, and as a program coordinator. Mary earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology and holistic health from Western Michigan University.
Jordana Cunningham
Project Coordinator on the Alaska Pilot Program, Tribal Affairs Division
Jordana Cunningham is originally from New York with roots in the Deep South. Her family has been fighting for others for generations, including being active in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. This legacy led Jordana to continue that work as a Department of Justice employee, where she’s been since 2001. Jordana’s passion is to work with all underserved groups and populations. For over 10 years she worked at the United States Parole Commission to improve the lives of those in the criminal justice system, including assisting those with behavioral health disorders. She has overseen behavioral health programming and formulated alternatives to incarceration to help clients address their needs to secure early release from prison and end their relationship with the criminal justice system. She is currently on detail in the Tribal Affairs Division, where she works as the Project Coordinator on the Alaska Pilot Program to help Alaska Native Tribes exercise criminal jurisdiction in their villages and communities.
Jenny Mills
Grant Management Specialist, Tribal Affairs Division
Jenny Mills joined OVW’s Tribal Affairs Division as a Grant Management Specialist in October 2022. She resides in Buffalo, New York, and has over 15 years of experience working with Tribal communities in the criminal justice system and victim services field. Her experience working as a public defender in rural Alaska inspired her to devote her career to working with victims. Her experience includes program development, subject matter expertise, policy and procedure development, grant writing, grants management, and training and technical assistance. She spent years working in child advocacy centers as a forensic interviewer, victim advocate supervisor, and multidisciplinary team coordinator.
Regina Madison
Senior Grant Program Specialist, Tribal Affairs Division
Regina Madison serves as a Senior Grant Program Specialist on the Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction (STCJ) Grant Program. She is responsible for policy and programmatic development, oversight, planning, and implementation of federal grants and cooperative agreements related to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and sex trafficking in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Ms. Madison has been with OVW since 1999 and has worked on various grant programs, including the Rural Program and the Legal Assistance for Victims Program.
Sydney West
Grant Management Specialist, Tribal Affairs Division
Sydney West manages the Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program (TSASP), the comprehensive technical assistance for TSASP, and the Technical Assistance for Responses for Urban Natives Project. She serves as a lead on the Tribal Financial Assistance Working Group and is a member of the Sexual Assault Set-Aside Working Group, the JustGrants User Group, and the DHS/DOJ/HHS Hotlines Working Group. Sydney has 20 years of experience managing global reproductive health, HIV/AIDS prevention and clinical trials, and adolescent sexuality projects in Haiti, India, Nigeria, and South Africa. Prior to joining OVW, Sydney spent seven years managing grants and contracts for the American Red Cross Haiti Assistance Program. Since 2010 she has served as a sexual assault crisis counselor on the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)’s DoD Safe Helpline and is a certified victim advocate. Sydney is interested in expanding sexual assault services and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) responses for Tribal communities.
