Patricia Sekaquaptewa

Most recently, Pat Sekaquaptewa consulted with RurAL CAP’s Alaska Tribal Justice Resource Center (ATJRC) in Anchorage, AK as part of its training and technical assistance services to CTAS Purpose Areas 3, 8, & 9 tribes in their tribal court and Tribal Healing to Wellness Court planning, implementation, and enhancement.

Prior to that, she was an Assistant Professor with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) in the Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development (DANSRD) where her research and teaching was focused on federal-Indian law, tribal law and government, Native justice issues, and rural human and economic development.

Prior to that, she served as the founding Executive Director of the Nakwatsvewat Institute (TNI) and later as the President of TNI’s Board of Directors. Under her leadership, TNI established Hopi Dispute Resolution Services (HDRS), a community mediation program serving the Hopi community in Arizona.

Early in her career, Ms. Sekaquaptewa served as the Director of the UCLA Native Nations Law and Policy Center (NNLPC) and its Tribal Legal Development Clinic (TLDC). Prior to this, she co-founded and launched the Hopi Appellate Court Clinic at UC Berkeley’s School of Law with Jerry Gardner. This clinic was subsequently housed at, and expanded by, the UCLA School of Law and became its Tribal Appellate Court Clinic. At UCLA, she provided instruction in tribal constitution and statutory drafting and tribal court development. She also taught Native Nation Building in UCLA’s American Indian Studies Program.

Today she also serves as the Chief Justice of the Hopi Tribe’s high court in Arizona where she has been an Associate Justice for many years. She is a co-founder, and former longtime member of the Board of the Directors of the Tribal Law and Policy Institute in West Hollywood, CA.