National Steering Council
The 7 Generations Behavioral Health Center of Excellence National Steering Council is comprised of tribal behavioral health experts, behavioral health providers, and people with lived expertise who identify issues and guide the Center of Excellence. Steering Council members offer bold ideas, discuss community needs, and support national program development for positive change by identifying issues and resiliency to build on and guide the Center of Excellence.
The members of the National Steering Council include:
Trula Breuninger, MPH, MBA, brings over 20 years of experience in the healthcare and social services industry, working with private enterprises and tribal governments in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Massachusetts. Breuninger earned a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, and a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University, W.P. Carey School of Business. She served as a Tribal Administrator and is passionate about supporting organizations that strive to bring value to clients and patients. She has also held positions such as CEO, CFO, and COO for a number of tribal health programs and community health centers and has been instrumental in helping nonprofits achieve operational and financial success. Trula was born and raised in northern Arizona on the Navajo reservation. She is of the Todich’ii’nii (Bitter Water) clan, born for Honághááhnii (One-Walks-Around). Her maternal grandfather’s clan is Tsi’naajinii (Black Streak Wood), and her paternal grandfather’s clan is Tábąąhá (Water’s Edge).
Josh DeBartolo
Director of Partnerships
Oklahoma Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services
I have worked in the behavioral health field since 2016 in various roles. I started as an intern, Case Manager II, Housing Navigator, Housing Coordinator, Program Manager, Senior Program Manager, and Director. I am passionate about brining tribes and communities together. I am an avid beadwork artist and am constantly making regalia.
Jackie Engebretson is the Director of Behavioral Health at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC). Her specialty area is helping Alaska Natives and American Indians understand the impacts of historical and intergenerational trauma and uplifting healthy coping skills. She serves as the Vice Chair for the Volunteers of America (VOA) Alaska, a non-profit that provides mental health, substance use, housing, and family services to youth and young adults in Alaska. Jackie previously worked with the YMCA of Snohomish County, the Tulalip Tribes of Washington, and the National Indian Health Board. She completed her MSW in Community-Centered Integrative Practice and a Nonprofit Management Certificate at the University of Washington. Jackie is Ahtna Athabascan (Udzisyu), enrolled in Gulkana Village.
I come to you as a two spirited traditional medicine practitioner, representing the Great Navajo Nation. My passion lies in advocacy in holistic health and overall well-being that encompasses physical, spiritual, mental and emotional health through the embodiment of holistic approaches that aid in delivering harmony and balance back to oneself.
Sunny Goggles is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe mother to several children including foster and adopted children. She is a proud graduate of Wyoming Indian High School and lived most of her life on the Wind River Indian Reservation. Sunny graduated from the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2004. She moved home and began working for her community. She worked for a mental health mentoring program, With Eagle’s Wings and Shoshone and Arapaho Tribal Substance Abuse Court from 2003 to 2014. She also was a member of the Law and Order revision team and the High Priority Performance Goal (HPPG) Initiative Community Committee. She established the Coalition for Change which later merged with the HPPG group to become the Community Partnerships Against Crime and Substance Abuse (CPACS). Sunny also became an advisor for the Wind River United Indian National Tribal Youth (UNITY) Council in 2012. Sunny also provided training on the Healing to Wellness Courts for the Tribal Judicial Institute and the Tribal Law and Policy Institute. Sunny began working for the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s White Buffalo Prevention, Recovery and Sober Living Program in March 2014. Sunny is a Member of the 7 Generations American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Behavioral Health Center of Excellence National Steering Council, State of Wyoming Governor’s Advisory Board on Behavioral Health, the Federal Re-Entry Court Team and has testified to the United States Senate Committee of Indian Affairs on two occasions regarding the effects of substance abuse on her community.
Gerilene Haskon brings extensive experience in Tribal relations, maternal and child health programming, and community mobilization. As Tribal Liaison at the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), she strengthens collaboration between ADHS, Tribes, Indian Health Service, Urban Indian Organizations, and the Office of the Director. Mrs. Haskon holds a Master of Public Health degree in Maternal and Child Health and a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Arizona. Her work reflects a strong commitment to advancing Tribal public health capacity and building meaningful partnerships to improve health outcomes in Arizona.
Pete Hill
Special Initiatives Director
Native American Community Services of Erie and Niagara Counties, Inc. (NACS)
Pete Hill is a citizen of the Cayuga Nation, Heron Clan and currently works in the Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Promotion Program at Native American Community Services of Erie and Niagara Counties, Inc. (NACS) where he has worked for over 32 years. He has worked in areas such as youth development, HIV risk reduction, substance abuse and suicide prevention, and health and wellness promotion and delivered hundreds of cultural competency trainings addressing a wide variety of issues to an extensive array of service providers, educational institutions, government agencies, health and human services providers, and community organizations for over 24 years. Pete has also been a lead figure in developing and implementing culturally grounded programs at NACS such as the Healing Our People through Empowerment Project, All Our Relations Program, Gathering of Good Minds, and the Together We Walk Indigenous Peer Education Project.
