IndigenousAF (IAF Inc.) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in Nevada that supports community work and projects which strengthen Indigenous cultures, knowledge, and identity through the arts and education. IAF Inc. raises and distributes funding directly for experienced individuals, groups, and sister organizations that help to preserve and extend cultural traditions within our beautifully diverse communities.
Fawn Douglas is the Secretary of IndigenousAF and A. B. Wilkinson is the Treasurer of the organization. For more information, please visit the IAF Inc. website.
Michael I. Collins is the President of IndigenousAF (IAF Inc.) and is the current chair of the Southern Nevada Board of Health Advisory Board. Originally from Kansas City, Kansas, he has roots with the Muscogee (Creek) and is a conscientious veteran who served 7 years in the United States Army. Collins holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and is a registered nurse in the state of Nevada. He has practiced nursing for over four decades and has been an asset to many communities in Las Vegas. As a nurse in the 1980s and 1990s, Collins fought on the frontlines of the HIV epidemic and courageously served many in the LGBTQ+ community during the height of the AIDs crisis. Although Collins retired from nursing in 2020, he still volunteers his time and expertise, most recently with COVID vaccination efforts. He is an advocate for strengthening the health care system and has pushed for many social justice issues over the years. Michael is also a respected elder and mentor to many within the Las Vegas African American and Native American communities.
Maria Raquel Casas serves as Vice President of IAF Inc. and is an expert in Mexican American history. She is an associate professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where she has taught for nearly 25 years on Chicana/o, Mexican American, and borderlands history. She received her bachelor’s degree in history from California State University at Fresno and is a graduate of Yale University, where she earned both her MA and PhD. Professor Casas is the author of the book Married to a Daughter of the Land: Interethnic Marriages in California, 1820-1880 (University of Nevada, Las Vegas Press, 2007). She has authored several scholarly articles and various entries over her academic career and has maintained a distinguished record of service while at UNLV. Raquel is also a valued member of the Las Vegas Eastside community, where she has lived for over two decades. Dr. Casas has been and remains a respected advisor, elder, and mentor to many in the Latinx and other communities in Las Vegas.
Lydia Wolfe is a lead intern for IndigenousAF and works with Fawn Douglas on a number of projects at the Nuwu Art Gallery + Community Center, where she specializes as an art docent and assists with a variety of projects. Lydia is currently completing her BA at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where she studies Anthropology and Indigenous Studies. At UNLV, she is a member of the Native American Student Association (NASA) and the Anthropology Society. Lydia has academic interests in pre-colonial and contemporary lifestyles of Indigenous peoples of the Southwest as well as Indigenous groups in what is now Latin America. She utilizes anti-colonial or decolonial methods in her studies and brings a critical lens when investigating the cultural shifts that occurred due to colonial contact. In addition to her volunteer work with IndigenousAF and at UNLV, Lydia also volunteers with The Cupcake Girls, a non-profit that provides confidential support for those involved in the sex industry. Lydia has a passion for justice, education, and serving the community.