Dorothea “Shauna” Humphreys
Behavioral Health Director
Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority
Throughout her 17-year career with Choctaw Nation, Shauna has held positions as a hospital social worker, outreach worker, counselor, and program coordinator for suicide prevention and substance use grant programs. Her extensive experience has shaped her commitment to fostering mental wellness and addressing critical behavioral health needs within the community. Shauna earned her Master of Science in Human Resources from East Central University in 2012, obtained her Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) certification in 2014, and became a Licensed Professional Supervisor (LPC-S) in 2016. She actively contributes her expertise on several advisory boards, including the OU Women in Leadership Advisory Board and the 7 Generations AI/AN Behavioral Health Center of Excellence Advisory Board. Additionally, she serves as a Technical Assistant (TA) for the SAMHSA Tribal Technical Assistance Center (TTAC).
Echohawk Lefthand is an enrolled member of the Dine’ (Navajo) Nation and has over 15 years of experience in public health, focusing on Indigenous approaches and prevention. He currently serves as an administrator for the Office of Health Disparity and Health Equity (OHDHE) at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Previously, Echohawk held roles in the Title VI Indian Education program with Omaha Public Schools, Veteran Affairs, and the Indian Health Service. His dedication to improving health and quality of life for underrepresented minorities remains strong. He looks forward to this fellowship to learn about effective strategies for developing and implementing health equity policies.
Bio coming soon
Michael Martin is an Onondaga of the Beaver Clan from the Six Nations of the Grand River territory in Southern Ontario, but was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. He currently resides in North Tonawanda, NY. Mr. Martin is a graduate of both Babson College (MS-Accounting and Entrepreneurial Finance – 1998) and SUNY Buffalo State College (BS-Economics – 1995), which included one year on exchange at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In February of 2004, he was named the Executive Director of Native American Community Services of Erie and Niagara Counties, Inc. (NACS), after having served in an interim capacity since July of 2003. In 2016, he was named by his Clan Mother as a Faithkeeper for his Onondaga, Beaver Clan. He was formally acknowledged with his Chief by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy at a Condolence in June of 2018. He serves on several boards and advisories representing his organization and community, as well as, sharing his Haudenosaunee values and perspectives.
Joey Montoya (Lipan Apache) is a multimedia artist, fashion designer, and entrepreneur whose work is aimed at designing and re-designing an inclusive world. He is the Founder, Creative Director, and CEO of Urban Native Era, a fashion brand built to bring Indigenous visibility through fashion and design. His designs can be seen on the show ‘Reservation Dogs’, and are currently being sold at REI. He has been featured on ABC’s Localish series Unfiltered, and mentioned in magazines, Cosmopolitan, and Vogue. He is from San Francisco, California and holds a degree in advertising from San Jose State University.
As an Indigenous woman dedicated to the healing and well-being of our people, I have built my path in the behavioral health field with a strong commitment to advocacy and culturally grounded care. After earning my master’s in social work to strengthen my ability to serve and uplift our communities, I began my work as a survivor advocate on my reservation, standing alongside relatives impacted by violence and trauma. From there, I served as a suicide prevention coordinator, focusing on breaking cycles of despair and creating spaces of hope and connection for our youth. Now, as I work toward my clinical license, I serve as a Healing Generations Therapist, supporting our young people in reclaiming resilience, balance, and cultural identity. My journey reflects both professional dedication and personal responsibility to ensure our relatives are not only heard but also guided toward healing rooted in our traditions and strengths.
My experience as a clinician began in 2006 through college counseling services in my Masters program. I transitioned to working with children and continued to serve relatives across the lifespan. The majority of my work has been with our tribal communities in rural and urban settings although specialized work for trauma has been for all people. I opened Morningstar Counseling in 2012 and began offering training and consultation. I have served and continue to serve on multiple committees supporting mental wellness for the American Indian population. Currently, we offer an APA Accredited Pre-Doctoral training program and offer placement for Masters level clinicians. We’ve developed a decolonized model of supervision and continue to engage in community education, professional development, and community outreach as often as we can.
Dawn’s maternal clan is Ye’ii Dine’e Tachii’nii, born for Kiiya’aanii (paternal clan), and she is the baby of Asdzaa Naadleehi (Changing Woman). She comes from a lineage of resilient survivors of western colonization and the Navajo Long Walk of HwéeldÍ. Dawn is working to reclaim Navajo cultural practices alongside her family to carry forward for future generations. This healing work is in parallel and intertwines with her western perspective work.
Dawn worked as an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant (IECMHC) on the Navajo Nation for 8 years/ and provided national technical assistance to federal grantees around IECMH/IECMHC through the CoE for IECMHC for 6 years. She brings this experience and the cultural perspective to the work and trainings she provides about Infant Mental Health, and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation. Dawn currently focuses full-time on her business, Dził Nitsaa Consulting and Services, LLC, to support states, and agencies and Tribal communities to build culturally-relevant IECMH practices and IECMHC services to equitably support young children and families in their communities. She also does training for IECMH/IECMHC professionals to bring an equity focus by leaning into spirituality and multigenerational healing as a beginning step to healing justice work.
7 Generations Behavioral Health Center of Excellence